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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1286 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1286

Recognizing and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Black 
                             Arts Festival.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 19, 2008

Mr. Lewis of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Johnson of Georgia) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Recognizing and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Black 
                             Arts Festival.

Whereas the National Black Arts Festival (NBAF) is a nonprofit cultural 
        institution based in Atlanta, Georgia, that celebrates the artistic 
        contributions of people of African descent and their impact on world 
        cultures;
Whereas the mission of the NBAF is to engage, cultivate, and educate diverse 
        audiences about the arts and cultures of the African Diaspora and 
        provide opportunities for artistic and creative expression;
Whereas the NBAF was founded in 1987 after a study commissioned by the Fulton 
        County Arts Council found an unmet need for a festival celebrating and 
        advancing the work of black artists;
Whereas the study provided compelling reasons why the Atlanta community was the 
        right place for such a festival, which led local government and civic 
        leaders to help establish the NBAF and present the first summer festival 
        in 1988;
Whereas, in July 1988, the 10-day event served as the country's first-ever 
        summer festival featuring hundreds of artists of African descent, where 
        500,000 attendees took part in a triumphant celebration of African art, 
        music, and culture;
Whereas, over the last 20 years, the NBAF has connected with people of all ages 
        and races and celebrated diversity while striking a common chord that 
        resonated with all Americans like no other festival or presenting arts 
        organization;
Whereas the organization has evolved into a year-round cultural institution 
        dedicated to serving artists, audiences, teachers, and students by 
        providing opportunities for artistic and creative expression and 
        sponsoring educational and humanities programs to deepen historical and 
        cultural understanding;
Whereas the NBAF has a global perspective, celebrating the contributions of 
        people of African descent and their impact on world cultures, as well as 
        recognizing the great diversity of the African diaspora throughout the 
        world;
Whereas festival programming is carefully chosen to ensure that ``three 
        generations are at the table'', recognizing the need to appeal to a 
        broad range of ages;
Whereas the mission of the NBAF has given the organization a clear focus and 
        understanding of its niche, which has allowed the NBAF to succeed 
        locally and nationally;
Whereas dedicated volunteers, consistently high quality work, and continued 
        support from the funding community has enabled the NBAF to stand above 
        its peers;
Whereas the NBAF adds a unique and necessary dimension to Atlanta's cultural 
        landscape as one of the city's leading art institutions;
Whereas the NBAF has touched more than 5,000,000 people through music, dance, 
        theater, film, visual arts, literary arts, and family events over the 
        past 2 decades;
Whereas the NBAF has become the premier festival of its kind in the United 
        States; and
Whereas the 20th anniversary of the first summer festival provides an occasion 
        to honor the importance of the NBAF in its cultural fabric of greater 
        Atlanta and all of America: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the important role that arts and arts 
        education plays in the lives of millions of Americans;
            (2) recognizes the continuing contributions and influence 
        of African-American art work to America's cultural life;
            (3) urges all citizens to support efforts to strengthen 
        artistic training and appreciation in schools; and
            (4) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the National Black 
        Arts Festival.
                                 <all>
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