"We have done a credible job of recording what many people have contributed to American society as we know it today. But we are sadly lacking in a full appreciation of the achievements of Negroes in America.

"I am today proposing legislation to give us a better appreciation of those achievements.

"The Negro contribution to this country is not known by many Americans. This dearth of knowledge among our multi-racial society is the mother of much of the prejudice that is aimed at the Negro minority.

"Children in our schools study the heroes of the past and aspire to emulateif not the deeds of such men, surely their motives. Youth wishes to identify with the great ones who share with them some other common denominator than that both are human beings.

"Negro children have not been exposed to the knowledge of their great ones such as the approximately five thousand Negroes who served in the Continental army and navy during the Revolution. Or of Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave who was shot at the Boston Massacre while leading a mob protesting the presence of British troops, thus becoming the first American to die in the cause of freedom. Or of Prince Estabrook, one of seventy minutemen, who faced the British at Lexington on the very first day of the Revolution.

"How many Americans are aware that one of the original settlers of Chicago was Jean Baptiste Point DuSable-a Negro?

"The Revolutionary generation produced Negroes who excelled. But the next century produced disheartening setbacks. With the introduction of the cotton gin into the South, cotton and slaves became vital to its prosperity. Laws were passed which prevented association by slaves with Negro preachers and teachers. These restrictive laws closed many schools and churches. Laws were also passed to segregate black Americans in almost all phases of life.

"Courageously, men like Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner, fought against slavery, but with little chance of success. These men put their principles on the line against great odds; they did fight. How many Americansblack or white know of these men and their battle against slavery?

"Since 1900, Negro Americans have made great progress up what many consider to be the "down staircase" in the house of America. However, the steps once gained have not always been maintained. American Negroes are far below the level of some of their earlier advances. At one time, the South's leading craftsmen and mechanics were Negroes. At one time, horse racing was dominated by Negro jockeys who won nine of the first thirteen Kentucky Derbies. Rare in America today is there a Negro jockey. At one time, Negroes held public offices in the South as congressmen, lieutenant governors, state legislators, superintendents of education, county commissioners, and city councilmen. Few Negroes hold such offices today. How many Americans-black and white know the names of any of these men of history?

"Negroes took many steps up the "down staircase" during World War I only to suffer bitter setbacks when the war was ended. Too few Americans know that the all-Negro 369th Regiment of the 94th Division was on the front line longer than any other American regiment during World War I.

"One million Negroes served in the armed services during World War II but most of them in segregated army and navy units. The services were integrated after the war and Negro and white servicemen served side by side on all levels. Thus, another step up the "down staircase"-after 170 years the return of an integrated state in the armed services.

"In 1915, Carter G. Woodson, historian and author, organized the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and later began the observance of Negro History Week, which is held each year during the week in which Lincoln's birthday falls. This year the celebration of Negro History Week began on Sunday, February 11-the 42nd observance.

"I am pleased to report that my Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is one of about 18 States observing that week. Therefore, today I am introducing legislation, similar to that which is pending in the House of Representatives. It would establish a Commission on Negro History and Culture to conduct a study of proposals to research, document, compile, preserve and disseminate data on the role of the Negro in history.

"As man draws constantly on his heritage for inspiration in dealing with present and future situations-it is vital that the Negro also have his opportunity to put together the pieces of the puzzle of his life in order to become a whole person and to aid those not of his ethnic group to look upon him with a knowledge of what actually has gone before.

"Today, a Conference on Negro History and Culture is taking place on Capitol Hill. This conference is sponsored by the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Inc., and coincides with the celebration of Negro History Week. Because of my deep interest in and desire for the success of this conference, I have assigned a member of my staff, Mrs. John Reed, to attend.

"Today, the Negro is running hard against the downward motion of the "down staircase". Because he is an American first and a Negro second, he desires to change the motion of the escalator to an up staircase. Let us lend every encouragement to his inspiration-drawn from his own heritage to devise the ways and means of accomplishing this essential progression."

SENATOR SCOTT URGES SUPPORT OF NEGRO CULTURE COMMISSION

In a letter to James B. Rhoads, Acting Chairman, National Historical Publications Commission, National Archives, Senator Scott said:

"Thank you for your letter of March 26 and the accompanying material commenting on the bill that I have introduced to create a Commission on Negro History and Culture.

"You and the National Historical Publications Commission are to be congratulated for your efforts to find, preserve, and publish original writings by Negroes who have made important contributions to American history, culture and art.

