[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 167 (Tuesday, October 22, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING DAVE CHAPPELLE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 22, 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in congratulating Dave Chappelle for 
receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor this year.
  On October 27, 2019, Dave Chappelle will be the recipient of the 22nd 
annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He will be the first 
District of Columbia-born recipient of this award, making D.C. 
residents exceedingly proud of his recognition.
  Chappelle, who graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts (Duke 
Ellington), the city's premier performing arts high school, attributes 
a great deal of his success to his upbringing in the Nation's Capital 
and to Duke Ellington. At Duke Ellington, he was inspired by his older 
peers to do better and take risks in artistic expression.
  After graduating from Duke Ellington, Chappelle committed to standup 
comedy. He later went on to produce and star in his own show, ``the 
Dave Chappelle Show,'' and earn an Emmy for his performance on Saturday 
Night Live. His collection of awards now includes two Emmys and two 
Grammys.
  Chappelle has never forgotten D.C. as his home. He has gone back to 
Duke Ellington to speak and inspire students, often reflecting on his 
own time at the school. He graciously gave the school his Emmy in 2017, 
impressing on the students that fighting the odds is possible. He is an 
advocate for equal rights for D.C. residents, and D.C. residents 
returned the love in 2017 when Chappelle was painted, alongside other 
well-known African American Washingtonians, on the wall of Ben's Chili 
Bowl on U Street.
  The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an annual award given to 
individuals who have impacted society in ways similar to 19th-century 
novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). Like Mark Twain, 
Chappelle is an intense observer of society. I could not agree more 
with Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter when she said, ``Dave 
is the embodiment of Mark Twain's observation that `against the assault 
of humor, nothing can stand.' ''
  As a recipient ofthe Mark Twain Prize, Chappelle follows in the 
footsteps of America's best comedians, most recently, Julia Louis-
Dreyfus, David Letterman, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy and Jay Leno.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to honor Dave 
Chappelle for his contributions to the art of humor, for his 
contributions to the District of Columbia through his comedy and 
advocacy, and for receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

                          ____________________