SENATE RESOLUTION

                                                     1994-8670

By Senators Franklin, Wojahn, Sutherland and Gaspard

         WHEREAS,  The first pioneer settler in what is now the State of Washington was George Washington Bush, the African-American founder of Bush Prairie, in what is now Clark County in 1844; and

         WHEREAS, His son, Representative William Owen Bush, was a founding member of the Washington Legislature in 1889; and

         WHEREAS, The rich history of Washington includes the founding of  Centralia in 1872 by an African-American, George Washington. He was the son of a slave, and was one of the few to help his neighbors survive the depression, from 1893 to 1897, regardless of the color of their skin; and

         WHEREAS, Sojourner Truth, an African-American woman, was among the first Americans anywhere to advocate both racial AND gender equality; and

         WHEREAS, Sarah Gammon Beckford, a native of North Carolina, owned and operated the Virginia City, Montana, water system from 1888 to 1931, and was one of the city's most prominent citizens; and

         WHEREAS, African-Americans were responsible for many advances in technology:  From Andrew Jackson Beard's lifesaving automatic railroad car coupling device to Dr. Charles Richard Drew, who created the world's first blood bank, but later died when he was refused a transfusion solely because of the color of his skin; from the portable refrigeration system invented by Frederick McKinley Jones, enabling our farmers to move their crops world-wide, to Garrett Morgan's invention of both the automatic traffic light and the gas mask; and

         WHEREAS, It was an African-American, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who taught us the principles of nonviolence and how moral persuasion can bring about change in a way that violence never could; and

         WHEREAS, Many more African-Americans have made lasting contributions to society and the betterment of America in the areas of science, education, agriculture, medicine, the arts, and many other endeavors;

         NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize February as African-American History Month in the State of Washington.  This celebration, begun in 1926 by Dr. Carter Woodson, strives to continue to raise the awareness of all people concerning the contributions made by African-Americans in our country; and

         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent  to every public school district in the State of Washington, which are urged to share the resolution with all students in order to foster an awareness of how African-Americans have contributed to our communities, our State, and our Nation.

I, Marty Brown, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 1994-8670,

adopted by the Senate February 7, 1994.

MARTY BROWN

Secretary of the Senate