[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1396 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1396

Recognizing a half century of the independence of the Republic of Cabo 
 Verde and celebrating the contributions of Cabo Verdean-Americans to 
             democracy in Cabo Verde and the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2024

 Mr. Jeffries (for himself, Mr. Meeks, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Horsford, Ms. 
Pressley, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Amo, Ms. Jacobs, 
   Mr. Magaziner, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, and Mr. Keating) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing a half century of the independence of the Republic of Cabo 
 Verde and celebrating the contributions of Cabo Verdean-Americans to 
             democracy in Cabo Verde and the United States.

Whereas the Portuguese arrived in Cabo Verde in 1456 and settled in Cidade Velha 
        on the Island of Santiago in 1462, and Cabo Verde became an epicenter of 
        the early transatlantic slave trade;
Whereas Kriolu Kabuverdianu, the maternal language of Cabo Verde, a mix of 
        Portuguese and various African languages, became the world's first 
        European and African creole language and is the oldest living and widely 
        spoken creole language;
Whereas British influence significantly shaped the archipelago's economic 
        development and cultural landscape, particularly through the 
        establishment of trade routes and maritime commerce facilitated by 
        British traders and merchants;
Whereas the spirit of Cabo Verdeans' resistance to the colonial rule of Portugal 
        was embodied by the Badiu community and culture on the Island of 
        Santiago, which was made up of escaped formerly enslaved Africans who 
        lived removed from the Portuguese colonial administration;
Whereas the United States and the archipelago of Cabo Verde share strong 
        historical links dating to the whaling trade in the 18th century;
Whereas the emigration of Cabo Verdeans to the United States began in the 18th 
        century and continues today, with a significant number of communities 
        concentrated in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York;
Whereas, in 1818, the first consulate of the United States in sub-Saharan Africa 
        opened in what is now the Republic of Cabo Verde;
Whereas, in the 19th century, the archipelago of Cabo Verde was the base of the 
        Africa Squadron of the United States Navy, which worked to suppress the 
        transatlantic slave trade across West Africa to the Americas and beyond;
Whereas the archipelago of Cabo Verde has long been a refuge for communities 
        seeking a better life, as exemplified by the migration to the Cabo Verde 
        islands of Sephardic Jewish refugees during and after the Inquisition 
        and Moroccan and Gibraltarian immigration during the 19th century, an 
        integral part of Cabo Verde's national heritage;
Whereas the State Ship of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the schooner 
        Ernestina-Morrissey, originally launched in 1894 as the Effie M. 
        Morrissey, was the last sailing vessel to bring immigrants to the United 
        States from the archipelago of Cabo Verde and was designated as a 
        National Historic Landmark by the Department of the Interior in 1990;
Whereas, between 1800 and 1921, more than 70 percent of all Cabo Verdean-
        immigrants to the United States arrived via the Port of New Bedford, 
        Massachusetts;
Whereas the labor of Cabo Verdeans became integral to the commercial cultivation 
        of cranberries in the United States in the 19th century, as the whaling 
        industry declined, and remains so today;
Whereas, with the decline of the whaling industry, Cabo Verdean-American 
        mariners developed a strong packet trade between the archipelago of Cabo 
        Verde and New England, bringing goods and thousands of immigrants with 
        them;
Whereas, on January 20, 1973, Amilcar Cabral, the founder and leader of the 
        African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde, was 
        assassinated;
Whereas, on July 5, 1975, the archipelago of Cabo Verde gained independence from 
        Portugal and was officially recognized by the United States;
Whereas, on July 19, 1975, the United States established diplomatic relations 
        with the Republic of Cabo Verde;
Whereas the first multiparty elections were held in 1991, ending the previous 
        one-party rule in the Republic of Cabo Verde since independence;
Whereas Kriolu Kabuverdianu can still be heard today in various towns and cities 
        across New England and New York;
Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde has several sister city and town 
        relationships with counterparts in the United States, such as pairings 
        of Praia with Boston, Massachusetts, and with Providence, Rhode Island, 
        Mosteiros with Brockton, Massachusetts, and Mindelo with New Bedford, 
        Massachusetts;
Whereas Cabo Verdean-Americans continue to contribute to the social fabric of 
        the United States, particularly in New England, and are active in 
        politics, entertainment, sports, academia, and others;
Whereas many Cabo Verdean-Americans were involved in the civil rights movement 
        in the United States and in Cabo Verde's struggle for independence 
        during the 20th century;
Whereas more than 150 Peace Corps volunteers served in the Republic of Cabo 
        Verde from 1988 to 2013, and, in 2019, the Government of the Republic of 
        Cabo Verde formally invited the Peace Corps to return;
Whereas Jose Maria Pereira Neves, the former Prime Minister and current 
        President of the Republic of Cabo Verde, met with United States 
        President Barack Obama at the White House in 2013 to discuss and 
        strengthen bilateral relations, emphasizing mutual interests in economic 
        development, democracy, and regional security;
Whereas the Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies at Bridgewater State 
        University, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, is the only academic research 
