BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SCR 4|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SCR 4
Author: Price (D) and Wright (D), et al
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE RULES COMMITTEE : Not available
SUBJECT : Black History Month
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution recognizes February 2011 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 resolutions states:
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
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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 2011, which
has been proclaimed as Black History Month.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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
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in the House of Representatives.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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
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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 Cullen.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. Among those Americans who have enriched our society
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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 2011 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;
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
RJG:nl 2/17/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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