Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives That a National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Should Be Established

EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT A NATIONAL HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WEEK SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED -- (House of Representatives - July 26, 2006)

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, let me just, first of all, thank the gentleman from New York for yielding. And I also want to thank and commend the gentlewoman from Texas for her introduction of this resolution. I want to commend the gentleman from New York because for as long as I have been a Member of Congress, he has been the chief spokesperson for the Congressional Black Caucus on issues of higher education.

Mr. Owens, you have represented us well and done an outstanding job, and I commend you.

This is one of the most delightful moments that I have had since I have been a Member of Congress because had it not been for a Historically Black College, I would not be here. There is no doubt in my mind. I left home on my 16th birthday to attend what was then Arkansas A&M College at Pine Bluff, which is now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Following me were six of my brothers and sisters who also attended the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Three nephews, one niece, and a half dozen first cousins.

We lived in the southeast corner of the State, which was a rural area in Arkansas. The money that Representative Owens talked about is so important because when I got there, I had $20 in my pocket and a $50 scholarship. The scholarship, of course, was good as long as you maintained a B average, and if you ever fell below, then you no longer had the $50 scholarship.

It was not uncommon for friends of mine and myself to actually skip classes on light days and go out and pick cotton so that we would have money to purchase our books.

So the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as all black colleges and universities, have played a significant role. They provide a rich heritage and lay the foundation for men and women of color. W.E.B. Du Bois, who is considered the father of sociology due to his thesis called the ``Study of the Philadelphia Negro,'' is a product of Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, a Historically Black College. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., all of his eloquence and analysis of social problems came from his experiences not only in the black church, but also came from the education that he received at Morehouse, located in Atlanta, Georgia, a Historically Black College.

Thurgood Marshall, the first black Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, is the product of Lincoln University in Chester, Pennsylvania, which is historically known as the first Historically Black College founded in 1854.

These institutions are not only necessary for individuals who come from certain economic backgrounds, but they contain a great deal of the history and culture. So when Representative Owens talks about how important the money is that we have been able to provide for them, many of them provide the kind of nurturing environment that students often cannot get from a big university. So they get the special help.

This, Mr. Owens, and the work that you have done and the introduction of this resolution by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson make all of the work that we do to try to keep these institutions alive and vibrant.

And I also want to thank my CBCF intern, who is currently attending Fisk University, Dante Pope, and is a singer with the renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers, who traveled all over the world to raise money so that Fisk could continue to exist.

I thank all of those who will support this resolution.

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