III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 363 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2014 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mrs. HAGAN, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. 

ISAKSON, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. BEGICH, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mrs. MURRAY, 

Mr. CARDIN, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. WYDEN, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. PRYOR, Mr. 

SCHUMER, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 

MANCHIN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. KAINE, Ms. CANTWELL, 

Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. WARNER, Mr. NELSON, Mr. COBURN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. COONS, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. 

ROCKEFELLER, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. KIRK, Mr. WICKER, Mr. 

FRANKEN, Mr. SCOTT, Ms. WARREN, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mr. LEAHY, and 

Mr. UDALL of Colorado) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

Whereas in 1776, people imagined the United States as a 

new country dedicated to the proposition stated in the 

Declaration of Independence 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 the first Africans were brought involuntarily to the 

shores of America as early as the 17th century; 


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Whereas African Americans suffered enslavement and subsequently faced the injustices of lynch mobs, segregation, 

and denial of the basic and fundamental rights of citizenship; 

Whereas inequalities and injustices in our society still exist 

today; 

Whereas in the face of injustices, people of the United States 

of good will and of all races have distinguished themselves with a commitment to the noble ideals on which 

the United States was founded and have courageously 

fought for the rights and freedom of African Americans; 

Whereas African Americans, such as James Beckwourth, Bill 

Pickett, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth, and Clara 

Brown, along with many others, worked against racism 

to achieve success and have made significant contributions to the economic, educational, political, artistic, literary, scientific, and technological advancements of the 

United States, including the westward expansion; 

Whereas the contributions of African Americans from all 

walks of life throughout the history of the United States 

reflect the greatness of the United States; 

Whereas Muhammad Ali, Constance Baker Motley, James 

Baldwin, James Beckwourth, Clara Brown, Ralph 

Bunche, Shirley Chisholm, Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. 

Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, Alex Haley, Dorothy Height, 

Lena Horne, Charles Hamilton Houston, Mahalia Jackson, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Tuskegee Airmen, 

Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Bill Pickett, Jackie 

Robinson, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Homer 

Plessy, the Greensboro Four, Simeon Booker, and BookVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:44 Feb 26, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR363.ATS SR363

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er T. Washington each lived a life of incandescent greatness; 

Whereas many African Americans lived, toiled, and died in 

obscurity, never achieving the recognition they deserved, 

and yet paved the way for future generations to succeed; 

Whereas pioneers, such as Maya Angelou, Arthur Ashe, Jr., 

Carol Moseley Braun, Ronald Brown, Ursula Burns, 

Kenneth Chenault, David Dinkins, Alexis Herman, Mae 

Jemison, Earvin ‘‘Magic’’ Johnson, Sheila Johnson, 

James Earl Jones, David Paterson, Marian Wright 

Edelman, Alice Walker, Oprah Winfrey, General Colin 

Powell, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and Clarence Thomas have 

all benefitted from their forefathers and have served as 

great role models and leaders for future generations; 

Whereas on November 4, 2008, the people of the United 

States elected an African-American man, Barack Obama, 

as President of the United States; 

Whereas African Americans continue to serve the United 

States at the highest levels of government and military; 

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, DC; 

Whereas the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick 

Douglass inspired the creation of Negro History Week, 

the precursor to Black History Month; 

Whereas Negro History Week represented the culmination of 

the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the ‘‘Father of 

Black History’’, to enhance knowledge of Black history 

through the Journal of Negro History, published by the 


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Association for the Study of African American Life and 

History, which was founded by Dr. Woodson and Jesse 

E. Moorland; 

Whereas Black History Month, celebrated during the month 

of February, dates back to 1926 when Dr. Woodson set 

aside a special period in February to recognize the heritage and achievement of Black people of the United 

States; 

Whereas Dr. Woodson 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 since the founding of the United States, the country 

imperfectly progressed towards noble goals; and 

Whereas the history of the United States is the story of people regularly affirming high ideals, striving to reach such 

ideals but often failing, and then struggling to come to 

terms with the disappointment of such failure, before 

committing to trying again: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) acknowledges that all people of the United 

3 States are the recipients of the wealth of history 

4 provided 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 ahead; 


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1 (3) acknowledges the significance of Black His2 tory Month as an important opportunity to recognize 

3 the tremendous contributions of African Americans 

4 to the history of the United States; 

5 (4) encourages the celebration of Black History 

6 Month to provide a continuing opportunity for all 

7 people in the United States to learn from the past 

8 and understand the experiences that have shaped the 

9 United States; and 

10 (5) agrees that, while the United States began 

11 as a divided nation, the United States must— 

12 (A) honor the contribution of all pioneers 

13 in the United States who have helped to ensure 

14 the legacy of the great United States; and 

15 (B) move forward with purpose, united 

16 tirelessly as ‘‘one Nation . . . indivisible, with 

17 liberty and justice for all.’’. 

Æ 


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