[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 739 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 739
Celebrating the 20-year commemoration of the International Underground
Railroad Memorial Monument, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom
Monument in Detroit, Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in
Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 21, 2021
Ms. Tlaib (for herself and Mrs. Lawrence) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources,
and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 20-year commemoration of the International Underground
Railroad Memorial Monument, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom
Monument in Detroit, Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in
Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United
States and the American colonies from 1619 through 1865;
Whereas Africans forced into slavery were unspeakably debased, humiliated,
dehumanized, brutally torn from their families and loved ones, and
subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and
heritage;
Whereas tens of thousands of people of African descent silently escaped their
chains to follow the perilous Underground Railroad north toward freedom
in Canada;
Whereas the Detroit River played a central role for these passengers of the
Underground Railroad on their way to freedom;
Whereas in October 2001, the city of Detroit, Michigan, joined with Windsor and
Essex County in Ontario, Canada, to memorialize the courage of these
freedom seekers with an international memorial monument to the
Underground Railroad, comprising the Tower of Freedom Monument in
Windsor and the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit;
Whereas the deep roots that the formerly enslaved, refugees, and immigrants who
reached Canada from the United States created in Canadian society remain
as tributes to the determination of their descendants to safeguard the
history of the struggles and endurance of their forebearers;
Whereas the observance of the 20-year commemoration of the Underground Railroad
Memorial will be celebrated on October 21, 2021, and may include the
designation of an International Gateway to Freedom National Heritage
Corridor and the nomination of the historic Detroit River jointly by the
National Park Service and the Parks Canada Agency for inclusion on the
World Heritage Site list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (``UNESCO'') as a testament to the shared
history of the United States and Canada;
Whereas UNESCO has stated it is essential for the field of memorial sites linked
to the slave trade and slavery to be open to new dynamics, to become
stronger in terms of geographical coverage, in-depth historical
research, and repossession of the history and mobilization of new
audiences;
Whereas UNESCO has emphasized the importance within the field of revisiting core
concepts, redefining the cultural and ethical challenges, building
capacities for managing sites, developing professional networks,
developing lively interactive activities, and regularly assessing
experiences and practices;
Whereas UNESCO's Slave Route Project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage encourages
countries not only to identify, assess, restore, preserve, and promote
their memorial sites and itineraries, but also to identify the heritage
sites considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value, and encourages
the designation of ``Sites of Memory associated to the Slave Route'' to
assist the identification and recognition of sites and places with a
particular significance;
Whereas a cooperative international educational partnership project known as the
Detroit River Project is dedicated to education and research with the
goal of promoting cross-border understanding as well as economic
development and cultural heritage tourism, and includes an educational
curriculum known as ``Resistance Along the Fluid Frontier: The Detroit
River Project International Freedom Curriculum'';
Whereas the designation of an International Gateway to Freedom National Heritage
Corridor would include the States of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio,
Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky; the Detroit, Mississippi,
and Ohio Rivers, which traverse portions of those States; and any other
sites associated within the International Gateway to Freedom National
Heritage Corridor;
Whereas over the course of history, the United States has become a symbol of
democracy and freedom around the world; and
Whereas the legacy of African Americans is interwoven with the fabric of
democracy and freedom in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) celebrates the 20-year commemoration of the
International Underground Railroad Memorial Monument, comprised
of the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, Michigan, and
the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, Canada;
(2) supports--
(A) the designation of an International Gateway to
Freedom National Heritage Corridor;
(B) the recognition of a transnational educational
curriculum known as ``Resistance Along the Fluid
Frontier: The Detroit River Project International
Freedom Curriculum'';
(C) the designation of the International
Underground Railroad Memorial Monument, comprised of
the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, Michigan
and the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario,
Canada, as a ``Site of Memory associated to the Slave
Route'' pursuant to the Slave Route Project:
Resistance, Liberty, Heritage of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and
(D) the nomination of the historic Detroit River
jointly by the National Park Service and the Parks
Canada Agency for inclusion on the World Heritage Site
list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization;
(3) recognizes that the Underground Railroad Special
Resource Study, published by the National Park Service and
dated September 1995, included findings that suggest an
International Gateway to Freedom National Heritage Corridor may
be appropriate based on national significance, suitability, and
feasibility; and
(4) acknowledges that National Heritage Areas, including
National Heritage Corridors--
(A) are designations that do not require
establishing new units of the National Park System; and
(B) allow the National Park Service to take on a
primary role in supporting State and local initiatives
to preserve resources.
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