Evolution of Black Excellence Throughout History

Floor Speech

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Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her leadership in this Congress on these important Special Order hours that the CBC has been involved in. She has done an exemplary job in making sure she is able to rally the cattle and keep them in order, and I just wanted to acknowledge that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the evolution of Black excellence during Black History Month.

I have said on this floor that the African American story is the greatest success story in our country's history, and we are here to highlight some of those many examples of that success.

First, I want to discuss why it is important to have this discussion. Black excellence is a term born out of the difficulties Black Americans have faced since the very beginning. It is a term that helps change the historical perception of Blacks in America, and it focuses on the millions of Black Americans that have helped change that perspective.

Since the first Africans set foot on American soil, we have fought for everything that we have in this country. First, we had to fight for the right to be considered people. Then we had to fight to make sure the promises of the Constitution applied to us. We are still fighting those fights every single day.

In essence, Black excellence is not a series of actions, it is a state of being that evolved from struggle. It is a response to critics, and it is a mantra that reminds millions of Black children and teens that there are doors open to them that were closed to their ancestors.

Usually Black history and Black excellence focuses on the most famous Black Americans, like Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King, Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Owens, Maya Angelou, Michael Jordan, and Oprah Winfrey. However, history is filled with Black Americans who need to be recognized more often. Americans like Bayard Rustin, who organized the March on Washington. Bessie Coleman, the world's first licensed Black pilot. Alice Coachman, the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Benjamin Davis, Sr., the first Black General in the U.S. Army. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the U.S. Frederick McKinley Jones, a Black inventor who made it possible to transport blood and donated organs across this country. His invention alone saved tens of thousands of lives.

Today, Black Americans carry on their tradition of excellence in a variety of fields and professions. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett helped create a COVID-19 vaccine. Victor Glover was the first Black astronaut to live and work at the International Space Station for an extended period of time. Rashida Jones is the president of MSNBC and is the first Black executive to run a major news network.

Brian Stephenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, has helped hundreds of wrongfully-convicted Americans get the justice and freedom they deserve. Tristan Walker cofounded an organization to help minority students get jobs with the country's leading technology firms.

Today's Congressional Black Caucus is filled with political leaders who have triumphed over adversity. Their stories are exceptional examples of Black excellence. Yet, these Black Americans are only a few of the millions who have worked to help our communities and our country every day. Their work inspires African-American school children everywhere to find their own means to achieve Black excellence.

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