Special Supplement to the Milwaukee Community Journal

Black History

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold in honor of National Black History Month

We are currently observing National Black History Month. I wish today to acknowledge this celebration, but also to note the ongoing work in the spirit of this holiday, and the promises yet to be fulfilled.

This year, Black History Month is focused on the struggles of peoples of African descent to achieve freedom and equality in this country during the period of emancipation.

Those struggles took place around the country, including in my home state of Wisconsin.

After President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, enabling Black soldiers to enlist in the Union Army, 353 African American men signed up for duty in Wisconsin. Groups of men enlisted from across the state, from Milwaukee and Janesville and from Grant and Vernon counties, where communities of former slaves had formed.

Despite having fought and died in battle to save the Union, African Americans were unable to vote in Wisconsin until after the war had ended, in 1866.

Ezekiel Gillespie, a Black leader in Milwaukee, took his case for the right to vote to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and won. Those are the kind of victories--born of tremendous personal courage--that we celebrate this month.

There are so many outstanding civil rights leaders from Wisconsin, past and present, and I am proud to pay tribute to them today.

I am also deeply proud to serve with one of those leaders, Representative Gwen Moore, who became the first African American member of Congress from Wisconsin on January 4, 2005.

Of course, just before Black History Month begins, we come together to honor the life of one of the greatest civil rights leaders in the history of the world: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

He dedicated his life to opening doors--doors to equal education, equal opportunity, and equal justice under the law.

This month, as we pay tribute to the leaders who dedicated their lives to equality, we also rededicate ourselves to keeping Dr. King’s dream alive.

One of the biggest challenges we face in this country is making sure all Americans have a decent roof over their heads for themselves and their families.

But access to affordable housing remains out of reach for too many Americans. We must open more doors to safe, affordable housing in this community, and every community across this country.

To help fix the affordable housing problem, I introduced a bill that would fund 100,000 new Section 8 housing vouchers in its first year, increase funds to develop affordable housing for extremely low-income families by $400 million a year, revive a key program to fight crime in public housing, and call on Congress to create a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

In this new Congress, I will work hard to move this bill forward, so that we can open doors to safe and affordable housing for more people in need.

This is a month about opening doors, about the legacy of great leaders, and about the work we all must do to keep their dreams alive.

I am honored to pay tribute to the men and women throughout our history who inspire us to dream of a better America, and to build that dream together.