Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and the American colonies from 1619 through 1865; Whereas Africans forced into slavery were torn from their families and loved ones and stripped of their names and heritage; Whereas the faith and strength of character demonstrated by former slaves and the descendants of former slaves are an example for all people of the United States, regardless of background, religion, or race; Whereas tens of thousands of people of African descent bravely and silently escaped their chains to follow the perilous Underground Railroad northward towards freedom in Canada; Whereas the Detroit River played a central role for these passengers of the Underground Railroad on their way to freedom; Whereas in October 2001, the City of Detroit, Michigan, joined with Windsor and Essex Counties in Ontario, Canada, to memorialize the courage of these freedom seekers with an international memorial to the Underground Railroad, comprised of the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, and the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, Michigan; Whereas the deep roots that slaves, refugees, and immigrants who reached Canada from the United States created in Canadian society are a tribute to the determination of the descendants of those slaves, refugees, and immigrants to safeguard the history of the struggles and endurance of their forebears; Whereas the observance of the 16-year commemoration of the International Underground Railroad Memorial Monument will be celebrated during the month of October 2017; Whereas the International Underground Railroad Memorial Monument represents a cooperative international partnership dedicated to education and research with the goal of promoting cross-border understanding, economic development, and cultural heritage tourism; Whereas over the course of history, the United States has become a symbol of democracy and freedom around the world