III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 84 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 23, 2015 

Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. COCHRAN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. ISAKSON, 

Mr. DURBIN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. 

PAUL, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. COONS, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. 

MURPHY, Mr. WICKER, Ms. AYOTTE, Mr. BURR, and Mr. CARDIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

the Judiciary 

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; 

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

and denial of the basic and fundamental rights of citizenship; 


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•SRES 84 IS 

Whereas in 2015, the vestiges of these injustices and inequalities remain evident in the society of the United States; 

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 Lieutenant Colonel 

Allen Allensworth, Constance Baker Motley, James Baldwin, James Beckwourth, Simeon Booker, Clara Brown, 

Ralph Bunche, Shirley Chisholm, Frederick Douglass, W. 

E. B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, Medgar Evers, 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, Aaron Shirley, Sojourner 

Truth, Harriet Tubman, Homer Plessy, the Greensboro 

Four, Maya Angelou, and Arthur Ashe, Jr., along with 

many others, worked against racism to achieve success 

and to make significant contributions to the economic, 

educational, political, artistic, athletic, 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 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 African Americans continue to serve the United 

States at the highest levels of government and military; 


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•SRES 84 IS 

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 

Association for the Study of African American Life and 

History, which was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson 

and Jesse E. Moorland; 

Whereas Black History Month, celebrated during the month 

of February, dates back to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. 

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

United States; 

Whereas Dr. Carter G. 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— 


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1 (1) acknowledges that all people of the United 

2 States are the recipients of the wealth of history 

3 provided by Black culture; 

4 (2) recognizes the importance of Black History 

5 Month as an opportunity to reflect on the complex 

6 history of the United States, while remaining hope7 ful and confident about the path ahead; 

8 (3) acknowledges the significance of Black His9 tory Month as an important opportunity to recognize 

10 the tremendous contributions of African Americans 

11 to the history of the United States; 

12 (4) encourages the celebration of Black History 

13 Month to provide a continuing opportunity for all 

14 people in the United States to learn from the past 

15 and understand the experiences that have shaped the 

16 United States; and 

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

18 as a divided nation, the United States must— 

19 (A) honor the contribution of all pioneers 

20 in the United States who have helped to ensure 

21 the legacy of the great United States; and 

22 (B) move forward with purpose, united 

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

24 liberty and justice for all.’’. 

Æ 


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