Recognizing 18 Incredible Individuals in Honor of Black History Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize 18 incredible individuals from my community in honor of Black History Month.

The 17th Congressional District and New York State are home to much of this rich history. The Hudson River was once one of the main arteries of the Underground Railroad, illuminating a pathway to freedom for enslaved people. In Hillburn, we saw the precursor to one of the Supreme Court's landmark cases, Brown vs. Board of Education, which paved the way for the fall of segregation and a full bill of civil rights to be passed at the federal level.

Last week, I held a ceremony to honor Vedeta Hanley, Jennifer Ogilvie, Pastor Jean Claude Dorcely, Roxanne Watson, Joyce Sharrock Cole, Cassandra Dobson, Virginia Norfleet, Sonia Tracey, Pastor Greg Merriweather, Quacy Evelyn, Pastor Everett Newton, Alice Roker, Dr. Edmund Gordon, Jacqueline Baker, Dr. Winsome Downie, Dr. Philip Ozuah, Mel Johnson, and Nzhinga Milanes, who are continuing the history of black excellence in the Hudson Valley.

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