House members mark Black History Month with speeches on overlooked contributions

Members of the House used a ceremonial floor moment to mark Black History Month with a series of speeches that emphasized the role of African Americans in state and national history.

Representative Johnson opened the observance by saying Black history was deliberately excluded from American history and must be restored to the record. She cited Carter G. Woodson’s founding of Negro History Week (now Black History Month), referenced Alexander Clark’s role in desegregating Iowa public schools in 1868, and named inventors and innovators — including Garrett Morgan, Frederick McKinley Jones, Alexander Miles and Gladys West — to illustrate Black contributions to everyday technologies.

Representative Madison, speaking next, noted the centennial of Black History Month and reiterated Woodson’s role, describing the theme as "a century of recording American history through the lived experience of African Americans." He invoked Thurgood Marshall and Rosa Parks as figures who used law and quiet resistance to press the nation toward equity.

Representative Fett offered a historical vignette about Penelope Barker and a 1774 women’s boycott in Edenton, N.C., presenting it as an example of early organized political action by women and connecting the story to broader themes of civic courage as the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary.

The remarks were ceremonial; no legislative action followed directly from the speeches. Members used the occasion to call attention to historical memory and to invite recognition of contributions that speakers said have been marginalized in mainstream narratives.