Eni Faleomavaega: “Mr. Speaker, the 99th Congress approved legislation reauthorizing the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to…”

“Mr. Speaker, the 99th Congress approved legislation reauthorizing the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Foundation to establish a memorial on Federal land in Washington, D.C. The specific purpose of the proposed memorial is to honor the roughly 5,000 slaves and free men who fought against Britain during the American Revolution, although its broader theme is to honor all African Americans who have fought and died while serving in the U.S. military. Mr. Speaker, the proposed site for the memorial is north of the Reflecting Pool on the Mall, between the Washington and Lincoln Memorials, an area where more than 100,000 people once gathered in that summer of 1963 to hear Dr. Martin Luther King's historic speech, 'I have a Dream.' Unfortunately, the private efforts to raise an estimated $9 million needed for the construction of the memorial have yet to reach their goal, and without congressional action, authorization for the project will expire this month.”