Elijah Cummings: “I am pleased to come to the House floor to speak in honor of Black history month. In 1926, Carter G. Woodson started…”

“I am pleased to come to the House floor to speak in honor of Black history month. In 1926, Carter G. Woodson started Black history week to bring national attention to the contributions of Black people to this nation. Since 1976, Americans annually recognize February as Black history month. This year's theme, ``[t]he Color Line Revisited, Is Racism Dead?'', reminds us as a nation to examine our haunted past, while affording us an opportunity to appreciate how African-Americans have been instrumental in shaping the spirit of our nation, despite the barriers imposed by racism. As I take this opportunity to recognize the triumphs of African-Americans, I would be remiss if I did not recognize the losses we have suffered. I would like to recount one particularly painful loss endured by African-Americans, that of land loss. Madam Speaker, on January 12, 1865, General William T. Sherman met with 20 black community leaders of Savannah, Georgia. The following day, General Sherman issued Special Field Order Number 15 which set aside the Sea Islands off the Georgia coast and a 30-mile tract of land along the southern coast of South Carolina for the exclusive settlement of black families.”