,,iii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #cfc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bf1 #bjad,mrs4 ,gillibrand 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,hagan1 ,mr4 ,levin1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,isakson1 ,mr4 ,cochran1 ,mr4 ,begich1 ,ms4 ,murkowski1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,ms4 ,landrieu1 ,mr4 ,wyden1 ,mrs4 ,boxer1 ,mr4 ,pryor1 ,mr4 ,schumer1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,manchin1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,ms4 ,cantwell1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,warner1 ,mr4 ,nelson1 ,mr4 ,coburn1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,rockefeller1 ,mr4 ,portman1 ,mr4 ,carper1 ,mr4 ,grassley1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,kirk1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 ,mr4 ,franken1 ,mr4 ,scott1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mrs4 ,mc,caskill1 ,mr4 ,leahy1 and ,mr4 ,udall of ,colorado7 submitted the following resolution2 which was considered and agreed to ,,resolution ,celebrating ,black ,history ,month4 ,whereas in #aggf1 people imagined the ,united ,states as a new country dedicated to the proposition stated in the ,declaration of ,independence that all men are created equal1 that they are endowed by their ,creator with certain unalienable ,rights1 that among these are ,life1 ,liberty and the pursuit of ,happiness 4 4 42 ,whereas the first ,africans were brought involuntarily to the shores of ,america as early as the #agth century2 ,whereas ,african ,americans suffered enslavement and subsequently faced the injustices of lynch mobs1 segregation1 and denial of the basic and fundamental rights of citizenship2 ,whereas inequalities and injustices in our society still exist today2 ,whereas in the face of injustices1 people of the ,united ,states of good will and of all races have distinguished themselves with a commitment to the noble ideals on which the ,united ,states was founded and have courageously fought for the rights and freedom of ,african ,americans2 ,whereas ,african ,americans1 such as ,james ,beckwourth1 ,bill ,pickett1 ,lieutenant ,colonel ,allen ,allensworth1 and ,clara ,brown1 along with many others1 worked against racism to achieve success and have made significant contributions to the economic1 educational1 political1 artistic1 literary1 scientific1 and technological advancements of the ,united ,states1 including the westward expansion2 ,whereas the contributions of ,african ,americans from all walks of life throughout the history of the ,united ,states reflect the greatness of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas ,muhammad ,ali1 ,constance ,baker ,motley1 ,james ,baldwin1 ,james ,beckwourth1 ,clara ,brown1 ,ralph ,bunche1 ,shirley ,chisholm1 ,frederick ,douglass1 ,w4 ,e4 ,b4 ,du ,bois1 ,ralph ,ellison1 ,alex ,haley1 ,dorothy ,height1 ,lena ,horne1 ,charles ,hamilton ,houston1 ,mahalia ,jackson1 ,martin ,luther ,king1 ,jr41 the ,tuskegee ,airmen1 ,thurgood ,marshall1 ,rosa ,parks1 ,bill ,pickett1 ,jackie ,robinson1 ,sojourner ,truth1 ,harriet ,tubman1 ,homer ,plessy1 the ,greensboro ,four1 ,simeon ,booker1 and ,booker ,t4 ,washington each lived a life of incandescent greatness2 ,whereas many ,african ,americans lived1 toiled1 and died in obscurity1 never achieving the recognition they deserved1 and yet paved the way for future generations to succeed2 ,whereas pioneers1 such as ,maya ,angelou1 ,arthur ,ashe1 ,jr41 ,carol ,moseley ,braun1 ,ronald ,brown1 ,ursula ,burns1 ,kenneth ,chenault1 ,david ,dinkins1 ,alexis ,herman1 ,mae ,jemison1 ,earvin ,magic ,johnson1 ,sheila ,johnson1 ,james ,earl ,jones1 ,david ,paterson1 ,marian ,wright ,edelman1 ,alice ,walker1 ,oprah ,winfrey1 ,general ,colin ,powell1 ,dr4 ,condoleezza ,rice1 and ,clarence ,thomas have all benefitted from their forefathers and have served as great role models and leaders for future generations2 ,whereas on ,november #d1 #bjjh1 the people of the ,united ,states elected an ,african-,american man1 ,barack ,obama1 as ,president of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas ,african ,americans continue to serve the ,united ,states at the highest levels of government and military2 ,whereas on ,february #bb1 #bjab1 ,president ,barack ,obama and ,first ,lady ,michelle ,obama1 along with former ,first ,lady ,laura ,bush1 celebrated the groundbreaking of the ,national ,museum of ,african ,american ,history and ,culture on the ,national ,mall1 in ,washington1 ,,dc2 ,whereas the birthdays of ,abraham ,lincoln and ,frederick ,douglass inspired the creation of ,negro ,history ,week1 the precursor to ,black ,history ,month2 ,whereas ,negro ,history ,week represented the culmination of the efforts of ,dr4 ,carter ,g4 ,woodson1 the ,father of ,black ,history1 to enhance knowledge of ,black history through the ,journal of ,negro ,history1 published by the ,association for the ,study of ,african ,american ,life and ,history1 which was founded by ,dr4 ,woodson and ,jesse ,e4 ,moorland2 ,whereas ,black ,history ,month1 celebrated during the month of ,february1 dates back to #aibf when ,dr4 ,woodson set aside a special period in ,february to recognize the heritage and achievement of ,black people of the ,united ,states2 ,whereas ,dr4 ,woodson stated3 ,we have a wonderful history behind us4 4 4 4 ,if you are unable to demonstrate to the world that you have this record1 the world will say to you1 ,you are not worthy to enjoy the blessings of democracy or anything else42 ,whereas since the founding of the ,united ,states1 the country imperfectly progressed towards noble goals2 and ,whereas the history of the ,united ,states is the story of people regularly affirming high ideals1 striving to reach such ideals but often failing1 and then struggling to come to terms with the disappointment of such failure1 before committing to trying again3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 acknowledges that all people of the ,united ,states are the recipients of the wealth of history provided by ,black culture2 7#b7 recognizes the importance of ,black ,history ,month as an opportunity to reflect on the complex history of the ,united ,states1 while remaining hopeful and confident about the path ahead2 7#c7 acknowledges the significance of ,black ,history ,month as an important opportunity to recognize the tremendous contributions of ,african ,americans to the history of the ,united ,states2 7#d7 encourages the celebration of ,black ,history ,month to provide a continuing opportunity for all people in the ,united ,states to learn from the past and understand the experiences that have shaped the ,united ,states2 and 7#e7 agrees that1 while the ,united ,states began as a divided nation1 the ,united ,states must-- 7,a7 honor the contribution of all pioneers in the ,united ,states who have helped to ensure the legacy of the great ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 move forward with purpose1 united tirelessly as one ,nation 4 4 4 indivisible1 with liberty and justice for all44