Recognizing the historical significance of Lawrence Silas.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 176 Recognizing the historical significance of Lawrence Silas. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 27, 2023 Mr. SOTO submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture RESOLUTION Recognizing the historical significance of Lawrence Silas. Whereas, in 1891, Lawrence Silas was born in a rural area of Kenansville, Florida, to Tom, a formerly enslaved per- son, and Elizabeth Silas; Whereas Lawrence Silas, in his youth, became the bread- winner for his mother and his 12 siblings upon the pass- ing of his father; Whereas Lawrence Silas, with the support from his dear wife, Sarah Laurence Silas, overcame financial struggles and discrimination biases to gradually transform his passion for cattle into a prominent business that aided to the de- velopment of his community; Whereas despite racism and discrimination, Lawrence Silas demonstrated remarkable dedication to work, great perse- verance, and impressive entrepreneurial skills; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:02 Feb 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR176.IH HR176 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HRES 176 IH Whereas Lawrence Silas’ virtuous character and superb com- petence as a cattle baron made him a role model for his community, and the power of his timeless legacy con- tinues to reverberate in Osceola County; Whereas Lawrence Silas’ empathetic leadership helped many citizens of his community to overcome financial hurdles and to grow their passion for cattle business; Whereas Lawrence Silas’ story represents the resilience and power of cattle business in Osceola County and highlights Florida’s historical engagement with livestock business; Whereas Lawrence Silas represents the intelligence, the dili- gent work attitude, and the courageous spirit of the peo- ple in the cattle industry; Whereas Lawrence Silas was an influential man in his com- munity despite all discriminations that Black people are subjected; Whereas Lawrence Silas contributed to the development of livestock business in Florida by several means: mastery managing his own land with thousands of heads of cattle, providing expert advice for affluent dealers and breeders, and creating jobs in his community; Whereas Lawrence Silas had recognizable knowledge on many kinds of cow diseases, which allowed him to handle his own cattle as well as from other owners; Whereas Lawrence Silas bravely endured all dangers associ- ated with livestock management in a time where hunting wild cows was still necessary; and Whereas Lawrence Silas was dedicated to cattle work and de- velopment throughout his life: Now, therefore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:02 Feb 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR176.IH HR176 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HRES 176 IH Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep- 1 resentatives that Lawrence Silas is a historically signifi- 2 cant African American who has— 3 (1) made important contributions for the devel- 4 opment of livestock business in Florida; and 5 (2) defeated great challenges in his journey to 6 becoming a notorious cattleman in a society with 7 strong racial disparities. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:02 Feb 28, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR176.IH HR176 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB