IV 
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 resolu-
tion; 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 per-
cent of White children; 
Whereas African-American children and youth are dispropor-
tionately affected by a wide range of health conditions, 
including poor oral health, asthma, violent injury, sickle 
cell anemia, pediatric diabetes, poor mental and behav-
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•HRES 419 IH 
ioral 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 reg-
ular oral care results in optimal physical development for 
African-American children and youth in the face of var-
ious health risks; 
Whereas African-American children and youth are dispropor-
tionately 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 com-
munity 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 mul-
tiple 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 achieve-
ment; 
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Whereas communities that provide structured activities and 
positive adult interactions, such as access to high-quality 
child care and afterschool programs, lead to positive be-
havioral outcomes and better social adjustment in Afri-
can-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 op-
pression, and ongoing racial discrimination places Afri-
can-American youth at risk, they possess protective fac-
tors in their families, peers, schools, and communities 
and more importantly within themselves, including posi-
tive racial identity, self-esteem, and emotional regulation, 
that prove critical in terms of fostering their healthy de-
velopment 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 
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seeks to understand the relationship between resil-
ience and the various types of development including 
physical, identity, emotional, social, and cognitive; 
(2) supports research that is integrative, inter-
disciplinary, and informed by the diverse cultural 
traditions and socioeconomic and sociopolitical expe-
riences of African-American communities, families, 
children, and adolescents; 
(3) endorses the development of centers on re-
silience that target optimal functioning and use 
basic research to identify processes that promotes 
resilience; 
(4) encourages incorporation of culturally rel-
evant guidelines and recommendations into requests 
for proposals for research and programming tar-
geting African-American youth and families by local 
and national funding agencies; 
(5) encourages increased collaboration across 
federal funding agencies involved in resilience re-
search such as but not limited to, National Institute 
for Mental Health, National Institute of Child 
Health and Human Development, Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration, and Insti-
tute of Education Sciences; and 
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(6) 
promotes 
interdisciplinary 
partnerships 
among physicians, mental health practitioners, edu-
cators, schools, community leaders, government 
agencies, and families to ensure adaptation, dissemi-
nation, and implementation of culturally relevant, 
evidence-based treatments that incorporate resilience 
strategies in community settings for African-Amer-
ican youth, families, and communities. 
Æ 
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