IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 79 
Recognizing the significance of Black History Month. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 1, 2017 
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. BASS, Mrs. BEATTY, 
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. BROWN of Mary-
land, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUM-
MINGS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. ELLISON, 
Mr. EVANS, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. 
JEFFRIES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of 
Georgia, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. LAWSON of Flor-
ida, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. 
MOORE, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. 
RUSH, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. SE-
WELL of Alabama, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. MAX-
INE WATERS of California, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Ms. WILSON of 
Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the significance of Black History Month. 
Whereas the theme of Black History Month for 2017 is ‘‘The 
Crisis in Black Education’’, which aims to further the 
dialogue on the critical role education plays in the ad-
vancement of the African-American community; 
Whereas the first Africans were brought involuntarily to the 
shores of the Americas as early as the 17th century; 
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•HRES 79 IH 
Whereas these Africans in America and their descendants are 
now known as African-Americans; 
Whereas African-Americans suffered enslavement and subse-
quently faced the injustices of lynch mobs, segregation, 
and denial of basic, fundamental rights; 
Whereas despite slavery, African-Americans in all walks of 
life have made significant contributions throughout the 
history of the United States, including through the— 
(1) writings of Booker T. Washington, Phyllis 
Wheatley, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, 
Zora Neale Hurston, and Alex Haley; 
(2) music of Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, John 
Coltrane, Bessie Smith, and Duke Ellington; 
(3) resolve of athletes such as Jackie Robinson, Al-
thea Gibson, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, and Muham-
mad Ali; 
(4) scientific advancements of George Washington 
Carver, Charles Drew, Benjamin Banneker, and Mae 
Jemison; 
(5) vision of leaders such as Frederick Douglass, 
Mary McLeod Bethune, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Lu-
ther King, Jr., and Shirley Chisholm; and 
(6) bravery of those who stood on the front lines in 
the battle against oppression, such as Sojourner Truth, 
Fannie Lou Hammer, and Rosa Parks; 
Whereas in the face of injustices, United States citizens of 
good will and of all races distinguished themselves with 
their commitment to the noble ideas upon which the 
United States was founded and courageously fought for 
the rights and freedom of African-Americans; 
Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., lived and died to make 
real these noble ideas; 
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•HRES 79 IH 
Whereas a memorial commemorating the life and ideals of 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was placed on the National 
Mall for all people to observe his leadership in the strug-
gle for freedom and truth; 
Whereas Barack Hussein Obama was elected and reelected 
the 44th President of the United States, making him the 
first African-American chief executive and overcoming 
one of the last great racial challenges in politics in this 
country; 
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 
Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s efforts to enhance knowledge of 
Black history started through the Journal of Negro His-
tory, published by Woodson’s Association for the Study 
of African-American Life and History; and 
Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as 
Black History Month, which dates back to 1926 when 
Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside a special period of time 
in February to recognize the heritage and achievement of 
Black Americans: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That— 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Original Black 
History Month Resolution of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. RECOGNIZING SIGNIFICANCE OF BLACK HISTORY 
MONTH. 
The House of Representatives— 
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•HRES 79 IH 
(1) recognizes the significance of Black History 
Month as an important time to acknowledge and cel-
ebrate the contributions of African-Americans in the 
Nation’s history, and encourages the continued cele-
bration of this month to provide an opportunity for 
all peoples of the United States to learn more about 
the past and to better understand the experiences 
that have shaped the Nation; 
(2) recognizes that ethnic and racial diversity of 
the United States enriches and strengthens the Na-
tion; and 
(3) encourages all States to include in their 
year-round educational curriculum the history and 
contributions of African-Americans in the United 
States and around the world. 
Æ 
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