H.R. No. 719

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Each year, myriad events and activities signal the
	celebration of February as Black History Month, and commemorations
	in 2015 coincide with the 140th anniversary of the birth year of
	Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, the eminent African American historian
	who, more than anyone, is responsible for this observance; and
	WHEREAS, Born in Virginia in 1875, Carter Woodson was the
	eldest son of two former slaves, Anna Eliza and James Woodson; he
	received little schooling as a child, spending most of his time
	doing farm work to help support his family, and in his teens he
	became a coal miner; when he at last entered high school at the age
	of 20, he proved to be such a fine student that he finished in two
	years; this gifted and determined young man went on to attend Berea
	College and earn bachelor's and master's degrees from the
	University of Chicago, and in 1912, he became the second African
	American, after W. E. B. Du Bois, to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard
	University; and
	WHEREAS, Dr. Woodson dedicated his career as a scholar to the
	study and dissemination of African American history, working to
	ensure that it was taught in schools and universities; in 1915, he
	helped to found the Association for the Study of Negro Life and
	History (ASNLH), now known as the Association for the Study of
	African American Life and History, and the following year he
	launched the highly regarded Journal of Negro History, today The
	Journal of African American History; he served as a dean at Howard
	University and at the West Virginia Collegiate Institute, and he
	published more than a dozen books, including his famous critique,
	The Mis-Education of the Negro; and
	WHEREAS, In 1926, Dr. Woodson and the ASNLH sponsored the
	first Negro History Week, choosing the second week in February
	because it encompassed the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and
	Abraham Lincoln; Dr. Woodson's and the association's efforts
	inspired schools and communities to sponsor local events, establish
	history clubs, and host lectures and performances, and over the
	following decades, mayors across the nation began issuing Negro
	History Week proclamations each February; and
	WHEREAS, In the 1960s, the civil rights movement and a
	growing acknowledgment of African American contributions to the
	development of this country led many colleges to devote a full month
	to the study and celebration of black history, and in 1976,
	President Gerald R. Ford became the first president to recognize
	February as Black History Month; every president since then has
	followed suit, bringing to fruition Dr. Woodson's dream of making
	African American history one of the foundational stories of
	American history and culture; and
	WHEREAS, By the time of his death in 1950, Dr. Carter G.
	Woodson had created a body of scholarship that helped bring the
	long-neglected history of African Americans into the full light of
	day, and his role in the creation of Black History Month continues
	to inspire Americans of all races and every generation; now,
	therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
	Legislature hereby commemorate Black History Month 2015 and pay
	tribute to the life and achievements of Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson.
	Reynolds
	Straus Guerra Otto
	Allen Guillen Paddie
	Alonzo Gutierrez Parker
	Alvarado Harless Paul
	Anchia Hernandez Peña
	Anderson of Dallas Herrero Phelan
	Anderson of McLennan Howard Phillips
	Ashby Huberty Pickett
	Aycock Hughes Price
	Bell Hunter Raney
	Blanco Isaac Raymond
	Bohac Israel Reynolds
	Bonnen of Brazoria Johnson Riddle
	Bonnen of Galveston Kacal Rinaldi
	Burkett Keffer Rodriguez of Bexar
	Burns Keough Rodriguez of Travis
	Burrows King of Hemphill Romero, Jr.
	Button King of Parker Rose
	Canales King of Taylor Sanford
	Capriglione King of Uvalde Schaefer
	Clardy Klick Schofield
	Coleman Koop Shaheen
	Collier Krause Sheets
	Cook Kuempel Sheffield
	Craddick Landgraf Simmons
	Crownover Larson Simpson
	Dale Laubenberg Smith
	Darby Leach Smithee
	Davis of Dallas Longoria Spitzer
	Davis of Harris Lozano Springer
	Deshotel Lucio III Stephenson
	Dukes Márquez Stickland
	Dutton Martinez Thompson of Brazoria
	Elkins Martinez Fischer Thompson of Harris
	Faircloth McClendon Tinderholt
	Fallon Menéndez Turner of Collin
	Farias Metcalf Turner of Harris
	Farney Meyer Turner of Tarrant
	Farrar Miles VanDeaver
	Fletcher Miller of Comal Villalba
	Flynn Miller of Fort Bend Vo
	Frank Moody Walle
	Frullo Morrison White of Bell
	Galindo Muñoz, Jr. White of Tyler
	Geren Murphy Workman
	Giddings Murr Wray
	Goldman Naishtat Wu
	Gonzales Nevárez Zedler
	González Oliveira Zerwas
	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 719 was adopted by the House on February
	26, 2015, by a non-record vote.
	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House