Honoring Black History Month CONGRESSMAN ADAM B. SCHIFF OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Madame Speaker, I rise today to honor Black History Month.  The theme of this year’s Black History Month is “Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism.”  Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson was a brilliant African-American historian, educator, author, and publisher.  Born in 1875 to former slaves, Dr. Woodson grew up working on railroads and mines in Virginia.  At the age of twenty, he had finally earned enough money to afford to attend high school.  He went on to college, and became a teacher in the U.S. and Philippines.  In 1912 he graduated from Harvard, and after W.E.B. Du Bois, became the second African-American to receive a Ph.D. Dr. Woodson advocated for education reform to empower African-Americans to unite around shared history.  He wrote, “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”  Thanks to Dr. Woodson, we have a record of the accomplishments of our African-American forebears, and we are continually inspired by our knowledge of their biographies and history.  This month, we call to our memories the triumphs of Dr. Woodson himself, as the “Father of Black History.”  His efforts to research, teach, and honor African-American history inspired Black History Month.  In 1926, he established Negro History Week, held during the second week of February to honor the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  In 1976, this annual event expanded and became Black History Month. Dr. Woodson’s accomplishments inspires us to examine our present work toward racial justice and equal opportunity.  Today, African-Americans serve our country in myriad ways.  For example, 2.4 million military veterans are black.  The U.S. has about 1.2 million black-owned firms, generating around $88 billion annually. Paving the way for our future, 2.3 million college students are African-American, an increase of over one million students over the last 15 years.   Congress must continue to work to improve the lives of all Americans.  Last year, it took the important step of raising the federal minimum wage to $5.85/hour, which will increase this year to $6.55/hour and in 2009 to $7.25/hour.  Congress also strengthened the middle class by making college educations more affordable, such as by investing $510 over five years in minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges.  The House introduced legislation to provide $410 billion in the federal marketplace to small businesses.  By passing the Energy Security Bill, Congress lowered energy costs for consumers, reduced global warming, and created hundreds of thousands of new jobs.  The Economic Stimulus Package, recently passed by the House, will put money back into the hands of 117 million American families to reinvigorate the economy.  We have made great strides, but we must continue our commitment to serving the American people. Writing almost 100 years ago, Dr. Woodson possessed the insight to understand the immense benefits of nationally recognizing black history.  The path he forged paved the way for our great African-American leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Thurgood Marshall.  As we honor all African-Americans this month, let us specially recognize Dr. Woodson.  May his memory inspire us to continue our work to achieve racial justice and to ensure equality of opportunity for all Americans.