BLACK HISTORY MONTH

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 37 (Tuesday, February 25, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E157] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] BLACK HISTORY MONTH ______ speech of HON. STEVEN HORSFORD of nevada in the house of representatives Monday, February 24, 2025 Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to honor my history--our history--American history . . . I'm here to honor Black history during Black History Month. This is a time to honor our elders, and the struggles they endured bringing us to this moment. My home of Las Vegas is rich with contributions, milestones and heroes that advanced equity in our society. People like Hattie Canty--who led the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 to fight for better wages and job security, including the longest strike in American history against unfair labor conditions--six and a half years. Places like West Las Vegas, which became the heart of the city's Black community during segregation. Black-owned businesses and venues along the Black Strip on Jackson Avenue allowed culture to thrive . . . . . . while entrepreneurship and homeownership helped local community members begin to accumulate wealth. And breakthroughs, like the Sands Hotel allowing Nat King Cole to stay and perform there in 1955, challenging racial segregation to its core at the time. Las Vegas is one of so many, pillars of progress--progress made over generations--and progress that is under threat right now by forces who want to take our country backwards. . . . Denigrating civil rights . . . . . . Undermining racial diversity . . . . . . Eroding opportunities to grow wealth and better oneself with an education. What the forces against progress don't seem to realize, is the spirit of progress is alive and well today--every bit as much as it was for my parents' generation, and the generations before them. I mentioned Hattie Canty--I stand on her shoulders to this day. I spent a decade leading the Culinary Training Academy of Las Vegas that she helped found in 1993. It trains thousands of people every year with vocational skills that help local youths, adults, and displaced workers find work in the hospitality industry. The spirit of Black History Month is the spirit of progress--it's a flame that cannot be blown out. I am grateful for all of the leaders who came before me. And my commitment is to stand steadfast for future generations in this time of need, just as past generations did for me. ____________________