IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1396 

Recognizing a half century of the independence of the Republic of Cabo 

Verde and celebrating the contributions of Cabo Verdean-Americans to 

democracy in Cabo Verde and the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 30, 2024 

Mr. JEFFRIES (for himself, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. 

PRESSLEY, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. AMO, 

Ms. JACOBS, Mr. MAGAZINER, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, and Mr. KEATING) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing a half century of the independence of the Republic of Cabo Verde and celebrating the contributions of 

Cabo Verdean-Americans to democracy in Cabo Verde 

and the United States. 

Whereas the Portuguese arrived in Cabo Verde in 1456 and 

settled in Cidade Velha on the Island of Santiago in 

1462, and Cabo Verde became an epicenter of the early 

transatlantic slave trade; 

Whereas Kriolu Kabuverdianu, the maternal language of 

Cabo Verde, a mix of Portuguese and various African 

languages, became the world’s first European and AfriVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 Jul 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1396.IH HR1396

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•HRES 1396 IH 

can creole language and is the oldest living and widely 

spoken creole language; 

Whereas British influence significantly shaped the archipelago’s economic development and cultural landscape, particularly through the establishment of trade routes and 

maritime commerce facilitated by British traders and 

merchants; 

Whereas the spirit of Cabo Verdeans’ resistance to the colonial rule of Portugal was embodied by the Badiu community and culture on the Island of Santiago, which was 

made up of escaped formerly enslaved Africans who lived 

removed from the Portuguese colonial administration; 

Whereas the United States and the archipelago of Cabo 

Verde share strong historical links dating to the whaling 

trade in the 18th century; 

Whereas the emigration of Cabo Verdeans to the United 

States began in the 18th century and continues today, 

with a significant number of communities concentrated in 

Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New 

York; 

Whereas, in 1818, the first consulate of the United States in 

sub-Saharan Africa opened in what is now the Republic 

of Cabo Verde; 

Whereas, in the 19th century, the archipelago of Cabo Verde 

was the base of the Africa Squadron of the United States 

Navy, which worked to suppress the transatlantic slave 

trade across West Africa to the Americas and beyond; 

Whereas the archipelago of Cabo Verde has long been a refuge for communities seeking a better life, as exemplified 

by the migration to the Cabo Verde islands of Sephardic 

Jewish refugees during and after the Inquisition and MoVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 Jul 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1396.IH HR1396

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•HRES 1396 IH 

roccan and Gibraltarian immigration during the 19th 

century, an integral part of Cabo Verde’s national heritage; 

Whereas the State Ship of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, originally 

launched in 1894 as the Effie M. Morrissey, was the last 

sailing vessel to bring immigrants to the United States 

from the archipelago of Cabo Verde and was designated 

as a National Historic Landmark by the Department of 

the Interior in 1990; 

Whereas, between 1800 and 1921, more than 70 percent of 

all Cabo Verdean–immigrants to the United States arrived via the Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts; 

Whereas the labor of Cabo Verdeans became integral to the 

commercial cultivation of cranberries in the United 

States in the 19th century, as the whaling industry declined, and remains so today; 

Whereas, with the decline of the whaling industry, Cabo 

Verdean-American mariners developed a strong packet 

trade between the archipelago of Cabo Verde and New 

England, bringing goods and thousands of immigrants 

with them; 

Whereas, on January 20, 1973, Amilcar Cabral, the founder 

and leader of the African Party for the Independence of 

Guinea and Cabo Verde, was assassinated; 

Whereas, on July 5, 1975, the archipelago of Cabo Verde 

gained independence from Portugal and was officially recognized by the United States; 

Whereas, on July 19, 1975, the United States established 

diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cabo Verde; 


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•HRES 1396 IH 

Whereas the first multiparty elections were held in 1991, 

ending the previous one-party rule in the Republic of 

Cabo Verde since independence; 

Whereas Kriolu Kabuverdianu can still be heard today in various towns and cities across New England and New York; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde has several sister city 

and town relationships with counterparts in the United 

States, such as pairings of Praia with Boston, Massachusetts, and with Providence, Rhode Island, Mosteiros with 

Brockton, Massachusetts, and Mindelo with New Bedford, Massachusetts; 

Whereas Cabo Verdean–Americans continue to contribute to 

the social fabric of the United States, particularly in New 

England, and are active in politics, entertainment, sports, 

academia, and others; 

Whereas many Cabo Verdean–Americans were involved in the 

civil rights movement in the United States and in Cabo 

Verde’s struggle for independence during the 20th century; 

Whereas more than 150 Peace Corps volunteers served in the 

Republic of Cabo Verde from 1988 to 2013, and, in 

2019, the Government of the Republic of Cabo Verde formally invited the Peace Corps to return; 

Whereas Jose ́ Maria Pereira Neves, the former Prime Minister and current President of the Republic of Cabo 

