1999 Assembly Resolution 25
ENGROSSED RESOLUTION
Relating to: declaring February African-American History and Cultural Heritage Month.
Whereas, we acknowledge and honor the estimated 11,000,000 to 12,000,000 African men, women and children who were forcibly embarked on European vessels for a life of slavery in the Western Hemisphere and the 9,000,000 to 10,000,000 enslaved African survivors of the Middle Passage to America; and
Whereas, throughout the struggle African-Americans have maintained a rich distinctive culture and have made major contributions to the American culture and the world; and
Whereas, through the contributions of such African-Americans as Fredrick Douglas, W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Thurgood Marshall, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Fannie Lou Hamer, Malik El Shabazz, Shirley Chisholm and James Cameron, the founder of the first and only Black holocaust museum in the United States (located in Milwaukee), America's views of itself and of the world have grown to incorporate new ideas and directions; and
Whereas, through the contributions of African-American musicians and writers such as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Leontyne Price, Marian Anderson, Andre Watts, Phyllis Wheatley, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison, the American culture has been enriched and appreciated around the world; and
Whereas, African-American sports figures, such as Tommy Smith, John Carlos and Muhammad Ali, have demonstrated their ability to be role models on and off the field and in and out of the ring when they stood up for their rights and beliefs; and
Whereas, through the contributions of such African-Americans as Dr. Charles Drew, George Washington Carver, Dr. Mae C. Jemison and Garrett Morgan, the worlds of medicine, science and technology were advanced; and
Whereas, African-Americans have kept alive and derived pride and unity from their history and other aspects of their cultural traditions; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the assembly, That the members of the Wisconsin assembly remember and commend African-Americans for their achievements and recognize the value of those achievements to African-Americans and to other Americans; and, be it further
Resolved, That in order to encourage everyone in this state to recognize and salute African-American history and culture, the members of the Wisconsin assembly declare February "African-American History and Cultural Heritage Month".
