BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  ACR 160
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   July 5, 2012

                             ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
                                Nancy Skinner, Chair
                   ACR 160 (Carter) - As Introduced:  June 12, 2012
           
          SUBJECT  :   Kwanzaa.

           SUMMARY  :   Commemorates the 45th anniversary of Kwanzaa and 
          proclaims December 26 through January 1 each year as Kwanzaa 
          Week in recognition and respect of the cultural significance of 
          this holiday to African people throughout the world.  
          Specifically,  this resolution  makes the following legislative 
          findings:

          1)Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday created 
            in 1966 in order to reaffirm African Americans' rootedness in 
            African culture, to provide a context for Africans around the 
            world to come together and reinforce the bonds between them, 
            to introduce the Nguzo Saba, and to reaffirm the importance of 
            African communitarian values which stress and strengthen 
            family, community, and culture.

          2)Kwanzaa, derived from a Swahili phrase which means "first 
            fruits", is a cultural holiday open to and practiced by 
            Africans of all religious faiths from December 26 to January 1 
            each year; and, first-fruits celebrations are recorded in 
            African history as early as ancient Egypt and Nubia.

          3)The Kwanza celebration with its emphasis on history, values, 
            family, community, and culture, speaks to African people 
            throughout the world in a special way; and, it is important to 
            commemorate Kwanzaa as a celebration that strengthens the 
            sense of rootedness in the best of African culture, thereby 
            strengthening the bonds of community and allowing for a 
            reaffirmation of common identity.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   None

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          None on file









                                                                  ACR 160
                                                                  Page  2

           Opposition 
           
          None on file.

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Anna McCabe / RLS. / (916) 319-2800