Austin Scott: “thank you very much to my distinguished colleague from Chicago, Congressman Davis; my distinguished colleague and…”

“thank you very much to my distinguished colleague from Chicago, Congressman Davis; my distinguished colleague and Congressman from Georgia, John Lewis; to my distinguished colleagues from Georgia, Mr. Kingston, Dr. Price. I appreciate so much having this opportunity, and I am also pleased to join with my colleague Mr. Gingrey. I am honored on this day to recognize one of our Nation's most prestigious institutions of higher learning, and that is indeed Spelman College. Singularly devoted to the education of women, Spelman College now celebrates its 125th anniversary this year. What an extraordinary story this is, Mr. Speaker, because when you tell the story of Spelman, you are telling a truly genuine American story that represents the heart and soul of what America is all about. Spelman College is a private and historically black college that opened its doors less than two full decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the ratification of the 13th amendment, and out of necessity, and it was necessary to provide educational opportunities for black women in the south when none existed. To get the proper perspective on this, Mr. Speaker, we must understand that it was not long, just a few years before this, when the law of the land was not to allow African Americans to even read a book. Just think of that: In this country, it was against the law for African Americans to even learn to read. It is within this backdrop that Spelman College stepped forward.…”