[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 138 (Tuesday, August 23, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CELEBRATION OF CHICAGO'S AFRICAN FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS

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                           HON. BOBBY L. RUSH

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 23, 2022

  Mr. RUSH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Patrick and Dee 
Woodtor for their work in Africa International House and to celebrate 
the 33rd iteration of the African Festival of the Arts. The festival is 
back this year after taking a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19. With the 
return of the in-person festivities, this year's theme is ``Back to 
Culture. Back to Tradition.''
  The African Festival of the Arts has been celebrated in Chicago for 
more than three decades. Each year on Labor Day weekend, the festival 
attracts a multi-cultural audience, offering the Black community a 
chance to reconnect to their roots, while also giving those outside the 
community the opportunity to learn more about African culture. Through 
poetry readings, interactive workshops, art exhibits, musical and dance 
performances, food tasting, arts and crafts classes, and displaying a 
replica of an African village, the festival illustrates the rich 
African culture present within the people of Chicago.
  The festival also contributes immensely to the City's economy. 
African International House hires local residents and vendors to 
participate in the annual event, which generates revenue for the city 
and local businesses.
  Patrick Woodtor founded Africa International House and the festival. 
Woodtor is originally from Liberia and first came to the United States 
in 1976 to attend Northwestern University, where he met his wife, 
Delores ``Dee'' Parmer. After graduating, the Woodtors briefly lived in 
Liberia, but soon returned to the States due to the political turmoil 
unraveling in the country.
  A short time after returning to Chicago, the Woodtors' cultural 
outreach began when Dee opened a store in Hyde Park called ``Window to 
Africa'' that specialized in selling African artifacts, which helped 
the surrounding community better connect and understand their heritage. 
The store also served as a resource center for African immigrants 
transitioning into their new lives here in America.
  The success and popularity of Dee's store fueled their desire to 
expand their efforts. Patrick started the festival, and then later 
Africa International House--a larger umbrella organization that offers 
exchange programs to Africa and more broadly bridges cultural 
understanding.
  African International House and the Woodtors have received numerous 
accolades for their contributions to the cultural fabric of Chicago and 
service to recent immigrants, and I wanted to further cement the depth 
of their impact by speaking about it in the halls of the U.S. Capitol.
  Madam Speaker, Chicago has a rich history of celebrating the heritage 
and ancestry of its residents. The Woodtors have added to that history 
by lifting African culture on a large scale, which only further 
enhances the beauty and diversity of our great city. They deserve to be 
honored and recognized for this work, which benefits all Chicagoans.

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