Date: 2008-02-06
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for his very kind words and compliment him on the outstanding job that he is doing in the. United States Congress. and Im always honored to have the opportunity to serve and work with the gentleman. I also thank my colleague on the other side of the aisle who has graciously helped us with this resolution and helped us bring it to the floor. This resolution has received bipartisan support. I can say with a great degree of sincerity that not one Member that I approached about signing on to this resolution had any reservation. hesitation. or consternation. Every Member saw this as a worthwhile resolution. and I want to thank all of the Members who are now supporting it and who will vote for it. I also am honored to make this expression of appreciation on behalf of the millions of Africans who are -in America and who are known as African Americans. They cherish this day. This day means something to persons in the African American community. So they. too. would express appreciation. and I do so as one of their representatives in the United States Congress. Mr. Speaker. this resolution gives us an opportunity to tell a portion of the greatest story never told. One of the great stories in world history is the story of Africans in the Americas and. more specifically. Africans in America today. This month allows us. and through this resolution we are allowed. to talk about some of the great accomplishments of African Americans. and Mr. FEENEY has been so generous with his compliments and the persons that he has named. My colleague has been very generous with his compliments as well. But I want to name just a few more. because at a time like this. on occasions like this. we want to make sure that we say as much as we can. understanding that we cannot say enough. So on occasions such as this. wed like to at least mention.the prolific poetry of Phyllis Wheatley. We want to say that there was the scientific genius of Benjamin Banneker. who. by the way. was selfeducated. a selfeducated scientist. astronomer and inventor. Wed like to mention the legal brilliance of Macon B. Allen. who became the first African American admitted to the bar in the United States in 1845. We should mention the colossal courage of Harriet Tubman. who. with her Underground Railroad. took persons from slavery to freedom. And we have to mention that she didnt do it alone. African Americans are not free because they were able to extricate themselves from slavery. they are free because they had help along the way from persons of good will of all ethnicities and races. all genders. People of good will have been of service in this fight for freedom for African Americans. and we should never have this kind of celebration and not mention the fact that we are here because there were many others who made it possible for us to have the opportunities we have. Many lived and died. and they were not all African Americans. On occasions such as this. we mention the political prowess of P.B.S. Pinchback. who was the first African American elected Governor to become Governor of a State. he became Governor of the State of Louisiana in 1872. These are some of the notables that we mention. But we should also mention that African Americans answered the clarion call to serve the Nation in times of war. They were there at the Boston Massacre. You will recall that Crispus Attucks was the first person killed. an African American. They were there at the Revolutionary War. Five thousand slaves and freedmen fought in the Revolutionary War. with the Continental Army. with the Navy. and with the militia in the Revolutionary War. They were there in World War I. 350.000 African Americans were there in World War I to serve our country. In World War H. 2.5 million registered. and approximately 1 million served. And. of course. we can never forget the Tuskegee Airmen. They were not only there but they were so outstanding that the President of the United States came to these Halls and presented them a Congressional Gold Medal. H568 cc America is not a perfect Nation. but it does provide the means by which we can strive for perfection. And I am so honored that by passing this resolution. we continue to reach for the ultimate perfection in the United States of America.