BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SCR 9
Author: Wright (D), et al.
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SUBJECT : Black History Month
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution recognizes February 2013 as Black
History Month, urges all residents to join in celebrating the
accomplishments of African Americans during Black History Month,
and encourages the people of California to recognize the many
talents, achievements, and contributions that African Americans
make to their communities.
ANALYSIS : This resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1. Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, distinguished African American
author, editor, publisher, and historian, who is known as the
"Father of Black History," founded Negro History Week in
1926, which became Black History Month in 1976, intended to
encourage further research and publishing regarding the
untold stories of African American heritage.
2. The history of African Americans here in the United States,
as well as throughout the ages, is indeed unique and vibrant,
and it is appropriate to celebrate this history during the
month of February 2013, which has been proclaimed as Black
History Month.
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3. There is even greater cause for a reverent celebration in
2013, as Americans reflect on the significance of the 150th
anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th
anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,
and the 50th anniversary of the death of civil rights leader
Medgar Evers.
4. The history of the United States is rich with inspirational
stories of great men and noble women whose actions, words,
and achievements have united Americans and contributed to the
success and prosperity of the United States.
5. During the first millennium, the Catholic Church had three
popes who were either from Africa or of African descent:
Saint Victor I (189-99), Saint Miltiades (311-14), and Saint
Gelasius I (492-96).
6. The slave trade was a tragic episode in African history and
began before August 1619, when the first slaves arrived in
Jamestown, Virginia. During the course of the slave trade,
an estimated 50 million African men, women, and children were
lost to their native continent, though only about 15 million
arrived safely to a new home. The others lost their lives on
African soil or along the Guinea coast, or finally in holds
on the ships during the dreaded Middle Passage across the
Atlantic Ocean.
7. The first American to shed blood in the revolution that freed
America from British rule was Crispus Attucks (March 5, 1770,
Boston Massacre), an African American seaman and slave.
African Americans also fought in wars including the Battles
of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Ticonderoga, White
Plains, Bennington, Brandywine, Saratoga, Savannah, Yorktown,
Bunker Hill, the Battle of Rhode Island on August 29, 1775,
and other revolutionary war battles, the War of 1812,
including, the Battle of New Orleans, the Civil War, the
Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, and
Vietnam.
8. In spite of the African slave trade, many Africans and
African Americans continued to move forward in society;
during the Reconstruction period, two African Americans
served in the United States Senate and 14 sat in the House of
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Representatives.
9. From the earliest days of the United States, the course of
its history has been greatly influenced by Black heroes and
pioneers in many diverse areas, from science, medicine,
business, and education to government, industry, and social
leadership.
10.Although the institutions of slavery and racial segregation
forced early African American culture to develop
independently of mainstream American culture, today African
American culture has become a significant part of this
country's culture. African American culture has made
prevalent contributions to American culture ranging from
music, dance, clothing and hairstyle fashions, cuisine, and
holiday observances.
11.African American art has made vital contributions to the art
history of the United States. During the colonial era and
the early 1800s, African American art took the form of small
drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures, wood carvings, and
ceramic vessels. Soon thereafter, the earliest African
American portrait artists started to emerge, including G.W.
Hobbs, William Simpson, Robert M. Douglas Jr., Patrick Henry
Reason, Joshua Johnson, Robert S. Duncanson, and Scipio
Moorhead.
12.In the post-Civil War period, African American artists
received increased recognition as it became more acceptable
to display African American art in museums and other art
venues. Major artists of the era include Edward Mitchell
Bannister, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and Edmonia Lewis.
13.The increased exposure of African American art ultimately
resulted in the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s, which
was the first major public recognition of African American
art and produced notable artists including, Richmond Barthe,
Aaron Douglas, Lawrence Harris, Palmer Hayden, William H.
Johnson, Sargent Johnson, John Biggers, Earle Wilton
Richardson, Malvin Gray Johnson, Archibald Motley, Augusta
Savage, Hale Woodruff, and James Van Der Zee. This era also
introduced African American authors and poets including,
W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Zora Neale Hurston,
Nella Larsen, Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee
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Cullen.
14.African American artists continued to influence art in this
country during the Civil Rights era. Major artists of the
era include Horace Pippin, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence,
William T. Williams, Norman Lewis, and Sam Gilliam who were
all successfully received in galleries, and authors Richard
Wright, James Baldwin, and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the
African American experience.
15.African American art and culture have not only been
incorporated and recognized in mainstream American art
museums, but most major cities have opened museums dedicated
specifically to African American art and artists. The
National Endowment for the Arts is also providing increased
support for African American artists.
16.Africans and African Americans have also been great
inventors, inventing and improving things such as the
air-conditioning unit, almanac, automatic gearshift, blood
plasma bag, clothes dryer, doorknob, doorstop, electric lamp
bulb, elevator, fire escape ladder, fountain pen, gas mask,
golf tee, horseshoe, lantern, lawnmower, lawn sprinkler,
lock, lubricating cup, refrigerating apparatus, spark plug,
stethoscope, telephone transmitter, thermostat control,
traffic signal, and typewriter.
17.A number of these brave and accomplished individuals, such as
Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Matthew
Hansen, Daniel Hale Williams, Dr. Charles Drew, Jackie
Robinson, Jesse Owens, Curt Flood, Medgar Evers, and, of
course, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., are noted prominently in
the history books of students nationwide, thus enabling them
to learn about the important and lasting contributions of
these individuals.
18.Among those Americans who have enriched our society are the
members of the African American community, individuals who
have been steadfast in their commitment to promoting
brotherhood, equality, and justice for all.
The Legislature takes great pleasure in recognizing February
2013 as Black History Month, urges all residents to join in
celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans during
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Black History Month, and encourages the people of California to
recognize the many talents, achievements, and contributions that
African Americans make to their communities.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
JG:d 2/6/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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