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[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 49 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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 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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the importance of Black History Month as an 
        opportunity to reflect on our Nation's complex history, while 
        remaining hopeful and confident for the path that lies ahead;
            (2) acknowledges the significance of Black History Month as 
        an important opportunity to recognize the tremendous 
        contributions of African Americans to the Nation's history;
            (3) encourages the celebration of Black History Month to 
        provide a continuing opportunity for all people in the United 
        States to learn from our past and to understand the experiences 
        that have shaped our Nation; and
            (4) calls on citizens to remember that, while this Nation 
        began in division, it must now move forward with purpose, 
        united tirelessly as one Nation, indivisible, with liberty and 
        justice for all, and to honor the contribution of all American 
        pioneers who help ensure the legacy of these great United 
        States.
                                 <all>
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