        institute in the world solely dedicated to the archipelago of Cabo Verde 
        and Cabo Verdeans and serves as a bridge between Massachusetts, the 
        archipelago of Cabo Verde, and the Cabo Verdean diaspora;
Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde upholds the principles of freedom and 
        democracy;
Whereas, in 2021, New Hampshire and the Republic of Cabo Verde established a 
        relationship under the State Partnership Program, administered by the 
        National Guard Bureau, which deepens United States-Cabo Verde relations 
        and supports joint learning and exercise exchanges between United States 
        and Cabo Verdean military personnel;
Whereas, in 2019, the traditional Cabo Verdean musical genre Morna, popularized 
        by the world-renowned late singer and ``Barefoot Diva'', Cesaria Evora, 
        was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural 
        Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and 
        Cultural Organization;
Whereas, in June 2022, according to the World Food Program of the United 
        Nations, almost 10 percent of the Republic of Cabo Verde's population 
        faced acute food insecurity as a result of drought, the COVID-19 
        pandemic, and disruptions in global food and energy markets caused by 
        the Russian Federation's illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine;
Whereas, in December 2023, the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge 
        Corporation selected the Republic of Cabo Verde as eligible to develop a 
        regional compact for the purpose of regional economic integration;
Whereas the selection was made in recognition of the Republic of Cabo Verde's 
        clear commitment to democratic governance, high marks on the country's 
        Millennium Challenge Corporation scorecard, successful prior 
        partnerships with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, lingering 
        development and poverty reduction needs, and the potential opportunities 
        to strengthen regional economic integration;
Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde's initial $110,000,000 compact with the 
        Millennium Challenge Corporation, initiated in 2005 and closed in 2010, 
        supported the construction of several new roads and bridges and helped 
        expand and modernize the Port of Praia, which boosted its 
        competitiveness by decreasing cargo processing times and shipping costs;
Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde's subsequent $66,000,000 compact with the 
        Millennium Challenge Corporation, initiated in 2012 and closed in 2017, 
        improved access to clean water and sanitation, strengthened land rights, 
        and facilitated ambitious policy and institutional reforms to improve 
        the country's overall investment climate;
Whereas, in December 2023, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cabo Verde, 
        Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva, met with the President of Ukraine, 
        Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to emphasize Cabo Verde's support for the 
        territorial integrity of Ukraine dating back to the illegal annexation 
        of Crimea by Russia in 2014;
Whereas, on January 22, 2024, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the 
        Republic of Cabo Verde to highlight how the United States has 
        accelerated the United States-Africa partnership since the United 
        States-Africa Leaders Summit held in December 2022;
Whereas members of the Cabo Verdean-American community have served in United 
        States conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and 
        Afghanistan;
Whereas, in March 2024, the New Hampshire National Guard and the Cabo Verdean 
        Armed Forces held the GRANITE FALCO Combined Exercise, the first major 
        United States-Cabo Verde combined exercise under the bilateral State 
        Partnership Program;
Whereas, in June 2024, Prime Minister Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva attended 
        Ukraine's Peace Summit in Switzerland and met with President Zelenskyy 
        and the President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Patricia Amherd;
Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde has a close relationship with the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization to address common challenges, such as small 
        arms proliferation, maritime security, and terrorism;
Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde remains an integral member of the Economic 
        Community of West African States, the African Union, the Community of 
        Portuguese Language Countries, and numerous other international 
        organizations; and
Whereas July 5, 2025, will mark the 50th anniversary of the independence of the 
        Republic of Cabo Verde and will be celebrated by diaspora communities 
        across the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) extends sincere congratulations and best wishes to the 
        people of the Republic of Cabo Verde with regard to their 
        commemoration and celebration of a half century of the 
        independence of the archipelago of Cabo Verde;
            (2) expresses support for the principles of freedom, 
        democracy, and good governance, to which the people and 
        Government of the Republic of Cabo Verde are committed;
            (3) commends the Cabo Verdean-American community for its 
        contributions to the United States and service as a bridge 
        between the two countries, both before and following 
        independence, based on shared bilateral history, diasporic 
        ties, and common values;
            (4) notes the important role that the Republic of Cabo 
        Verde has played in African and broader transatlantic affairs 
        since gaining independence on July 5, 1975; and
            (5) commends the Republic of Cabo Verde's support for the 
        sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people of Ukraine, and 
        its condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
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