Recognizing the Significance of Black History Month

Floor Speech

RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH -- (House of Representatives - February 24, 2009)

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Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, each February we celebrate Black History Month. This year, with the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the centennial of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birthday, our celebration of the unique contributions of African Americans to our communities and our Nation is particularly meaningful. Black History Month gives us a chance to reflect on those individuals who have changed the course of American history. We remember political leaders, such as Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. who fought valiantly to bring civil rights and social equality to African Americans. We honor athletic heroes, such as Jackie Robinson and Willie Thrower, gifted artists such as Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles, and scientists and inventors such as George Washington Carver and Benjamin Banneker, who for decades showed African Americans that they could make a mark in the world.

Race relations in our Nation have come a long way since the days of its founding, and even since the 1960's when equal rights were equal on paper only in many places. Last month, amid adoring cries and astronomical crowds, Americans inaugurated their first African American President: President Barack Obama. In years past, we have been able to read our children stories of great accomplishments made by African Americans. We have been able to encourage our children, showing them by example that they can achieve anything they set their hearts to. This year, parents and teachers around the country will read to their children not only the stories of Douglass, of Parks, and of Booker T. Washington, but also the story of an African American boy who grew up to become the President of the United States. The story of the Black people in America continues to develop with each passing year, and this year proved a climactic chapter, full of hope and opportunity for the future.

As the proud founder and chairman of the Congressional Ethiopia and Ethiopian American Caucus, one of my goals is to increase awareness around the United States of the important contributions that members of the Ethiopian American community have made to our society. I am truly grateful for the diverse contributions of African Americans to our Nation and I encourage everyone to take time to learn more about their achievements during Black History Month. I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 83, which recognizes the significance of Black History Month, and I thank my friend Representative Al Green for introducing the resolution.

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