III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 387 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 1, 2012 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, 

Mr. DURBIN, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. PRYOR, Mr. 

AKAKA, Mr. SCHUMER, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. BROWN of Massachusetts, 

Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. CARDIN, and Mr. LEVIN) 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 country 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 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, 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 387 ATS 

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 distinguished themselves with 

a commitment to the noble ideals on which the United 

States was founded and courageously fought for the 

rights and freedom of African-Americans; 

Whereas many African-American men and women 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; 

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; 

Whereas Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth, 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 Tuskeegee Airmen, Thurgood Marshall, 

Rosa Parks, Bill Pickett, Jackie Robinson, Sojourner 

Truth, and Harriet Tubman each lived a life of incandescent greatness, while 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; 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 387 ATS 

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, and Oprah Winfrey have all benefitted from their forefathers and have served as great 

role models and leaders for future generations to come; 

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 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. 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 of time in February to recognize 

the heritage and achievement of black Americans; 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 387 ATS 

Whereas Dr. 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 since the founding, the United States has been an 

imperfect work in making progress towards noble goals; 

and 

Whereas the history of the United States is the story of a 

people regularly affirming high ideals, striving to reach 

those ideals but often failing, and then struggling to 

come to terms with the disappointment of that failure before committing to trying again: 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 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 387 ATS 

1 and to understand the experiences that have shaped 

2 the United States; and 

3 (5) agrees that while the United States began 

4 in division, the United States must now move for5 ward with purpose, united tirelessly as one Nation, 

6 indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, and to 

7 honor the contribution of all pioneers in this country 

8 who help ensure the legacy of these great United 

9 States. 

Æ 


jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with BILLS