"I most certainly agree that it is necessary for a better understanding of American history to encourage the publication of the writings of such outstanding people as Frederick Douglass, John Brown Russwurn, Booker T. Washington, William Still, James Milton Turner, George Washington Carver and others.

"But I must disagree with you that to encourage separate Negro history might serve to perpetuate divisiveness.

"If there were a small lack of knowledge about the Negro contributions to American society, then such a small lack could be rectified by a small effort. But such is not the case. The problem we face today is based upon a massive lack of knowledge of Negro contributions to our culture. This is a serious problem for White America, but even more serious for Negroes. Because they are unaware of their own heritage, many Negroes have inadvertently joined the white majority's stereotyped opinion of Negroes. The almost total absence of awareness of the Negro in our society-something approaching an inadvertent conspiracy-has gone on for so long that we will have to undertake a very considerable program to make up for several hundred years of overlooking and rejecting Negro contributions to America as we know it today.

"I believe that because man draws constantly upon his heritage for inspiration in dealing with contemporary life, it is today vital to the Negro to know this true heritage and to identify with the great ones of the past. The white majority in America must begin to respect the heritage of Negroes, must become aware of the black heroes who fought for freedom-some successfully, some in vain, almost all forgotten. Both Negroes and whites must become aware of the black heroes of science and exploration, heretofore unsung. They must understand Negro contributions to religious thought. They must look anew at Negro contributions to the performing arts-especially music and the dance—and to competitive sports. They must realize the Negro influence has been so pervasive in activities that are so deeply entrenched in our lives that society has been molded almost without realizing it by Negroes of great achievement.

"I agree with you that the effort envisioned by my bill to create a Commission on Negro History and Culture would emphasize the Negro role in American History. That would be the point of view of any study. But it would have to concentrate wholly on Negro achievements to make up for the lack of study in that area for so many centuries."

Senator PELL. I thank you very much, Senator Scott. Would you care to join us at the committee table to listen to the remaining witnesses?

Senator Scorr. Mr. Chairman, I would like to, but I had better state for the record at this point that I have an executive session of the Committee on Commerce on some contested matters coming up, where I have been asked to be present, following which there is a hearing, as

the chairman knows, of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I have several members of my staff here who are arranging for the presence of several witnesses which the Chair has kindly agreed to hear. I am very much interested. I would like to stay, but we have this conflict of duties which is constant, and I must go to the Commerce Committee first.

Senator PELL. I quite understand. I may well have to leave due to the fact that we are marking up a foreign aid bill.

Thank you very much. I congratulate you on your leadership in this field on the Senate side, and I am very happy that we are having these hearings.

Senator SCOTT. Thank you very much.

Senator PELL. At this point we will receive for the record the statement of the ranking minority member of our special subcommittee and also of the full Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. He is a cosponsor of the pending bill and we welcome his contribution to this hearing.

STATEMENT OF HON. JACOB K. JAVITS, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Senator JAVITS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to be here today to hear testimony on S. 2979, a bill for the establishment of a Commission on Negro History and Culture, of which I am a cosponsor. There is a void in American history as it is presently viewed by black and white America, a void that failed to accurately portray in American history the grandeur, glory, and status of black citizens in molding America's cultural mosaic.

America has often been called the great "melting pot" and we have recorded for posterity the contribution of various elements. However, for the majority of Americans the vital role played by the Negro is not merely a matter quickly learned and then forgotten, but rather a failure in the first instance of our history books to present the valuable achievements and contributions of black people.

If our schoolchildren are to study about the heroes of America's glorious past and the development of American history it is essential that our students have equal opportunity to identify with Negro greats throughout American history. Research tells us how critical it is for our youth to have the opportunity to identify with the prominent role played by contributors to America's cultural heritage; the black should not be denied this opportunity.

It is my feeling that the commission created by this legislation can perform an invaluable service as they set the historical record straight, rid white Americans of the stereotypes that have agitated race relations and strengthen the self-image of black America.

Senator PELL. Thank you, Senator Javits.

We now receive a statement from the junior Senator from Massachusetts, Senator Brooke, another cosponsor of this bill.

STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD W. BROOKE, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS

Senator BROOKE. Thank you. The balanced representation of AfroAmerican history and culture in our museums, texts, and school cur

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ricula is a matter which deeply concerns me. However, as we all know, long-overdue reforms in American life cannot proceed in a piecemeal fashion. A comprehensive study is needed so that progress can be made in those areas where it will achieve the best results.

