I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5451 

To designate a month as African Diaspora Heritage Month. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 

Ms. SPANBERGER (for herself, Ms. SALAZAR, and Ms. MCCLELLAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

A BILL 

To designate a month 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 2023’’. 

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 03:57 Sep 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5451.IH H5451

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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 2021, through the African Growth and 

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

10 United States imported $6,700,000,000 in goods; 

11 (9) Prosper Africa and other similar Govern12 ment initiatives are critical to building and strength13 ening ties between the United States and African 

14 businesses; 

15 (10) the total two-way goods trade with Sub16 Saharan Africa totaled $44,800,000,000 in 2021, a 

17 21.8-percent increase from $36,700,000,000 in 

18 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 hosting of 

8 the second United States-Africa Leaders Summit by 

9 the United States, which was held in December 

10 2022, to boost collaboration between the Govern11 ment and the African diaspora community in the 

12 United States, and to strengthen ties between the 

13 United States and African nations by bringing to14 gether approximately 49 African heads of state; 

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; 

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 (17) the United States is committed to 

23 strengthening the dialogue between the African dias24 pora and Government officials through the creation 


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1 of the President’s Advisory Council on African Dias2 pora Engagement in the United States; and 

3 (18) the African diaspora community signifi4 cantly contributes to the growth and prosperity of 

5 the United States, and Congress honors this abun6 dant and growing community. 

7 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF AFRICAN DIASPORA HERITAGE 

8 MONTH. 

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

10 States Code, is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating the second section 146 as 

12 section 147; and 

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

14 ‘‘§ 148. African Diaspora Heritage Month 

15 ‘‘The President shall issue each year a proclama16 tion— 

17 ‘‘(1) designating a month as African Diaspora 

18 Heritage Month; 

19 ‘‘(2) calling on State and local governments and 

20 the people of the United States to observe African 

21 Diaspora Heritage Month with appropriate pro22 grams and activities; and 

23 ‘‘(3) urging civil and educational authorities of 

24 States, counties, cities, and towns to observe African 


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1 Diaspora Heritage Month through appropriate pro2 grams and activities.’’. 

3 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

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

5 States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to 

6 the second section 146 and inserting the following: 

‘‘147. Choose Respect Day. 

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

Æ 


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