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For Immediate Release |
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Contact: Murat Gokcigdem |
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Phone: (202) 225-8885 |
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February 1, 2008 |
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CONGRESSWOMAN JOHNSON'S STATEMENT ON BLACK HISTORY MONTH
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Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson joined millions of Americans in celebrating the beginning of Black History Month.
“During Black History Month, we celebrate the many contributions of African Americans and remember not just our heroes such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and former Congressman Augustus Hawkins, but also the extraordinary lives of ordinary people who have helped build our great nation,” said Congresswoman Johnson.
The theme of Black History Month this year is “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism.” This year’s theme highlights that the multiculturalism of today had its origins in the struggles of African Americans to have their cultural contributions recognized by American society. The noted educator and scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson – the “Father of Black History” – authored numerous scholarly books on the positive contributions of Blacks to the development of America and he laid the foundation for a rethinking of American identity as a blending of many cultures. He also founded Black History Week in 1926, which was the precursor of Black History Month established in 1976.
In Black History Month 2008, there are new landmarks to celebrate. One of the two remaining contenders for the Democratic Party’s nominee to be President of the United States is an African American this year. In addition, progress continues on establishing the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which Congress authorized in December 2003, to be built on the nation’s Mall.
The new Democratic-led Congress has been working on improving the lives of African American families, along with all other American families. Last year, Congress raised the minimum wage, benefiting more than 2 million hardworking African Americans; cut the cost of college for the 2.3 million African Americans enrolled in degree-granting institutions; and enacted an energy security bill that will save Americans, including 40 million African Americans, $700 to $1,000 a year at the pump.
During this current economic downturn, a great number of African American families – like other American families – are struggling to make ends meet. Congress is responding – and is about to enact an economic stimulus package that will put hundreds of dollars into the hands of 117 million American families, who will spend it immediately to reinvigorate the economy.
“I am committed to continuing to work with the African American community to help tackle the challenges that exist in education, health care, homeownership, and economic development,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “I will continue to fight for accessible and affordable health care and quality public education and to work towards a budget that reflects the priorities of the American people.”
“As we celebrate Black History Month,” concluded Congresswoman Johnson, “let us celebrate the African Americans who made extraordinary sacrifices in the name of justice and equality in the past and let us recommit ourselves to continuing to work for an America that fully lives up to its ideals and ensures that every American has the tools and opportunity to pursue the American Dream.”
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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.
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