Verde, met with United States President Barack Obama 

at the White House in 2013 to discuss and strengthen 

bilateral relations, emphasizing mutual interests in economic development, democracy, and regional security; 

Whereas the Pedro Pires Institute for Cape Verdean Studies 

at Bridgewater State University, in Bridgewater, MassaVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:59 Jul 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1396.IH HR1396

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•HRES 1396 IH 

chusetts, is the only academic research institute in the 

world solely dedicated to the archipelago of Cabo Verde 

and Cabo Verdeans and serves as a bridge between Massachusetts, the archipelago of Cabo Verde, and the Cabo 

Verdean diaspora; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde upholds the principles 

of freedom and democracy; 

Whereas, in 2021, New Hampshire and the Republic of Cabo 

Verde established a relationship under the State Partnership Program, administered by the National Guard Bureau, which deepens United States-Cabo Verde relations 

and supports joint learning and exercise exchanges between United States and Cabo Verdean military personnel; 

Whereas, in 2019, the traditional Cabo Verdean musical 

genre Morna, popularized by the world-renowned late 

singer and ‘‘Barefoot Diva’’, Cesaria Evora, was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; 

Whereas, in June 2022, according to the World Food Program of the United Nations, almost 10 percent of the 

Republic of Cabo Verde’s population faced acute food insecurity as a result of drought, the COVID–19 pandemic, 

and disruptions in global food and energy markets caused 

by the Russian Federation’s illegal full-scale invasion of 

Ukraine; 

Whereas, in December 2023, the Board of Directors of the 

Millennium Challenge Corporation selected the Republic 

of Cabo Verde as eligible to develop a regional compact 

for the purpose of regional economic integration; 


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•HRES 1396 IH 

Whereas the selection was made in recognition of the Republic of Cabo Verde’s clear commitment to democratic governance, high marks on the country’s Millennium Challenge Corporation scorecard, successful prior partnerships 

with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, lingering development and poverty reduction needs, and the potential 

opportunities to strengthen regional economic integration; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde’s initial $110,000,000 

compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, initiated in 2005 and closed in 2010, supported the construction of several new roads and bridges and helped expand and modernize the Port of Praia, which boosted its 

competitiveness by decreasing cargo processing times and 

shipping costs; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde’s subsequent 

$66,000,000 compact with the Millennium Challenge 

Corporation, initiated in 2012 and closed in 2017, improved access to clean water and sanitation, strengthened 

land rights, and facilitated ambitious policy and institutional reforms to improve the country’s overall investment 

climate; 

Whereas, in December 2023, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Cabo Verde, Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva, met 

with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to 

emphasize Cabo Verde’s support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine dating back to the illegal annexation of 

Crimea by Russia in 2014; 

Whereas, on January 22, 2024, Secretary of State Antony 

Blinken traveled to the Republic of Cabo Verde to highlight how the United States has accelerated the United 

States-Africa partnership since the United States-Africa 

Leaders Summit held in December 2022; 


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•HRES 1396 IH 

Whereas members of the Cabo Verdean-American community 

have served in United States conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; 

Whereas, in March 2024, the New Hampshire National 

Guard and the Cabo Verdean Armed Forces held the 

GRANITE FALCO Combined Exercise, the first major 

United States-Cabo Verde combined exercise under the 

bilateral State Partnership Program; 

Whereas, in June 2024, Prime Minister Jose Ulisses Correia 

e Silva attended Ukraine’s Peace Summit in Switzerland 

and met with President Zelenskyy and the President of 

the Swiss Confederation, Viola Patricia Amherd; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde has a close relationship 

with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to address 

common challenges, such as small arms proliferation, 

maritime security, and terrorism; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde remains an integral 

member of the Economic Community of West African 

States, the African Union, the Community of Portuguese 

Language Countries, and numerous other international 

organizations; and 

Whereas July 5, 2025, will mark the 50th anniversary of the 

independence of the Republic of Cabo Verde and will be 

celebrated by diaspora communities across the United 

States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) extends sincere congratulations and best 

3 wishes to the people of the Republic of Cabo Verde 

4 with regard to their commemoration and celebration 


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•HRES 1396 IH 

1 of a half century of the independence of the archi2 pelago of Cabo Verde; 

3 (2) expresses support for the principles of free4 dom, democracy, and good governance, to which the 

5 people and Government of the Republic of Cabo 

6 Verde are committed; 

7 (3) commends the Cabo Verdean-American 

8 community for its contributions to the United States 

9 and service as a bridge between the two countries, 

10 both before and following independence, based on 

11 shared bilateral history, diasporic ties, and common 

12 values; 

13 (4) notes the important role that the Republic 

14 of Cabo Verde has played in African and broader 

15 transatlantic affairs since gaining independence on 

16 July 5, 1975; and 

17 (5) commends the Republic of Cabo Verde’s 

18 support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and 

19 people of Ukraine, and its condemnation of the inva20 sion of Ukraine by Russia. 

Æ 


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