III 

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 

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cational, 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— 


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(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; 


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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) acknowledges the tragedies of slavery, 

3 lynching, and segregation, and condemns them as an 

4 infringement on human liberty and equal oppor5 tunity so that they will stand forever as a reminder 

6 of what can happen when the citizens of the United 

7 States fail to live up to their noble goals; 

8 (2) honors those United States citizens who— 

9 (A) risked their lives during the time of 

10 slavery, lynching, and segregation in the Under11 ground Railroad and in other efforts to assist 

12 fugitive slaves and other African Americans 

13 who might have been targets and victims of 

14 lynch mobs; and 


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1 (B) those who have stood beside African 

2 Americans in the fight for equal opportunity 

3 that continues to this day; 

4 (3) reaffirms its commitment to the founding 

5 principles of the United States of America that ‘‘all 

6 Men are created equal, that they are endowed by 

7 their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that 

8 among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of 

9 Happiness’’; 

10 (4) commits itself to addressing those situations 

11 in which the African American community struggles 

12 with disparities in education, health care, and other 

13 areas where the Federal Government can help im14 prove conditions for all citizens of the United States; 

15 and 

16 (5) calls on the citizens of the United States to 

17 observe Black History Month with appropriate pro18 grams, ceremonies, and activities. 

Æ 


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