Speeches

Remarks by Ambassador Cesar Cabrera at the Launching of African-American History Month

Monday, February 12, 2007
Port Louis Theatre Foyer


Honorable Mahendra Gowressoo, Minister of Arts and Culture;
The Lord Mayor, Honorable Reza Isaack;
Members of the Municipal Council;
Distinguished Guests,

Thank you all for joining us this morning as the U.S. Embassy launches our African American History programs.  This is the second year that we have launched our programs at the Port Louis Theatre, and I’d like to especially thank the Lord Mayor and the Municipality of Port Louis for their support and collaboration in hosting our events.

African Americans are an integral part of America’s culture and society. Their contributions through science, civil rights, education, music, and literature have made America a much stronger country.  During National African American History Month, the United States honors the achievements of African Americans and recognize our continued responsibility to strive for equality for all American citizens.

With grace and determination, African American men and women have shaped the  United States  and influenced American life. Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Rosa Parks, and Martin  Luther King, Jr., advanced the cause of civil rights for all Americans and helped change the course of American history. Educators Booker T. Washington and Carter G. Woodson helped break down racial barriers in education to provide opportunity for all people. Americans have benefited from the achievements of scientists like George Washington Carver. Artists such as Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong inspired Americans and created some of the most celebrated music the United States has ever produced.

The theme of this year's National African American History Month, "From Slavery to Freedom:  Africans in the Americas," recalls African Americans' long journey to justice and commemorates the courage and persistence of the heroes who called on our Nation to  live up to its founding promise. A century after African American soldiers fought for their freedom on the battlefields of the Civil War, African Americans struggled peacefully for their rights in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, and on the Mall in Washington, D.C.   In today’s exhibit you can read the  stories about these courageous civil rights leaders and how they answered hate and discrimination with love and dignity, toppled segregation
laws, and worked to make America a more just and hopeful Nation. 

As Americans, we are proud of the progress we have made in the United States, yet the work for a more perfect union is not done.  I hope that you take a few minutes to view today’s exhibit and the efforts of people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other African Americans who dedicated themselves to the civil rights movement in the United States.