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79R5798 MAM-D

By:  Giddings                                                   H.C.R. No. 65 



CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
	WHEREAS, The celebration of Black History Month in February 
2005 provides an opportunity to recognize the rich cultural 
heritage and significant contributions of African-Americans in the 
State of Texas; and
	WHEREAS, Black History Month is now an annual observance that 
began as Negro History Week in 1926 and was later renamed Black 
History Week; originally proposed by Carter Godwin Woodson, an 
African-American historian known today as the "Father of Black 
History," it was a time to "dramatize the achievements of the race, 
not to play up grievances but to demonstrate what Negroes had 
achieved . . ."; Woodson noted that ". . . the achievements of the 
Negro properly set forth will crown him as a factor in human 
progress and a maker of human civilization," as he chose the week in 
the month of February containing the birthdays of Frederick 
Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two individuals who did much to pave 
the way for a better life for African-Americans; and
	WHEREAS, In 1976, Black History Week expanded to become a 
monthlong event officially acknowledged by the United States 
government when President Gerald Ford, on February 10th of that 
year, urged Americans to pay ". . . tribute to Black History Month 
and the message of courage and perseverance it brings to all of us"; 
and
	WHEREAS, People of African descent have a long history in 
Texas; in 1528, less than ten years after explorers claimed Texas in 
the name of King Charles I, a Moor named Estevanico accompanied the 
Spanish explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca on a trek across Texas; 
by the late 1700's some 450 people of African descent were living in 
Spanish Texas, and in the early 1800's many African-Americans from 
the South escaped across the Sabine River to freedom, often 
settling in East Texas, where they undertook a variety of 
occupations; by the close of the 18th century, they comprised 
approximately 15 percent of the population of Texas; and
	WHEREAS, In the 19th century, before emancipation, 
African-Americans played an enormous role in producing the state's 
agricultural bounty and also worked as skilled artisans; after the 
Civil War, many moved to urban centers and, in the years to follow, 
provided manpower for new industries that were established; and
	WHEREAS, African-American infantry and cavalry garrisoned 
forts in West Texas during the Indian Wars; known as "Buffalo 
Soldiers," they patrolled the frontier with the assistance of 
Seminole-Negro Indian scouts, built roads, and escorted mail 
carriers; Sergeant Emmanuel Stance, stationed at Fort McKavett, was 
the first African-American who fought in the Indian Wars to be 
awarded the Medal of Honor; and
	WHEREAS, Since the early 1800's, African-Americans have been 
involved in the cattle industry; one of the most famous black 
native-Texan cowboys was Bill Pickett, who became a Wild West rodeo 
performer and who is believed to have originated the bulldogging 
event; and
	WHEREAS, In the mid-20th century, African-Americans in Texas 
significantly advanced the civil rights movement by filing and 
winning lawsuits that outlawed the "white primary" and helped to 
integrate graduate and professional schools; in more recent years, 
officials such as Representatives Barbara Jordan, George "Mickey" 
Leland, Craig Washington, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Sheila 
Jackson-Lee, and Al Green, Texas Supreme Court Justices Wallace 
Jefferson and Dale Wainwright, and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals 
Justice Morris Overstreet, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman 
Michael L. Williams, and others have taken their place in the public 
arena; and
	WHEREAS, Among the many notable black Texan contributors to 
the arts and humanities have been the musicians Blind Lemon 
Jefferson, Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, Scott Joplin, and Eddie 
Durham, historian and folklorist J. Mason Brewer, as well as artist 
John Biggers; and
	WHEREAS, African-Americans have been a significant part of 
the population of Texas for hundreds of years, and the celebration 
of Black History Month acknowledges and promotes the immeasurable 
benefits of a truly diverse society; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the 79th Legislature of the State of Texas, 
Regular Session, 2005, hereby designate the month of February 2005 
as Black History Month in Texas and encourage all citizens to learn 
more about the history and contributions of African-Americans in 
the Lone Star State.