[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 82 (Tuesday, June 15, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1127-E1128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT KATHERINE DUNHAM BE RECOGNIZED FOR 
     HER GROUNDBREAKING ACHIEVEMENTS IN DANCE, THEATER, MUSIC, AND 
   EDUCATION, AS WELL AS HER WORK AS AN ACTIVIST STRIVING FOR RACIAL 
                     EQUALITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 7, 2004

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to salute Katherine Dunham, a woman who raised herself from her humble 
origins in East St. Louis through energy, determinism and formidable 
talent to become a world famous cultural icon and treasure. Having 
earned her bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees at the University 
of Chicago with, the help of the prestigious Rosenwald fellowship. She 
has worked tirelessly her entire adult life helping others. She 
continues to contribute actively to her community even though just 
recently celebrated her 95th birthday. Today I recognize Katherine 
Dunham for her groundbreaking achievements in the performance arts, 
education and for her contributions as an activist striving for racial 
equality.
  Katherine Dunham propelled the civil rights movement and opened doors 
or opportunity through her personal achievements as she became the 
first African-American to progress in her many fields of expertise.
  Katherine Dunham merged her studies in anthropology with Caribbean 
and Brazilian dance whereby creating a new discipline. She utilized her 
education to create her many dance, performance art and education 
centers. In 1931 Dr. Dunham founded Les Ballet Negre, the first black 
dance company in the United States. In the years that followed, 
Katherine Dunham revolutionized American dance by incorporating the 
roots of black dance and ritual, and by transforming these elements 
into choreography accessible to all through the Katherine Dunham 
Technique.
  Les Ballet Negre later became known as the Katherine Dunham Dance 
Company, which successfully toured over 60 countries in the 1940s.
  In 1945 Dr. Dunham founded the Dunham School of Dance and Theatre in 
Manhattan. The Dunham School provided a centralized location for 
students to immerse themselves in dance technique while also providing 
education in the humanities, languages, ethics, philosophy, and drama. 
The school educated and raised countless inner-city youth, youth who 
would go on and make great change themselves.
  In 1967 Dr. Dunham established the Performing Arts Training Center in 
East St. Louis, Missouri, which enrolled high-risk youth into programs 
in fine, performing and cultural arts. Katherine's outreach to some of 
the toughest members of the East St. Louis community often put her in 
harm's way. She put her life on the line constantly by recruiting gang 
members and known troublemakers. Katherine's goal was to stop the 
violence in the black community through the arts. She set out to 
transform their lives, and did so.
  In 1970, only three years after the founding of Performing Arts 
Training Center, Dr. Dunham brought more than 40 of her students to the 
White House to perform for the Conference on Children.
  Katherine Dunham was also a pioneer with a significant impact on 
Broadway. She broke new ground by becoming the first African-American 
director at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
  Even though Katherine Dunham carried out a significant amount of work 
in the United States, she was never limited to helping only those 
within our Nation's borders. Katherine Dunham is also a passionate 
humanitarian who has lived in Haiti and consistently fought for Haitian 
rights and a better relationship between the United States and Haiti.

[[Page E1128]]

  Responding to the desperate conditions of Haitian people in 1993, 
Katherine, at the age of 82, went on a 47-day hunger strike. She ended 
her hunger strike only when she was convinced, and rightfully so, that 
she was more valuable to the humanitarian fight, alive than dead. I 
recognize Dr. Katherine Dunham as one of the most passionate artists 
educators this country has ever seen.
  For all these reasons and for receiving countless honors and awards, 
including more than 10 honorary doctorates, the Presidential Medal of 
Arts, the French Legion of Honor, and the NAACP's Lifetime Achievement 
Award, she has received for her work, I stand to salute Katherine 
Dunham, humanitarian, civil rights activist, and performance artist.

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