II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5006 

To designate the month of September as African Diaspora Heritage Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 

Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. COONS, Mr. 

PADILLA, Mr. WARNER, and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To designate the month of September as African Diaspora 

Heritage Month. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘African Diaspora Her5 itage Month Act of 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the African diaspora population in the 

9 United States has grown significantly in recent 

10 years, with the number of African immigrants growVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:49 Oct 13, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5006.IS S5006

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1 ing at a rate of almost 246 percent from 2000 to 

2 2019; 

3 (2) the African diaspora community is one of 

4 the most diverse communities in the United States, 

5 inclusive of people who speak multiple languages, 

6 whose rich heritage comes from all across the Afri7 can continent, and whose members practice various 

8 faiths; 

9 (3) during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, 

10 a significant number of enslaved people from Africa 

11 were brought to the United States; 

12 (4) immigrants of African origin boast some of 

13 the highest educational achievements of any immi14 grant group; 

15 (5) African diaspora households contribute bil16 lions of dollars to the economy of the United States, 

17 with an estimated $10,100,000,000 in Federal taxes, 

18 $4,700,000,000 in State and local taxes, and a 

19 spending power of more than $40,300,000,000 in 

20 2015; 

21 (6) Sub-Saharan African immigrants living in 

22 the United States, Europe, and elsewhere sent back 

23 $46,000,000,000 in remittances to the continent of 

24 Africa in 2021; 


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1 (7) Government agencies, including the Inter2 national Development Finance Corporation, the De3 partment of Commerce, the Department of the 

4 Treasury, and the United States Trade Representa5 tive are critical to investments and enduring mutual 

6 partnerships between the United States and African 

7 nations; 

8 (8) in 2019, through the African Growth and 

9 Opportunity Act (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), the 

10 United States imported $8,400,000,000 in goods, up 

11 2.4 percent as compared to 2001; 

12 (9) Prosper Africa and other similar Govern13 ment initiatives are critical to building and strength14 ening ties between the United States and African 

15 businesses; 

16 (10) the total two-way goods trade with Sub17 Saharan Africa totaled $44,900,000,000 in 2021, a 

18 22 percent increase from $36,800,000,000 in 2019; 

19 (11) the African diaspora plays an invaluable 

20 role in shaping Government policy; 

21 (12) members of the African diaspora have an 

22 invaluable understanding of cross-cultural engage23 ment between the United States and Africa, existing 

24 relations and networks on the African continent, and 


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1 can support efforts to facilitate stronger ties between 

2 the United States and Africa; 

3 (13) the United States is committed to 

4 strengthening the government-to-government rela5 tionships between the United States and countries 

6 throughout the African continent; 

7 (14) Congress strongly supports the United 

8 States hosting a second United States-Africa Lead9 ers Summit in December 2022, and urges collabora10 tion between the Government and the African dias11 pora community in the United States in advance, 

12 during, and after the Summit as an opportunity to 

13 strengthen ties between the United States and Afri14 can nations; 

15 (15) the African diaspora harbors a deep com16 mitment to family and community, an enduring 

17 work ethic, and a perseverance to succeed and con18 tribute to the society of the United States; and 

19 (16) all members of the African diaspora in the 

20 United States deserve access to Federal resources 

21 and a voice in the Government of the United States. 

22 SEC. 3. AFRICAN DIASPORA HERITAGE MONTH. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 36, United 

24 States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating the second section 146 as 

2 section 147; and 

3 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘§ 148. African Diaspora Heritage Month 

5 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—September is African Diaspora 

6 Heritage Month. 

7 ‘‘(b) PROCLAMATIONS.—The President is requested 

8 to issue each year a proclamation calling on the people 

9 of the United States, and the chief executive officers of 

10 each State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

11 and each territory and possession of the United States are 

12 requested to issue each year proclamations calling on the 

13 people of their respective jurisdictions, to observe African 

14 Diaspora Heritage Month with appropriate programs, 

15 ceremonies, and activities.’’. 

16 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

17 The table of sections for chapter 1 of title 36, United 

18 States Code, is amended— 

19 (1) by striking the item relating to the second 

20 section 146 and inserting the following: 

‘‘147. Choose Respect Day. 

‘‘148. African Diaspora Heritage Month.’’. 

Æ 


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