[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4145-S4146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 643--RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN 
AMERICANS TO THE MUSICAL HERITAGE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE NEED FOR 
  GREATER ACCESS TO MUSIC EDUCATION FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS AND 
   DESIGNATING JUNE 2020 AS AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH

  Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Ms. Harris, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Brown, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Coons) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 643

       Whereas spirituals, ragtime, blues, jazz, gospel, classical 
     composition, and countless other categories of music have 
     been created or enhanced by African Americans and are etched 
     into the history and culture of the United States;
       Whereas the first Africans transported to the United States 
     came from a variety of ethnic groups with a long history of 
     distinct and cultivated musical traditions, brought musical 
     instruments with them, and built new musical instruments in 
     the United States;
       Whereas spirituals were a distinct response to the 
     conditions of African slavery in the United States and 
     expressed the longing of slaves for spiritual and bodily 
     freedom, for safety from harm and evil, and for relief from 
     the hardships of slavery;
       Whereas jazz, arguably the most creative and complex music 
     that the United States has produced, combines the musical 
     traditions of African Americans in New Orleans with the 
     creative flexibility of blues music;
       Whereas masterful trumpeters Louis Armstrong and Miles 
     Davis achieved national and international recognition with 
     the success of ``West End Blues'' by Louis Armstrong in the 
     1920s and ``So What'' by Miles Davis in the late 1950s;
       Whereas talented jazz pianist and vocalist Nathaniel Adams 
     Coles recorded more than 150 singles and sold more than 
     50,000,000 records;
       Whereas the talent of Ella Fitzgerald, a winner of 13 
     Grammys, is epitomized by a rendition of ``Summertime'', a 
     bluesy record accompanied by melodic vocals;
       Whereas Natalie Cole, the daughter of Nathaniel Adams 
     Coles, achieved musical success in the mid-1970s as a rhythm 
     and blues artist with the hits ``This Will Be'' and 
     ``Unforgettable'';
       Whereas, in the 1940s, bebop evolved through jam sessions, 
     which included trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and the alto 
     saxophonist Charlie Parker, that were held at clubs in 
     Harlem, New York, such as Minton's Playhouse;
       Whereas earlier classical singers such as Elizabeth Taylor 
     Greenfield, one of the first widely known African-American 
     vocalists, and other early African-American singing pioneers, 
     including Nellie Mitchell Brown, Marie Selika Williams, 
     Rachel Walker Turner, Marian Anderson, and Flora Batson 
     Bergen, paved the way for the female African-American concert 
     singers who have achieved great popularity during the last 50 
     years;
       Whereas the term ``rhythm and blues'' originated in the 
     late 1940s as a way to describe recordings marketed to 
     African Americans and replaced the term ``race music'';

[[Page S4146]]

       Whereas lyrical themes in rhythm and blues often 
     encapsulate the African-American experience of pain, the 
     quest for freedom, joy, triumphs and failures, relationships, 
     economics, and aspiration and were popularized by artists 
     such as Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Etta James, and Otis 
     Redding;
       Whereas soul music originated in the African-American 
     community in the late 1950s and early 1960s, combines 
     elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, 
     and jazz, and was popularized by artists such as Aretha 
     Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Bill Withers, 
     and Jackie Wilson;
       Whereas Motown, founded as a record label in 1959, evolved 
     into a distinctive style known for the ``Motown Sound'', a 
     blend of pop and soul musical stylings made popular by 
     prominent Black artists such as Marvin Gaye, James Mason, and 
     Mary Wells;
       Whereas, in the early 1970s, the musical style of disco 
     emerged and was popularized by programs such as Soul Train 
     and by artists such as Donna Summer;
       Whereas reggae is a genre of music that originated in 
     Jamaica in the late 1960s and incorporates some of the 
     musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, mento, calypso, 
     and African music, and was popularized by artists such as Bob 
     Marley;
       Whereas rock and roll was developed from African-American 
     musical styles such as gospel and rhythm and blues and was 
     popularized by artists such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, 
     Little Richard, and Jimi Hendrix;
       Whereas rap, arguably the most complex and influential form 
     of hip-hop culture, combines blues, jazz, and soul, elements 
     of the African-American musical tradition, with Caribbean 
     calypso, dub, and dance hall reggae;
       Whereas the development and popularity of old style rap 
     combined confident beats with wordplay and storytelling, 
     highlighting the struggle of African-American youth growing 
     up in underresourced neighborhoods;
       Whereas contemporary rhythm and blues, which originated in 
     the late 1970s and combines elements of pop, rhythm and 
     blues, soul, funk, hip hop, gospel, and electronic dance 
     music was popularized by artists such as Whitney Houston and 
     Aaliyah;
       Whereas Prince Rogers Nelson, who was known for electric 
     performances and a wide vocal range, pioneered music that 
     integrated a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, 
     contemporary rhythm and blues, new wave, soul, psychedelia, 
     and pop;
       Whereas a recent study by the Department of Education found 
     that only 28 percent of African-American students receive any 
     kind of arts education;
       Whereas African-American students scored the lowest of all 
     ethnicities in the most recent National Assessment for 
     Educational Progress arts assessment;
       Whereas students who are eligible for the school lunch 
     program established under the Richard B. Russell National 
     School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) have significantly 
     lower scores on the music portion of the National Assessment 
     for Educational Progress arts assessment than students who 
     are ineligible for that program, which suggests that students 
     in low-income families are disadvantaged in the subject of 
     music;
       Whereas a recent study found that--
       (1) nearly \2/3\ of music ensemble students were White and 
     middle class, and only 15 percent of those students were 
     African-American; and
       (2) only 7 percent of music teacher licensure candidates 
     were African-American; and
       Whereas students of color face many barriers to accessing 
     music education and training, especially students in large 
     urban public schools: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes--
       (A) the contributions of African Americans to the musical 
     heritage of the United States;
       (B) the wide array of talented and popular African-American 
     musical artists, composers, songwriters, and musicians who 
     are underrecognized for contributions to music;
       (C) the achievements, talent, and hard work of African-
     American pioneer artists and the obstacles that those artists 
     overcame to gain recognition;
       (D) the need for African-American students to have greater 
     access to, and participation in, music education in schools 
     across the United States; and
       (E) Black History Month and African-American Music 
     Appreciation Month as an important time--
       (i) to celebrate the impact of the African-American musical 
     heritage on the musical heritage of the United States; and
       (ii) to encourage greater access to music education so that 
     the next generation may continue to greatly contribute to the 
     musical heritage of the United States; and
       (2) designates June 2020 as ``African-American Music 
     Appreciation Month''.

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