III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 31 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2013 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. FRANKEN, Ms. LANDRIEU, 

Mrs. BOXER, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. LEVIN, 

Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. COONS, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. 

BEGICH, Mr. MANCHIN, Mrs. HAGAN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. 

BROWN, Mr. WICKER, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. NELSON, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. PRYOR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. 

WYDEN, Mr. WARNER, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. MCCASKILL, 

Ms. STABENOW, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. COWAN, and Mr. REED) submitted 

the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

Whereas, in 1776, the United States of America was imagined, 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 unalienable rights, that among these are life, 

liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’’; 

Whereas, on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, in reference to the Declaration of Independence, 

stated, ‘‘Four score and seven years ago our fathers 

brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conVerDate Mar 15 2010 18:09 Feb 14, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR31.ATS SR31

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ceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all 

men are created equal.’’; 

Whereas the history of the United States includes injustices 

and the denial of basic, fundamental rights at odds with 

the words of the founders of the United States and the 

sacrifices commemorated at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; 

Whereas the injustices committed in the United States include approximately 250 years of slavery, 100 years of 

lynchings, denial of both fundamental human and civil 

rights, and withholding of the basic rights of citizenship; 

Whereas inequalities and injustices in our society still exist 

today; 

Whereas Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. Dubois, Booker T. Washington, Charles 

Hamilton Houston, the Tuskegee Airmen, Lena Horne, 

Ralph Bunche, Jackie Robinson, Constance Baker Motley, James Baldwin, Dorothy Height, Thurgood Marshall, 

and Shirley Chisholm each lived a life of incandescent 

greatness while many African Americans lived, toiled, and 

died in obscurity, never achieving the recognition they deserved, but paved the way for future generations to succeed; 

Whereas many African-American men and women worked 

against racism to achieve success, such as James 

Beckwourth, Bill Pickett, Colonel Allen Allensworth, 

Clara Brown, and many others who were pivotal in the 

exploration and westward expansion of the United States; 

Whereas pioneers such as David Dinkins, Mae Jemison, Arthur Ashe, Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones, Clarence 

Thomas, Ursula Burns, Alice Walker, Ronald Brown, 

Alexis Herman, Kenneth Chenault, and Magic Johnson 


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have all served as positive beneficiaries of our forefathers 

and as great role models and leaders for future generations; 

Whereas, on November 4, 2008, and again on November 6, 

2012, the people of the United States elected an AfricanAmerican man, Barack Obama, as President of the 

United States, and African Americans continue to serve 

the United States at the highest levels of the government 

and Armed Forces; 

Whereas Carter G. Woodson, the ‘‘Father of Black History’’, 

stated, ‘‘We have a wonderful history behind us. . . . If 

you are unable to demonstrate to the world that you have 

this record, the world will say to you, ‘You are not worthy to enjoy the blessings of democracy or anything 

else.’ ’’; 

Whereas Black History Month, celebrated during the month 

of February, dates back to 1926 when Carter G. Woodson set aside a special period of time in February to recognize the heritage and achievement of black Americans; 

Whereas, on February 22, 2012, President Barack Obama 

and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with former First 

Lady Laura Bush, celebrated the groundbreaking of the 

National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; 

Whereas Hiram Rhodes Revels, Blanche Kelso Bruce, Edward William Brooke, Carol Moseley Braun, Barack 

Obama, and Roland Burris have all served as AfricanAmerican firsts in the exclusive body known as the 

United States Senate; and 

Whereas, on January 2, 2013, Tim Scott became the first African American to serve as Senator of South Carolina, 


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and on February 7, 2013, William ‘‘Mo’’ Cowan became 

the first African American to represent Massachusetts in 

the Senate since 1978: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) acknowledges that all of the people of the 

3 United States are the recipients of the wealth of his4 tory given to us by black culture; 

5 (2) recognizes the importance of Black History 

6 Month as an opportunity to reflect on the complex 

7 history of the United States, while remaining hope8 ful and confident about the path that lies ahead; 

9 (3) acknowledges the significance of Black His10 tory Month as an important opportunity to recognize 

11 the tremendous contributions of African Americans 

12 to the history of the United States; 

13 (4) encourages the celebration of Black History 

14 Month to provide a continuing opportunity for all 

15 people in the United States to learn from the past 

16 and to understand the experiences that have shaped 

17 the United States; 

18 (5) remembers the injustices that African 

19 Americans have endured and commends the African20 American community for overcoming those injustices 

21 and changing the course and nature of history by 

22 forging the fight for equality; and 


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1 (6) agrees that while the United States began 

2 in division, the United States must now move for3 ward with purpose, united tirelessly as one Nation, 

4 indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, and honor 

5 the contribution of all pioneers who help ensure the 

6 legacy of these great United States. 

Æ 


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