[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 764 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 764

     Recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's 
                             independence.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 2, 2012

Ms. Clarke of New York (for herself, Mr. Rangel, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. 
Engel, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. 
  Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. West, Mr. Rush, Ms. 
Wilson of Florida, Ms. Lee of California, and Mr. Towns) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Recognizing and celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's 
                             independence.

Whereas Jamaica gained its independence on August 6, 1962;
Whereas, on August 6, 2012, the island nation of Jamaica will celebrate the 50th 
        anniversary of its independence;
Whereas after years of Spanish and subsequent British colonial rule, Jamaica, 
        which is now a member of the British Commonwealth, finally acquired its 
        independence from the British in 1962;
Whereas August 6, 1962, signifies this full independence and a birth of a 
        nation;
Whereas this date also marks the date that the black, green, and gold Jamaican 
        national flag was first raised;
Whereas the first decade of independence led successively by Prime Ministers 
        Alexander Bustamante, Donald Sangster, and Hugh Shearer of the Jamaica 
        Labor Party (JLP), were marked by strong economic growth;
Whereas following its first 10 years of independence, Jamaica was challenged by 
        the effects of a global economic slowdown and a growing sense of 
        economic inequality, which prompted the electorate to change government, 
        electing the People's National Party (PNP) in 1972;
Whereas through these challenging times, which continued into the mid-1980s, the 
        Jamaican people remained united in their struggles, goals, aspirations, 
        and dreams;
Whereas Jamaica is the third largest island nation in the Caribbean and with 
        2,800,000 people and is the third most populous Anglophone country in 
        the Americas, after the United States and Canada;
Whereas as the Jamaican people work to position the economy for growth and 
        celebrate their 50th anniversary of independence, they reflect on their 
        proud history, triumphs, and the sacrifices made by their ancestors;
Whereas the United States Government maintains close and productive relations 
        with the Government of Jamaica;
Whereas the United States is Jamaica's most important trading partner;
Whereas from January to August 2011, United States exports to Jamaica were 
        $1,430,000,000 and Jamaican exports to the United States were 
        $601,000,000;
Whereas Jamaica is also a very popular destination for United States tourists;
Whereas Jamaican culture had a strong influence that has been well received 
        around the world, through its music, industry, literature, athletics and 
        sports, academia, and cuisine;
Whereas Jamaica was home to the internationally renowned musical legend Bob 
        Marley, Marcus Garvey, Jamaica's first national hero, model, singer, and 
        actress, Grace Jones, and model and actor Tyson Beckford;
Whereas sports and athletics are an integral part of national life in Jamaica 
        and the athletes tend to perform to a standard well above what might 
        ordinarily be expected of such a small country;
Whereas Jamaica served as one of the venues of 2007 Cricket World Cup and the 
        West Indies cricket team is one of the only 10 International Cricket 
        Council full member teams who participate in international test cricket;
Whereas the Jamaica national cricket team competes regionally, and also provides 
        players for the West Indies Cricket Team;
Whereas over the past 6 decades, Jamaica has produced dozens of world class 
        sprinters, among them are Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion Usain 
        Bolt, current world record holder in the 100m for men at 9.58 seconds, 
        and 200m for men at 19.19 seconds;
Whereas other noteworthy Jamaican sprinters include Asafa Powell, gold medal 
        winner in the men's 2008 Olympic 4x100m, Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the 
        first Jamaican woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in the 100 
        m sprint, Arthur Wint, the first Jamaican Olympic gold medalist in 
        Olympic history, Donald Quarrie, Olympic gold, silver, and bronze 
        medalist and former 200m world record holder, Deon Hemmings, Olympic 
        gold medalist, as well as former 100m world record holder;
Whereas the Jamaican National Bobsled Team represents Jamaica in international 
        bobsledding competitions, first gaining fame during their debut in the 
        1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta Canada, where they were 
        seen as underdogs, representing a tropical nation in a winter sport;
Whereas the team returned to the Winter Olympics again in 1992, 1994, and 
        subsequent competitions;
Whereas the team's performance at the 1988 Olympics inspired the 1993 film 
        ``Cool Runnings'', which was a loose depiction of real events;
Whereas Jody-Anne Maxwell from Kingston, Jamaica, was the winner of the 1998 
        Scripps National Spelling Bee at the age of 12, becoming the first 
        contestant from outside the United States to win in the history of the 
        competition;
Whereas the United States is home to a large Jamaican Diaspora community, which 
        has contributed greatly to the fabric of United States culture and 
        history;
Whereas prominent Jamaican Americans like former Secretary of State Collin 
        Powell, first Caribbean American elected woman to the New York City 
        Council, Dr. Una S.T. Clarke, writer, Malcolm Gladwell, singer and 
        activist, Harry Belafonte, track star, Carl Lewis, current United States 
        Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, and the first female and 
        first African-American Attorney General of California, Kamala Harris, 
        have contributed greatly to the social and political landscape of the 
        United States;
Whereas the relationship between the United States and Jamaica is a significant 
        partnership based in shared hemispheric objectives through security, 
        economic growth, and prosperity;
Whereas this relationship is critical to Diasporic communities, helping to 
        promote diplomacy and cross-cultural understanding between the two 
        nations; and
Whereas the Jamaican people will take this opportunity to reflect on the journey 
        that led to their independence 50 years ago, pay homage to the people 
        that played an important role in the country's independence, marvel at 
        the contributions of its Diaspora around the globe, and look forward the 
        progress of this generation for an even better future: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the 
significance of the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's independence to the 
people of Jamaica and supports the goals and ideals of Jamaica's 
Independence Day.
                                 <all>