III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 776 

Recognizing the 49th anniversary 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2024 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. REED, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. WARREN, and 

Mr. WELCH) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 49th anniversary 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 archipelago of Cabo Verde was the first permanent European settlement in the tropics, the Portuguese 

arrived in 1456 and settled in Cidade Velha on the Island 

of Santiago in 1462, and Cabo Verde became an epicenter of the beginning of the 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 African creole language and is the oldest living and widely 

spoken creole language; 


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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 back to the 

whaling trade in the 18th century, with people-to-people 

ties potentially dating back even earlier; 

Whereas the emigration of Cabo Verdeans to the United 

States began in the 18th century and continues today, 

with communities primarily concentrated in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut; 

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 an embrace of Jewish heritage following the persecution of Sephardic Jews during the Inquisition and Moroccan and Gibraltarian migration during the 19th century, 

an integral part of Cabo Verde’s national heritage; 


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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 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; 

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

diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cabo Verde; 

Whereas the Government of the Republic of Cabo Verde was 

under one-party rule until 1992, when the first 

multiparty elections were held; 

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


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Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde has several sister city 

and town relationships with counterparts in the United 

States, such as Praia with Boston, Massachusetts, and 

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, in industries such as politics, entertainment, 

sports, academia, and others; 

Whereas many Cabo Verdean-Americans were involved in the 

civil rights movement in the United States and 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 

in the Cabinet Room of 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, Massachusetts, 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 MasVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:22 Jul 31, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR776.IS SR776

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sachusetts, the archipelago of Cabo Verde, and the Cabo 

Verdean diaspora; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde upholds the principles 

of freedom and democracy; 

Whereas the Republic of Cabo Verde enjoys relatively high 

literacy rates, high per capita income, and positive health 

indicators; 

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

Verde agreed to the State Partnership Program administered by the National Guard Bureau, which deepens 

United States-Cabo Verde relations and encourages exchanges between government and military personnel; 

Whereas, in 2019, the traditional Cabo Verdean musical 

genre Morna, popularized by the world-renowned late 

singer and ‘‘Barefoot Diva,’’ Cesa ́ria E ́vora, 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 Programme of the United Nations, almost ten percent of the 

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

and the upheaval in global food and energy markets 

caused by the Russian Federation’s illegal 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; 

Whereas the selection was made in recognition of the Republic of Cabo Verde’s clear commitment to democratic govVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:22 Jul 31, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR776.IS SR776

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ernance, consistent, strong passage of the 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 with a committed and engaged former partner 

of the Millennium Challenge Corporation; 

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

compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation, 

which closed in 2010, included the construction of several 

new roads and bridges and expanded and modernized the 

Port of Praia, which boosted its competitiveness by decreasing cargo processing times and shipping costs, and 

the Republic of Cabo Verde’s subsequent $66,000,000 

compact, which concluded 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; 

Whereas members of the Cabo Verdean-American community 

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


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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, the Prime Minister of the Republic 

of Cabo Verde, Jose ́ Ulisses Correia e Silva, attended the 

Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Switzerland and met 

with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr 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 part 

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 be the 50th anniversary of the 

independence of the Republic of Cabo Verde and will be 

celebrated by diaspora communities across New England 

and beyond: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) extends sincere congratulations and best 

3 wishes to the people of the Republic of Cabo Verde 

4 as they celebrate the 49th anniversary of the inde5 pendence of the archipelago of Cabo Verde; 


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1 (2) expresses support for the principles of free2 dom, democracy, and good governance to which the 

3 people and Government of the Republic of Cabo 

4 Verde are committed; 

5 (3) commends the Cabo Verdean-American 

6 community for its contributions to the United States 

7 and service as a bridge between the two countries 

8 before and after independence based on shared his9 tory, diaspora, and values; 

10 (4) notes the important role that the Republic 

11 of Cabo Verde has played in African and broader 

12 transatlantic affairs since gaining independence on 

13 July 5, 1975; and 

14 (5) commends Cabo Verde’s support for the 

15 sovereignty, territorial integrity, and people of 

16 Ukraine and condemnation of the invasion of 

17 Ukraine by Russia. 

Æ 


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