Date: 2010-03-19
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. To honor the extraordinary number of African Americans who have enhanced our country through scientific innovation. I offer this resolution to celebrate their accomplishments. This resolution also recognizes the significant barriers African Americans have broken to enhance science and increase American competitiveness. February is normally the month where the accomplishments of African Americans are celebrated. It was our original intent to do just that and be on the floor last month. However. I am pleased to see this resolution on the floor today in March. knowing we all enjoy the contributions of African American scientific contributions every day of the year. As we go throughout our daily routines. Americans rely on technologies. procedures. and improvements fashioned by African American innovators over the centuries. In any field. whether it is transportation. architecture. transportation. medicine. or home appliances. African Americans have innovated. improved. and enhanced our technology. In 2010 it is unthinkable that a person of any race. origin. or culture in this country would be denied an education because of the color of their skin. For centuries. African Americans who developed procedures. inventions. and technologies we rely upon each day had to overcome significant obstacles to advance our Nation. From 1654 until 1865. slavery for life was legal within the boundaries of much of the present United States. At that time. many slaves were prohibited from obtaining an education. In response. many historically black colleges and universities were founded. These universities contribute significantly to the overall percentage of African Americans who receive undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of science today. We honor and celebrate the effectiveness of these vital institutions. We acknowledge that slaves. because they were not considered citizens. could not register any invention with the U.S. Patent Office. Due to this. there is a strong likelihood that during the period of slavery many discoveries have been undocumented or stolen. After President Lincoln abolished slavery in 1865. many African American scientists continued to face poverty. legal and social discrimination over 100 years later. Our past is our prologue. and we must recognize and celebrate our history in order to achieve our full potential as a Nation. As Martin Luther King once said. "Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten. A society is always eager to cover misdeeds with a cloak of forgetfulness. but no society can fully repress an ugly past when the ravages persist into the present." Today our Nation has a vast untapped potential as African Americans and other minorities remain disproportionately underrepresented in science. technology. engineering. and math. the STEM disciplines. Many of these students suffer from inadequate schools. residential segregation. gender and racial bias from the classroom. and. perhaps even the most. nonprepared teachers. In order to become more energy independent. create new jobs and new exports. and develop the next great technology. we must invest robustly in scientific education and innovation. Looking towards our future. the fraction of college age population ages represented by minorities is expected to grow to 55 percent in 2050. The proportion of STEM bachelors degrees earned by minorities is much lower than the representation of minorities within the U.S. population. In order to keep the United States competitive in future years. we have a lot of work to do. We honor African Americans who have overcome significant obstacles to enhance innovation and competitiveness in the field of science in the United States. We also encourage investment in programs which lessen the achievement gap of African Americans as well as other minorities and disadvantaged groups in the sciences and ultimately strengthen competitiveness in the United States. The lights are on. the stage is set. the camera is rolling. and we are the actors. The actions we take today are ultimately what will determine our future. I thank you. Mr. Speaker. and I reserve the balance of my time.