Congressional Record—House H1996
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H1996 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 26, 2014 and the order of the House of January go, but, thank God, we have come as three people who but only tried to reg- 3, 2013, of the following Member on the far as we have. ister people to vote had lost their lives part of the House to the British-Amer- This year, we are celebrating the at the hands of the KKK. ican Interparliamentary Group: civil rights in America as a theme for These were the times that I lived in. Mr. ROE, Tennessee Black History Month, civil rights in August 28, 1963. Dr. King called for a f America, and we would like to start by march on Washington, and that march talking about the Civil Rights Act of took place. That march was one of the BLACK HISTORY MONTH 1964. greatest events in the history of the The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. WIL- However, before you can really un- civil rights movement. 200,000 to 300,000 LIAMS). Under the Speaker’s announced derstand completely the Civil Rights people assembled, and this is when Dr. policy of January 3, 2013, the gen- Act of 1964, it is important to get some King gave his famous ‘‘I Have a tleman from Texas (Mr. AL GREEN) is sense what the times were like in 1964, Dream’’ speech. recognized for 60 minutes as the des- to get some understanding of what it They also had a list of demands, a ignee of the minority leader. was like to live in the United States of list of demands that included a number Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speak- America in 1964. 8 on a list of 10. Number eight was a er, I would like to thank all of those This is not being done to shame any- minimum wage of $2 an hour. That associated with leadership who have al- one. It is not being done to cause per- minimum wage of $2 an hour, adjusted lowed us to have this time tonight to sons to have some sort of guilty reflec- for inflation, would be more than $13 discuss Black History Month. tions. This is being done so as to help an hour today. The minimum wage was As you are aware, Black History us commemorate some things and cele- a part of the reason why we had the Month has not always been a month. It brate some others. It is important to March on Washington, and I am so started out as a week. The father of understand the times that we lived in. proud that Dr. King stood his ground, Black History Week, which evolved I lived during these times, and I so as to help us develop that minimum into Black History Month, was Mr. would like to start with April 12, 1963, wage that he wanted to have as a living Carter G. Woodson. In fact, he is re- and then I would like to walk us up wage. nowned for not only his having started through some events that will bring us There is before the House now H.R. this time and made it a part of the an- to the signing of the Civil Rights Act 1010, a bill that would produce a living nual events that we celebrate, but he is of 1964. wage because it indexes the minimum also known for his writings. It was April 12, 1963, that Dr. King wage to the Consumer Price Index. It I would like to read an excerpt from was arrested in Birmingham, Alabama. would move the minimum wage from his book, ‘‘The Mis-Education of the He was there to work with others to in- $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour incre- Negro.’’ Dr. Woodson encapsulated a tegrate a city that was deeply seg- ments, not all at once. significant point with this passage that regated. In so doing, he was informed It would also help persons who are I shall read. by some members of the clergy and tip workers, who are making currently He indicates: others that he was taking inappro- $2.13 an hour. It would raise their When you control a man’s thinking, you do priate action, he was acting too soon, wages, and would also continue to not have to worry about his actions. You do that the time was not ripe for what he index their wages, so that they would not have to tell him to stand here or go yon- was doing in Birmingham, Alabama. find themselves being able to, hope- der. He will find his proper place and he will As a result of being there and pro- fully, live above the poverty line while stay in it. testing, Dr. King was arrested. He was You do not need to send him to the back working full time. door. He will go without being told. In fact, taken to jail, stayed in jail for 9 days, In this, the richest country in the if there is no back door, he will cut one for and while in jail, he wrote his famous world, a country where 1 out of every his special benefit. His education makes it ‘‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’’ in re- 60 persons is a millionaire—and I don’t necessary. sponse to a statement that was pub- begrudge anyone who is a millionaire, Dr. Carter G. Woodson wrote this in lished by some other members of the a country where 1 of every 11 house- 1933. In 1933, he was trying to call to clergy. If you have not read the ‘‘Let- holds is worth $1 million, and I salute the attention of our country the plight ter from Birmingham Jail,’’ I beg that those who are worth millions of dol- of the American Negro. The plight was you read it because it will help you lars, but in this country, where we one that involved the mentality of the better understand the times, and un- have so much wealth, I don’t believe we American Negro. He was calling to our derstand why Dr. King had to do what ought to have people who work full attention how education was appro- he was doing. time and live below the poverty line, priate for the American Negro to be- The ‘‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’’ and find that employers are subsidized come the independent person that is one of the greatest pieces of Amer- so that these workers can be paid a could do for himself and take care of ican literature that I have been ex- wage that is at or near a poverty level himself and live a life that was based posed to, and I beg you to please take and receive other subsidies from the upon his fulfilling his role in the Amer- the opportunity to read it. government to help them make it in ican Dream. This was in 1933. Let’s move forward to June 11, 1963. America. I am honored today that we have a This is when Governor George Wallace So I am honored that Dr. King resolution that we have filed with the stood in the door at the University of pushed for a wage of $2 an hour at that House, H. Res. 481. This resolution rec- Alabama to block the entry of Vivian time, which would be more than $13 an ognizes the significance of Black His- Malone and James Hood. These were hour today. tory Month. two students who were enrolling. In so Moving forward to September 15 of doing, he caused the President, at that 1963, a tragic occurrence at the 16th b 1900 time, President Kennedy, to federalize Street Baptist Church. This is when This resolution has been signed onto the Alabama National Guard so that four babies—I say they were babies— by all of the members of the Congres- these two students could make their Addie was 14, Cynthia was 14, Carole sional Black Caucus, as well as other way into the University of Alabama. was 14, and Denise was 11. They all lost Members of Congress. This resolution These were the times that I lived in. their lives in church, in church, four extols the virtues of Africans who were These were events that occurred lead- babies, four young girls. brought to the Americas, a people who, ing up to the signing of the Voting These were the times that I lived in. under harsh circumstances, were able Rights Act of 1965, also the Public Ac- These were the times that preceded the to not only survive, but also thrive. commodations Act of 1964. signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1964 It really goes into much of what we June 21, 1964. Three civil rights work- and 1965. call the greatest story that has yet to ers were in Mississippi—Schwerner, November 22, 1963. A President of the be told, a story of people who came to Goodman and Chaney. They lost their United States of America decided to the Americas involuntarily, and who lives in Mississippi registering people come to Texas, and while in Texas, the have done exceedingly well in this to vote. When they died, it caused the President was assassinated. The Honor- country. We still have a long way to country to grieve, understanding that able John F. Kennedy lost his life in VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:38 Oct 09, 2014 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD14\FEB 2014\H26FE4.REC H26FE4 asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE February 26, 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1997 my home State.