Political Quotes

“I rise today to honor February as Black History Month. Each February since 1926, our Nation has paused to recognize the contributions of black Americans to the history of our Nation. This is no accident, February is a significant month in black American history. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, President Abraham Lincoln, and scholar and civil rights leader W.E.B. DuBois were born in the month of February. The 15th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified 132 years ago this month, giving black Americans the right to vote. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded in February in New York City. Last Friday, February 1, was the forty-second anniversary of the Greensboro Four's historic sit-in. And on February 25, 1870, this body welcomed its first black Senator, Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi. I want to take time during this important month to celebrate some of the contributions made by black Americans in my home State of Oregon. Since Marcus Lopez, who sailed with Captain Robert Gray in 1788, become the first person of African descent to set foot in Oregon, a great many black Americans have helped shape the history of my State. Throughout this month, I will come to the floor to highlight some of their stories.”