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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 380 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 380

                    Celebrating Black History Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 16, 2006

Mr. Alexander (for himself, Mr. Coleman, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Coburn, Mr. 
   Cochran, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Graham, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. 
 Levin, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Lincoln, 
 Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Lautenberg, 
   Mrs. Dole, Mr. Reid, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Allard, Mr. 
 Talent, Mr. Allen, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Ms. Stabenow, 
 Mr. Bunning, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Obama, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Kohl, 
and Mr. Frist) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
                             and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
                    Celebrating Black History Month.

Whereas the first African Americans were brought forcibly to the shores of 
        America as early as the 17th century;
Whereas African Americans were enslaved in the United States and subsequently 
        faced the injustices of lynch mobs, segregation, and denial of basic, 
        fundamental rights;
Whereas in spite of these injustices, African Americans have made significant 
        contributions to the economic, educational, political, artistic, 
        literary, scientific, and technological advancements of the United 
        States;
Whereas in the face of these injustices, United States citizens of all races 
        distinguished themselves in their commitment to the ideals on which the 
        United States was founded, and fought for the rights of African 
        Americans;
Whereas the greatness of the United States is reflected in the contributions of 
        African Americans in all walks of life throughout the history of the 
        United States, including through--

    (1) the writings of Booker T. Washington, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, 
and Alex Haley;

    (2) the music of Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, and Duke Ellington;

    (3) the resolve of athletes such as Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, and 
Muhammed Ali;

    (4) the vision of leaders such as Frederick Douglass, Thurgood 
Marshall, and Martin Luther King, Jr.; and

    (5) the bravery of those who stood on the front lines in the battle 
against oppression, such as Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks;

Whereas the United States of America was conceived, as stated in the Declaration 
        of Independence, as a new country dedicated to the proposition that 
        ``all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with 
        certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the 
        Pursuit of Happiness'';
Whereas United States citizens of all races demonstrate their commitment to that 
        proposition through actions such as those of--

    (1) Allan Pinkerton, Thomas Garrett, and the Rev. John Rankin, who 
served as conductors in the Underground Railroad;

    (2) Harriet Beecher Stowe, who shined a light on the injustices of 
slavery;

    (3) President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation 
Proclamation, and Senator Lyman Trumbull, who introduced the 13th Amendment 
to the Constitution of the United States;

    (4) President Lyndon B. Johnson, Chief Justice Earl Warren, Senator 
Mike Mansfield, and Senator Hubert Humphrey, who fought to end segregation 
and the denial of civil rights to African Americans; and

    (5) Americans of all races who marched side-by-side with African 
Americans during the civil rights movement;

Whereas, since its founding, the United States has been an imperfect work in 
        making progress towards those noble goals;
Whereas the history of the United States is the story of a people regularly 
        affirming high ideals, striving to reach them but often failing, and 
        then struggling to come to terms with the disappointment of that failure 
        before recommitting themselves to trying again;
Whereas, from the beginning of our Nation, the most conspicuous and persistent 
        failure of United States citizens to reach those noble goals has been 
        the enslavement of African Americans and the resulting racism;
Whereas the crime of lynching succeeded slavery as the ultimate expression of 
        racism in the United States following Reconstruction;
Whereas the Federal Government failed to put an end to slavery until the 
        ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865, repeatedly failed to enact a 
        Federal anti-lynching law, and still struggles to deal with the evils of 
        racism; and
Whereas the fact that 61 percent of African American 4th graders read at a below 
        basic level and only 16 percent of native born African Americans have 
        earned a Bachelor's degree, 50 percent of all new HIV cases are reported 
        in African Americans, and the leading cause of death for African 
        American males ages 15 to 34 is homicide, demonstrates that the United 
        States continues to struggle to reach the high ideal of equal 
        opportunity for all citizens of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) acknowledges the tragedies of slavery, lynching, and 
        segregation, and condemns them as an infringement on human 
        liberty and equal opportunity so that they will stand forever 
        as a reminder of what can happen when the citizens of the 
        United States fail to live up to their noble goals;
            (2) honors those United States citizens who--
                    (A) risked their lives during the time of slavery, 
                lynching, and segregation in the Underground Railroad 
                and in other efforts to assist fugitive slaves and 
                other African Americans who might have been targets and 
                victims of lynch mobs; and
                    (B) those who have stood beside African Americans 
                in the fight for equal opportunity that continues to 
                this day;
            (3) reaffirms its commitment to the founding principles of 
        the United States of America that ``all Men are created equal, 
        that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 
        Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of 
        Happiness'';
            (4) commits itself to addressing those situations in which 
        the African American community struggles with disparities in 
        education, health care, and other areas where the Federal 
        Government can help improve conditions for all citizens of the 
        United States; and
            (5) calls on the citizens of the United States to observe 
        Black History Month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
        activities.
                                 <all>
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