Black History Month
Floor Speech
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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, this February we celebrate the 23rd Black History Month. Black History Month is a time to honor the past contributions of Black people in American society and also to pay homage to those making progress currently and in the future. It is an annual celebration of achievements, reflection on challenges faced, and recognition of the central role of Black people in U.S. history.
Each Black History Month adopts a central theme. Last year's theme was ``Black Health and Wellness;'' this year, we focus on ``Black Resistance.'' ``Black Resistance'' is a powerful message that refers to how, throughout history, African Americans have withstood, com batted, and opposed both intermittent or ongoing disadvantages and oppression. We've undergone being enslaved and having human and civil rights stripped away. For centuries, African Americans have faced enormous obstacles in numerous aspects of life, including education, economic security, healthcare, employment, housing, and criminal justice. African Americans routinely experience opportunity denial due to the color of our skin, and we continue to struggle for justice and equality for ourselves and communities in the face of systematic racism. In Chicago, as across the nation, Black families are more likely to live in poverty than white families, making it challenging to access decent education, health care, and other essential resources for a fulfilling life. Being Black in the United States is a complicated and multidimensional experience affected by historical, social, and cultural influences.
Black Resistance has helped overcome these barriers on the path to equality. African Americans have made enormous contributions to American culture, politics, and society. From the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter, Black people have battled for justice and equality. Their words and actions have molded the history and identity of our Nation. Black families have demonstrated Black Resistance--a remarkable endurance, fortitude, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Through all the pressures of life, Black parents teach their children the meaning behind the color of their skin, to stay on the right side of the system, and to face a world that fears our physique. Despite centuries of challenges, Black parents have raised children who grew into the workers, professionals, parents, and communities who made this wonderful Nation what it is.
Black Resistance has helped us overcome barriers on the path to equality; yet recently, it seems that more obstacles arise with each hurdle we surmount. Instead of moving forward, it sometimes feels like we are stuck in an ongoing cycle of one-step-forward-two-steps-back. Black students in Chicago and across the nation are disproportionately likely to attend underfunded schools that lack resources and qualified teachers. This inequity often results in decreased academic achievement and diminished opportunities for success. Black parents must advise their children how to navigate the centuries-old barriers facing African Americans and hope the world doesn't take their babies from them. Too many Black mothers in the United States suffer from the agony of knowing that their child's last words were a call for them while being killed by the police. Further, some Republican leaders are aggressively pushing to eliminate the teaching of African-American history in classrooms, promising to exacerbate the ongoing education crisis and forcing the country to move backward instead of forward. Without education on the various accomplishments and failings of the past, future generations will be unprepared for the challenges ahead due to the lost lessons of history.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., recognized that ``the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' Regardless of the obstacles encountered, the Black community has a long, cultural tradition of activism and advocacy, and this Black Resistance advances the fight for justice and equality that Dr. King spoke of. In honor of Black History Month, I organized a town hall gathering to recognize the historical heroes and heroines, those from the past who have shaped our world and those from the present who are paving the path for future sheroes and heroes. The event occurred on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at the Home of Life Missionary Baptist Church. During this event, l heard from residents about what policies on which they believe Congress should focus to continue bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice.
As we celebrate the 23rd Black History Month, I am reminded of Sam Cooke's hope: ``It's been a long . . . time coming, but I know a change gonna come. Oh yes, it will.'' I have seen Black Resistance bring about such wonderful change in my lifetime. I am proud to celebrate this success, and I promise to continue fighting for equality and opportunity at every turn. Change is gonna come.
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