The American Negro has been deeply and constructively involved in the most momentous issues and critical times that this Nation has faced. Not merely a figure in the background, the Negro has significantly influenced and contributed to the character and soul of America, strengthening its economy, sparking its politics, enlivening its music, enriching its literature, and deepening its human sensitivity. This heritage should be captured and recorded by America in her institutions of learning and her prominent archives. The imbalance which has excluded the American Negro from our official culture has existed for too long: it is past time for a change.

The bill to establish a Commission on Negro History and Culture, S. 2979, of which I am pleased to be a cosponsor, will provide for an appropriate examination of present facilities and will produce the recommendations for their improvement. All areas of historical and cultural concern will be affected by this investigation of the proposed commission: researching and establishing accuracy of Negro history and customs, collecting, preserving and compiling such information, and disseminating it to our educational institutions and mass media. After such a study is made, the changes necessary to incorporate the contribution of the American Negro, both past and present, into the mainstream of American cultural education will be clear. We can then act with greater assurance that our efforts will not be misdirected. The urgency of commencing this study and of making concrete recommendations, reflected by the growing demand to change school curricula and the realization of publishers that many of their texts are obsolete, cannot be too heavily emphasized.

I urge this committee to consider these factors and to act favorably upon this bill at the earliest possible time.

Senator PELL. I note that Congressman Scheuer, who is to be a witness before us, as well as being the sponsor of this bill in the other body, has arrived.

It is a particular pleasure to welcome Congressman Scheuer who is a very old friend and a past neighbor from Dutchess County.

STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES H. SCHEUER, A U.S. REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Mr. SCHEUER. I would like to thank the chairman for his kindness in permitting me to testify here and congratulate him for his everpresent interest in culture and human understanding of all kinds. I also would like to congratulate my colleague in the other body, Senator Scott, for the fine leadership he has shown in giving forward thrust to this piece of legislation in the Senate.

Senator Pell, as you know, I have been working on this legislation for several years on the House side. It has evolved into its present form through continued meetings and conferences with leaders of the Negro community, the educators, with experts in the media, so that in the form which the legislation now is before you, we think it gives great

promise of rich achievement, not only for the Negro population in America, not only for Negro children in finding a new pride and identity in self-image, but also for white America, so that white children in our school system can have a new appreciation of their colleagues and a new understanding of the contributions that Negroes have made to every aspect of American life. Our politics, our arts and letters, our war, our peace, our humanities are permeated with the contributions to our civilization made by Negro citizens. Unfortunately, today, when a Negro child opens up a textbook and she sees a picture of Mary and Jane and Bow-wow, she says, "That's not me"; and when she hears or reads of the Scandanavians and the Western Europeans and the Eastern Europeans who settled this country, she says, "That's not me." When she reads of the typical heroes and even the typical villains in the storybook or the textbook, she says, "That's not me."

Our education curriculums, our textbooks, and by and large our public media-radio, television, press-have failed to convey even a marginally adequate understanding to Negro and white children alike of the role that Negroes are playing today and the contributions their people have made in the past.

This gap diminishes us all.

Happily there is large evidence that there is concern over this. In recent weeks and months, we have seen scattered efforts on the part of leaders in the radio and TV industry and in our magazines to begin the long process of rectifying this situation. We hope that the Commission on Negro History and Culture can give leadership and direction to this effort and distill the most creative ideas and the most thoughtful and sensitive insights into the problem from among Negro experts, educators, archivists and the like, and from experts in the media themselves, experts in education and textbooks and education curricula, so that all of the insight and understanding of this problem throughout our leadership can be focused on the problem of giving recognition, of giving a place in our history books to the contributions that Negroes have made over the centuries and the magnificent contributions they are making today. I think this commission and the kind of role it can play, are long overdue; the time is now. I hope that both Houses of Congress will pass this legislation before we adjourn later this year.

I congratulate you, Mr. Chairman, for the splendid leadership you have shown in moving this bill ahead. I fervently hope you and I will be present at a bill-signing ceremony in the Rose Garden before very long.

Senator PELL. Let us hope we may have that opportunity.

In this connection, I was wondering what your view would be on placing the responsibilities outlined in this proposed legislation under the aegis of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which has already proven itself in this field?

Mr. SCHEUER. You mean the major responsibility in this legislation? Senator PELL. Yes, in other words, perhaps a commission that would report to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which would have the basic responsibility. One of the things that always concerns