III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. CON. RES. 50 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 25, 2010 Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. Burris, Mrs. Boxer, and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Recognizing the historic founding of the Black Stuntmen’s Association and the Coalition of Black Stuntmen and Women.

Whereas a group of African-American stuntmen, athletes, and extras founded the Black Stuntmen’s Association in Los Angeles, California, in 1967 to combat racial discrimination and create equal opportunities for all people of color in the motion picture and television stunt industry; Whereas the Coalition of Black Stuntmen and Women was formed in 1973 to continue the fight against racial bias in the industry; Whereas motion picture and television productions at the time commonly featured White stuntmen and women as stunt doubles for African-American actors and those of other races, using makeup to darken their complexion in a process known as a “paint-down”; Whereas African-Americans were routinely denied job opportunities and formal training in the stunt industry due to lingering racism; Whereas the increased use of African-American actors in motion pictures and television in the 1960s brought more attention to the common industry practice of using only White stuntmen and women; Whereas the Black Stuntmen’s Association and the Coalition of Black Stuntmen and Women pursued legal action to bring additional diversity to the motion picture and television industry and continued to monitor compliance with the resulting agreements; Whereas the original members of the Black Stuntmen’s Association and the Coalition of Black Stuntmen and Women paved the way for greater racial equality in the motion picture and television industry in the ensuing years, but in many cases were unable to benefit from their hard-won victory; Whereas the efforts of the Black Stuntmen’s Association and the Coalition of Black Stuntmen and Women also helped tear down discriminatory barriers and prejudices in other parts of the motion picture and television industry, both in front of and behind the camera; and Whereas members of the Black Stuntmen’s Association and the Coalition of Black Stuntmen and Women have made a significant and lasting contribution to the quality of motion picture and television productions in the United States: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (1)recognizes the historic founding of the Black Stuntmen’s Association and the Coalition of Black Stuntmen and Women, and (2)honors the contributions of these organizations and their members in the fight for racial equality and justice in the motion picture and television industry.