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Civil Rights History Project Act of 2009

Floor Speech

Date: April 22, 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Arts, Entertainment, and History


CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY PROJECT ACT OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - April 22, 2009)

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Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, America's Civil Rights movement was a great step forward for all of the citizens of this great nation. This movement has brought us one step closer to an America where one's race does not serve as a barrier against greater opportunity. This movement has allowed our great country to reach a point where any child--black or white, girl or boy, rich or poor--can dream of becoming President of the United States.

The Civil Rights movement is what allowed many of us in this chamber to be here, myself included. We, and the rest of America, owe a debt of gratitude to this movement and its courageous leaders. Many lived through this movement and fought for it. Others grew up surrounded by its stories.

Unfortunately, as the years go by, we are slowly losing some of our courageous Civil Rights leaders. Just recently, we have lost Civil Rights pioneers such as Mrs. Coretta Scott King and Mrs. Rosa Parks. It is vital that we preserve the stories of these heroes so that future generations will know of the struggles and sacrifices made on their behalf. For this reason, I am urging the passage of H.R. 586, the Civil Rights History Project Act of 2009.

This bill provides for the collection of oral histories from those individuals who were involved first hand in the struggles of the Civil Rights movement. This collection will be organized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Library of Congress.

Now is the time for us to embark on this project. If we wait, we may lose this chance forever. The recorded retelling of these stories will provide a rich history for future generations. It will bring future students of this momentous era closer to the people who shaped it. The voices of the Civil Rights movement--voices which were lifted up in the cause of justice--deserve to be preserved for years to come.

Although the Civil Rights era was a tumultuous time for our country, it is also a time where the nation came out stronger as a whole. The Civil Rights Oral History Project will celebrate this history and pave the way for future generations to realize what is possible when people come together.

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