To amend the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 2015.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Rahall, Chairman Grijalva and the hardworking staff on the Subcommittee on National Parks for getting this legislation to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, originally enacted in June 2004, the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act will help to expand and develop museum exhibits and educational programs honoring African Americans who have made significant contributions to the nation, but whose names, faces and achievements may not be well known to the average citizen.

This recognition can and will be accomplished and preserved with the expansion of the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, a national treasure that is located in my district and hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, the Great Blacks in Wax Museum was founded in 1983 by Dr. Elmer Martin and Dr. Joanne Martin, who started the museum with their own funds carrying a few wax figures and exhibit materials around the country in their car.

I am proud to report that the museum currently occupies part of a city block in East Baltimore and includes more than 200 wax figures. It is America's first wax museum of Black history. The museum now receives well over 200,000 visitors per year--more than half of these visitors are school children.

Several members of Congress and their staffs have visited the museum and relayed to me the awesome nature of their visit--how the figures and exhibits both moved and informed them, resulting in a truly enriching experience. Enactment of H.R. 3967 makes certain that the Museum can continue its mission to preserve a great part of our nation's history.

Lastly, this legislation authorizes assistance in establishing a Justice Learning Center as a component of the expanded Museum complex. The Justice Learning Center will include state-of-the-art facilities and resources to educate the public, especially at-risk youth, about the role of African Americans in our nation's judicial system. It will include a special focus on the civil rights movement, and on the role of African Americans as lawmakers, attorneys and in the Judiciary.

Federal dollars used will be spent efficiently and effectively. This is an issue that is critical to assess when we ask citizens for funding any program. This expansion will provide jobs, but it will also create a link for our children to a past that is so often forgotten.

Learning is enhanced when all of the senses can be engaged. This museum will bring the past to life, not just in the minds of the students, but in front of their eyes. Funding this educational opportunity is another critical step in creating an appreciation and understanding of history in our young people.

These gains are well worth the cost. This is simply a technical measure to reauthorize legislation that was enacted by Congress in 2004.

Again, I thank Chairmen Rahall and Grijalva for their support, and encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3967, a bill to amend the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 2015. The funds, approximately $5 million, would be used by the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in order to build a Justice Learning Center. I would also like to commend my esteemed colleague, Representative Elijah Cummings, for his dedication to the preservation of Black American history.

In 1983, Drs. Elmer and Joanne Martin opened the doors to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum. It is the first wax museum of African-American history in the nation, and the first wax museum in Baltimore, Maryland. The facility was created to stimulate an interest in African-American history by revealing little-known and often neglected facts of history. The founders also sought to improve race relations by dispelling myths of racial inferiority and superiority, as well as use the figures of great leaders to inspire and uplift African Americans to reach their full potential.

In 2004, the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 was signed into law. The act directed the Attorney General to make grants available to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, in part for building a Justice Learning Center, and also for carrying out programs relating to civil rights and juvenile justice. Though the legislation passed, no funds were distributed to the museum and the museum continues to operate on funding from private donors just as it has for the past 27 years. The Justice Learning Center will serve as another venue for the museum to educate and empower citizens with information relating to Black American history. H.R. 3967 gives this Congress an opportunity to support the museum in this project.

Mr. Speaker, fellow colleagues, it is imperative that we support this bill. Should we fail to pass this legislation and appropriate funds to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, great Georgians like Andrew Bryan, founder of the first American black Baptist church, in Savannah, GA, and Julian Bond, a former civil rights leader, United States Congressman, and recent chairman of the NAACP, would go unnoticed and overlooked along with other African-American leaders. In addition to all of the war funding, foreign aid, and domestic agendas we support, I believe our goal should also be to preserve and maintain our rich history for our children and generations yet to come. I urge my colleagues to stand with me and support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3976, an act that seeks to amend the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 to authorize more appropriations through the fiscal year of 2015. I also want to thank my colleague, Representative Elijah E. Cummings, for introducing this important legislation.

Today we acknowledge the success and importance of the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc., and seek to provide it with appropriations. This bill will amend the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 to extend the authorization of appropriations for grants to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc., in Baltimore, Maryland, through 2015. This bill will also carry out programs related to civil rights and juvenile justice through the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and Justice Learning Center.

The National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-238, 118 Stat. 670-672) directs the Attorney General to make a grant to the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc., in Baltimore, Maryland, to be used only for carrying out programs relating to civil rights and juvenile justice through the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and Justice Learning Center. To receive a grant, the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc., shall submit to the Attorney General a proposal for the use of the grant, which shall include detailed plans for such programs.

The founders of the museum outlined four specific areas that they meant for the museum to cover. First, according to a mission statement they wrote, the founders of the museum wanted the Great Blacks in Wax Museum to stimulate an interest in African-American history by revealing the little-known, often-neglected facts of history. Second, the museum was intended to use great leaders as role models to motivate youth to achieve. Third, the museum should improve race relations by dispelling myths of racial inferiority and superiority. Lastly, the museum supports and works in conjunction with other nonprofit, charitable organizations to seek to improve the social and economic status of African Americans.

The museum's goals are important to achieve in our society. It is important that we cherish and appreciate our history while looking to the future. In the process of this remembrance, we can work for a brighter future.

For the foregoing reasons, I stand with Representative Elijah E. Cummings in support of this act.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3967, which amends the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 to authorize appropriations through 2015. This important measure will extend a program that, for the last six

years, has helped educate the public about the contributions of major African American figures in American history.

I thank Chairmen Rahall and Conyers for their leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. I also thank the sponsor of this legislation, Congressman Cummings, for recognizing the importance of continuing funding for this socially significant program that promotes cross- cultural awareness and appreciation.

Mr. Speaker, black Americans have served honorably in Congress, senior executive branch positions, the law, the judiciary, and many other fields. Black Americans have also had a massive and important impact on cultural life in the United States, from television and cinema to the performing and visual arts. Unfortunately, these contributions are not well known by many in the public and underrepresented in textbooks, history lessons, and, importantly, our nation's museums.

The National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 authorized funds for the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, Inc., a museum based in Baltimore, Maryland that celebrates important black figures in American history through the medium of wax sculpture. With Congressional funding, the Great Blacks in Wax Museum has been able to further its mission of bringing recognition to black Americans who have had lasting impacts on our nation. The museum showcases black Americans such as Rosa Parks, Colin Powell, Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, Ida B. Wells, and many others.

H.R. 3967 will allow this non-profit organization to continue educating the public about the importance of African Americans to the history of the United States and ensuring that American history does not favor one race or culture over another, but rather accurately reflects the intricate racial and cultural tapestry that defines American society. This mission is one that is, without question, worthy of our support.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3967.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3967) to amend the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 2015.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3967, introduced in October of 2009 by our colleague Representative Elijah Cummings, helps tell the story of the African American struggle for equality.

For the last quarter century, Doctors Joanne and Elmer Martin have worked tirelessly to create a safe, nurturing environment for Baltimore's youth. Through their work to build and fund the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and the Justice Learning Center, they have created a unique opportunity to teach and connect with young people to tell the story of great African American leaders in the history of our United States of America.

H.R. 3967 amends the National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2004 to extend authorization for Federal grant funding. Representative Cummings is to be commended for his work on behalf of this outstanding education and outreach program.

Mr. Speaker, we support this legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this bill.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.