[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1040 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1040

  Recognizing and celebrating the significance of Black History Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 29, 2024

Mr. Green of Texas (for himself, Ms. Adams, Mr. Amo, Ms. Barragan, Mr. 
Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Brown, 
  Ms. Brownley, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Carson, Mr. Carter of 
 Louisiana, Mr. Case, Mr. Costa, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Davis of Illinois, 
Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. DelBene, Mr. 
 Deluzio, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Escobar, Mr. 
   Espaillat, Mrs. Fletcher, Mr. Frost, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Garcia of 
Texas, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Ivey, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Johnson 
 of Georgia, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Landsman, Ms. 
Lee of California, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, 
Mr. Morelle, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Mullin, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Norton, Ms. 
Omar, Mr. Peters, Mr. Phillips, Ms. Porter, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Salinas, 
     Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mrs. 
 Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Trone, 
Mr. Vargas, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mrs. Watson Coleman, 
   Ms. Williams of Georgia, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight 
                           and Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing and celebrating the significance of Black History Month.

Whereas this resolution may be cited as the Original Black History Month 
        Resolution of 2024;
Whereas this resolution has been endorsed by the Association for the Study of 
        African American Life and History;
Whereas the theme for Black History Month 2024 is ``African Americans and the 
        Arts'', which commemorates the influence of African Americans to 
        artistic and cultural movements in all fields, including visual and 
        performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, 
        architecture, cuisine, and other forms of cultural expression;
Whereas African-American art has a long and extensive history, imbued with the 
        experiences of African, Caribbean, and Black Americans' lived 
        experiences;
Whereas many cultural and artistic genres have been created and pioneered by 
        people of African descent throughout history;
Whereas this resolution highlights Black artists and creators in various fields 
        and their contributions to larger African-American movements;
Whereas enslaved Africans brought the tradition of sweetgrass basket weaving 
        from West Africa to the low country of the American colonies over 300 
        years ago, a visual artistry which predates the American Revolution;
Whereas the enslaved Africans created the musical form of spirituals, religious 
        folksong often sung during hours of manual labor;
Whereas famous spirituals include songs such as ``Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'', 
        composed by Wallace Willis;
Whereas some spirituals served as a means of communication between liberators 
        and seekers of freedom;
Whereas Robert Johnson, the Mississippi-born musician, was an elusive and 
        influential early Blues musician who has since been inducted into the 
        Rock and Roll Hall of Fame;
Whereas McKinley ``Muddy Waters'' Morganfield, another Blues musician inducted 
        into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, released the songs ``I Can't Be 
        Satisfied'' and ``I Feel Like Going Home'';
Whereas early Blues musicians, who were also often gospel performers, created 
        the foundation for jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and other forms of music that are 
        continuing to develop;
Whereas Phillis Wheatley, an educated and enslaved poet, published ``Poems on 
        Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in 1773'', the first volume of 
        poetry by an African American published in the modern era;
Whereas David Walker, a free Black man, wrote for the Freedom's Journal, an 
        antislavery weekly, as well as wrote and circulated abolitionist 
        literature in the 1820s;
Whereas one such piece of literature was ``Walker's Appeal, in Four Articles; 
        Together with a Preamble, to the Colored Citizens of the World, but in 
        Particular, and Very Expressly, to Those of the United States of 
        America'', a widely circulated abolitionist pamphlet which called for 
        the enslaved to rebel against their enslavers;
Whereas Maria Stewart, an abolitionist and women's rights advocate, contributed 
        to the literary world by being the first Black American woman to write 
        and publish a political manifesto;
Whereas Edmonia Lewis created the sculpture The Death of Cleopatra in 1876, 
        challenging contemporary society's norms on death in art by depicting 
        the moment after the snake's venom had taken its toll instead of the 
        more traditional depiction of her contemplating suicide;
Whereas Henry Ossawa Tanner painted The Banjo Lesson in 1893 shedding light on 
        the poverty in which so many African Americans of the time lived while 
        still maintaining their dignity and grace;
Whereas the Black Renaissance and New Negro Movement gained momentum in the 
        1920s and 1930s, bringing the Black arts to the international stage;
Whereas the novel ``The Fire in the Flint'' was a powerful view of 20th century 
        racial oppression written by Walter White in 1924 and translated into 
        French, spreading to the Black population in France and French-speaking 
        colonies in Africa and the Caribbean;
Whereas, due to World War I, Black soldiers in the Armed Forces such as James 
        Reese Europe brought Black culture and music with them when they were 
        sent abroad;
Whereas Langston Hughes, the poet, social activist, playwright, and columnist, 
        was a powerful figure during the Harlem Renaissance and spread Black 
        culture and art through his travels to West Africa and Europe;
Whereas the Harlem Renaissance was a significant and pivotal cultural movement 
        that influenced the Black Renaissance;
Whereas cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Orleans were home to many 
        Black artists whose creations also contributed greatly to the Black 
        Renaissance;
Whereas the Black arts movement began in the 1960s as a way to artistically 
        explore the themes and issues that were advocated by the Black power 
        movement;
Whereas the poet Amiri Baraka is widely considered to be the father of the Black 
        arts movement;
Whereas this cultural movement emphasized the autonomy of Black artists to 
        create their art for Black people with the goal of awakening Black 
        consciousness and ultimately liberation;
Whereas the Black arts movement brought about artists such as Audre Lorde, Alvin 
        Ailey, Judith Jamison, Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez;
Whereas, in 1973, a new genre of music called hip-hop was created in the Bronx, 
        New York, in part by Black musicians DJ Kool Herc and Coke La Rock;
Whereas five foundational elements of hip-hop include: MCing, DJing, graffiti 
        art, breakdancing, and knowledge of self;
Whereas hip-hop, since its inception, has been a central force in political, 
        social, and cultural spaces and has continued to be a space in which 
        issues such as racism, violence, sexism, economic disinvestment, and 
        others have taken center stage;
Whereas Afrofuturism is a term used to describe creative works that envision 
        liberated futures for Black and oppressed peoples, usually including 
        elements of science fiction, fantasy, or technological advancements, 
        ranging across all fields of the arts;
Whereas examples of Afrofuturism can be found in the music of artists such as 
        Sun Ra, Rashan Roland Kirk, Jimi Hendrix, and Janelle Monae;
Whereas Octavia Butler's science fiction novels such as ``Kindred'' and the 
        ``Xenogensis'' series feature elements of Afrofuturism;
Whereas recent films such as Marvel's ``Black Panther'' and the Oscar-winning 
        ``Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' also prominently feature examples 
        of Afrofuturism;
Whereas Afrofuturistic elements can also be found in the paintings of British-
        Liberian artist Lina Iris Viktor, the sculptures of Kenyan-born sculptor 
        Wangechi Mutu, as well as the creations of Caribbean writers and artists 
        like Nalo Hopkinson and Grace Jones;
Whereas the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass inspired the 
        creation of Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month; 
        and
Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as Black History Month, 
        which dates to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside the second week 
        in February as Negro History Week to recognize the heritage and 
        achievement of Black Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes the 
importance of commemorating Black History Month as it acknowledges the 
achievements of Black Americans throughout the Nation's history and 
encourages the continuation of its celebration to raise the awareness 
of this community's accomplishments for all Americans.
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