WHEREAS, Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, distinguished African American author, editor, publisher, and historian, who is known as the “Father of Black History,” founded Negro History Week in 1926, which became Black History Month in 1976, to encourage further research, publishing, and celebrations regarding the untold stories of African American heritage; and

WHEREAS, The history of African Americans in the United States is unique and vibrant, and it is appropriate to celebrate this history during the month of February 2010, which has been proclaimed as Black History Month; and

WHEREAS, The history of the United States is rich with inspirational stories of great African American men and women whose actions, words, and achievements have united Americans and contributed to the success and prosperity of the United States; and

WHEREAS, According to the Liber Pontificalis (The Book of Pontiffs), the Catholic Church had three popes who were from Africa: Saint Victor I (186–98), Saint Miltiades (311–14), and Saint Gelasius I (492–96); and

WHEREAS, The slave trade was a tragic era in African history and began in the American colonies in 1619 when the first slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. During the course of the slave trade, an estimated 50 million African men, women, and children were taken from their native continent and only about 15 million arrived safely to a new home. The others lost their lives in transit during the dreaded Middle Passage across the Atlantic Ocean; and

WHEREAS, Crispus Attucks, a Black man, on March 5, 1770, was the first of five people killed by British troops in the Boston Massacre in Boston, Massachusetts, which helped spark the rebellion in some of the British American colonies, culminating in the American Revolution freeing America from British rule. African Americans also fought in numerous revolutionary war battles including the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Ticonderoga, White Plains, Bennington, Brandywine, Saratoga, Savannah, Yorktown, Bunker Hill, and the Battle of Rhode Island on August 29, 1775. They fought in the War of 1812, including, the Battle of New Orleans, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War (Desert Storm), Iraq, and Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, In spite of the institution of slavery, African Americans continued to serve society honorably during the Reconstruction period by serving in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. They have been heroes, leaders, and pioneers in the areas of science, medicine, business, education, government, and social justice movements; and

WHEREAS, African Americans have also made significant contributions as inventors, inventing and improving items such as the air-conditioning unit, almanac, automatic gearshift, blood plasma bag, clothes dryer, doorknob, doorstop, electric light bulb, elevator, fire escape ladder, fountain pen, gas mask, golf tee, horseshoe, lantern, lawnmower, lawn sprinkler, locks, refrigerating apparatus, spark plug, stethoscope, telephone transmitter, thermostat control, traffic signal, and typewriter; and

WHEREAS, A number of these brave and talented individuals, including Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Matthew Hansen, Daniel Hale Williams, Dr. Charles Drew, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Curt Flood, Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and President Barack Obama, are noted and prominently imbedded in American history; and

WHEREAS, The African American community nationwide continues to enrich and contribute to America’s welfare by promoting equality and justice for all; now, therefore, be it