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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 44 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 44

                    Celebrating Black History Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 8, 2005

  Mr. Alexander (for himself and Mr. Coleman) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
                    Celebrating Black History Month.

Whereas the first African Americans were brought forcibly to these shores 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 advancement of the United 
        States;
Whereas in the face of these injustices Americans 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 America is reflected in the contributions of African 
        Americans in all walks of life throughout the history of the United 
        States: in the writings of W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, 
        and Alex Haley; in the music of Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, and 
        Duke Ellington; in the resolve of athletes such as Jackie Robinson and 
        Muhammed Ali; in the vision of leaders such as Frederick Douglass, 
        Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King, Jr.; and in the bravery of 
        those who stood on the front lines in the battle against oppression such 
        as Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks;
Whereas the United States of America was conceived, as stated in the Declaration 
        of Independence, as a new nation 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 the actions of Americans of all races demonstrate their commitment to 
        that proposition: actions such as those of Allan Pinkerton, Thomas 
        Garrett, and the Rev. John Rankin who served as conductors on the 
        Underground Railroad; actions such as those of Harriet Beecher Stowe, 
        who shined a light on the injustices of slavery; actions such as those 
        of President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, 
        and Senator Lyman Trumbull, who introduced the 13th Amendment to the 
        Constitution of the United States; actions such as those of 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 the thousands of 
        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 
        progress toward these noble goals;
Whereas American History 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 Americans to reach our 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 Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) acknowledges the tragedies of slavery, lynching, 
        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 Americans fail to live up 
        to their noble goals;
            (2) honors those Americans who during the time of slavery, 
        lynching, and segregation risked their lives in the underground 
        railway and in other efforts to assist fugitive slaves and 
        other African Americans who might have been targets and victims 
        of lynch mobs and 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''; and
            (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 play a role in improving conditions for all 
        Americans.
                                 <all>
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