III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 49 

Celebrating Black History Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2011 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. MENENDEZ, 

Ms. MIKULSKI, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. KERRY, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. NELSON

of Florida, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. 

WICKER, Mr. FRANKEN, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. PRYOR, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, 

Mrs. BOXER, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. CASEY, 

Mr. BEGICH, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. BENNET, Mr. KIRK, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mrs. MCCASKILL, Mrs. HAGAN, Mrs. HUTCHISON, and 

Mr. COONS) 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, 

‘‘[f]our score and seven years ago our fathers brought 


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•SRES 49 ATS 

forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are 

created equal’’; 

Whereas the history of this Nation includes injustices and the 

denial of basic, fundamental rights at odds with the 

words of the Founders of the Nation and the sacrifices 

commemorated at Gettysburg, and these injustices include nearly 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 the vestiges of slavery still exist in the systemic inequalities and injustices in our society; 

Whereas for every Shirley Chisholm, Dorothy Height, Constance Baker Motley, Charles Hamilton Houston, 

Thurgood Marshall, Lena Horne, James Baldwin, 

W.E.B. Du Bois, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, 

Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, or Ralph Bunche, 

each of whom lived a life of incandescent greatness, many 

African Americans lived, toiled, and died in obscurity, 

never achieving the recognition they deserved; 

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

States elected an African American man, Barack Obama, 

as President of the United States, and African-Americans 

continue to serve our country at the highest levels of our 

government and military; and 

Whereas William H. Hastie, the first African American to be 

appointed as a Federal judge, stated, ‘‘[h]istory informs 

us of past mistakes from which we can learn without repeating them. It also inspires us and gives confidence and 

hope bred of victories already won’’: Now, therefore, be 

it 


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1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of Black History 

3 Month as an opportunity to reflect on our Nation’s 

4 complex history, while remaining hopeful and con5 fident for the path that lies ahead; 

6 (2) acknowledges the significance of Black His7 tory Month as an important opportunity to recognize 

8 the tremendous contributions of African Americans 

9 to the Nation’s history; 

10 (3) encourages the celebration of Black History 

11 Month to provide a continuing opportunity for all 

12 people in the United States to learn from our past 

13 and to understand the experiences that have shaped 

14 our Nation; and 

15 (4) calls on citizens to remember that, while 

16 this Nation began in division, it must now move for17 ward with purpose, united tirelessly as one Nation, 

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

19 honor the contribution of all American pioneers who 

20 help ensure the legacy of these great United States. 

Æ 


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