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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 419 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 419

            Fostering resilience in African-American youth.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 2009

  Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. 
Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mrs. Christensen, Mrs. Napolitano, and 
 Ms. Lee of California) submitted the following resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
            Fostering resilience in African-American youth.

Whereas all children around the world are born with the right to human dignity 
        and the potential to realize their full capacities;
Whereas approximately 29 percent of the American children under age 18 are 
        African-American;
Whereas 34 percent of African-American children under age 18 were living in 
        poverty in 2007 compared with 10 percent of White children;
Whereas African-American children and youth are disproportionately affected by a 
        wide range of health conditions, including poor oral health, asthma, 
        violent injury, sickle cell anemia, pediatric diabetes, poor mental and 
        behavioral health, HIV/AIDS, and health risks associated with obesity;
Whereas compared to Whites, African-American children are 12 percent less likely 
        to have a consistent primary care provider and 26 percent less likely to 
        have a physician visit during the year;
Whereas increased physical activity, better nutrition, and regular oral care 
        results in optimal physical development for African-American children 
        and youth in the face of various health risks;
Whereas African-American children and youth are disproportionately exposed to 
        risk factors including poverty, failing schools, and neighborhoods 
        plagued by violence, which often serve as precursors to unhealthy 
        outcomes;
Whereas African-American children and youth who develop a positive racial 
        identity have a healthier self-esteem, which can serve as a buffer for 
        acts of racism, discrimination, or prejudice, and reduces levels of 
        depression, anxiety, anger, and participation in risk-related behaviors;
Whereas supportive parents and caregivers, school, and community environments 
        are critical in the promotion of peace and reduction of violence among 
        African-American youth, as well as promoting the development of 
        emotional skills to handle the diverse feelings that come from multiple 
        stressors;
Whereas African-American children and youth with a strong belief in their own 
        academic competence, with high levels of parental involvement, and with 
        engaging education professionals exhibit higher rates of academic 
        achievement;
Whereas communities that provide structured activities and positive adult 
        interactions, such as access to high-quality child care and afterschool 
        programs, lead to positive behavioral outcomes and better social 
        adjustment in African-American children and youth;
Whereas African-American children and youth benefit from holistic youth 
        development programs that acknowledge the relationship between physical 
        health and mental health and risk behaviors and attitudes;
Whereas programs that build upon the cultural strengths and experiences of 
        African-American children and families, and which acknowledge the 
        importance of the family's cultural frame of reference, have resulted in 
        improved health and well-being;
Whereas resilience is a dynamic and multidimensional process consisting of the 
        interaction of strength, resources, and risks factors within multiple 
        contexts, such as family, peers, school, community, and society, across 
        space and time; and
Whereas although a national legacy of slavery, cultural oppression, and ongoing 
        racial discrimination places African-American youth at risk, they 
        possess protective factors in their families, peers, schools, and 
        communities and more importantly within themselves, including positive 
        racial identity, self-esteem, and emotional regulation, that prove 
        critical in terms of fostering their healthy development and encouraging 
        resilience: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) encourages research that promotes health and well-being 
        among African-American youth and seeks to understand the 
        relationship between resilience and the various types of 
        development including physical, identity, emotional, social, 
        and cognitive;
            (2) supports research that is integrative, 
        interdisciplinary, and informed by the diverse cultural 
        traditions and socioeconomic and sociopolitical experiences of 
        African-American communities, families, children, and 
        adolescents;
            (3) endorses the development of centers on resilience that 
        target optimal functioning and use basic research to identify 
        processes that promotes resilience;
            (4) encourages incorporation of culturally relevant 
        guidelines and recommendations into requests for proposals for 
        research and programming targeting African-American youth and 
        families by local and national funding agencies;
            (5) encourages increased collaboration across federal 
        funding agencies involved in resilience research such as but 
        not limited to, National Institute for Mental Health, National 
        Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Centers for 
        Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental 
        Health Services Administration, and Institute of Education 
        Sciences; and
            (6) promotes interdisciplinary partnerships among 
        physicians, mental health practitioners, educators, schools, 
        community leaders, government agencies, and families to ensure 
        adaptation, dissemination, and implementation of culturally 
        relevant, evidence-based treatments that incorporate resilience 
        strategies in community settings for African-American youth, 
        families, and communities.
                                 <all>
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