H. Res. 655 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
July 23, 2008. 
Whereas Katherine Dunham, a pioneering dancer and cho-
reographer, author, and civil rights activist was born on 
June 22, 1909, and passed away on May 21, 2006, at 
the age of 96; 
Whereas, at the age of 12, Katherine Dunham wrote her first 
published short story in a magazine edited by W.E.B. 
DuBois; 
Whereas, as class poet in high school, Katherine Dunham 
wrote a memoir entitled ‘‘A Touch of Innocence’’; 
Whereas, in the 1930s, Katherine Dunham revolutionized 
American dance by incorporating the roots of Black 
dance and ritual to develop a uniquely different dance 
form; 
Whereas Katherine Dunham received a bachelor of arts de-
gree in social anthropology from the University of Chi-
cago, was a pioneer in the use of folk and ethnic choreog-
raphy, and was one of the founders of the anthropological 
dance movement; 
Whereas Katherine Dunham used her dance and choreog-
raphy career and public status to draw attention to the 
civil rights movement and the issue of segregation;
•HRES 655 EH 
Whereas, in 1930, Katherine Dunham brought African and 
Caribbean influences to the European-dominated dance 
world by founding Les Ballet Negre, one of the first 
Black ballet companies in the United States; 
Whereas the Negro Dance Group, founded in 1934, became 
known as the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, tour-
ing in nearly 60 countries on 6 continents from the 
1940s to the 1960s; 
Whereas Katherine Dunham was a dancer, choreographer, 
and director on Broadway, and was the first Black cho-
reographer at the Metropolitan Opera; 
Whereas, in 1945, Katherine Dunham founded the Dunham 
School of Dance and Theatre in Manhattan, providing a 
centralized location for students to immerse themselves in 
dance technique and study topics in the humanities, lan-
guages, ethics, philosophy, and drama; 
Whereas, in 1967, Katherine Dunham left Broadway and es-
tablished the Performing Arts Training Center in East 
St. Louis, Illinois, to teach culture to underprivileged 
youths; 
Whereas Katherine Dunham taught dance, African hair 
braiding and woodcarving, conversational Creole, Span-
ish, French, and Swahili, and more traditional subjects, 
such as aesthetics and social science, to the youths of 
East St. Louis, Illinois; 
Whereas Katherine Dunham founded the Katherine Dunham 
Centers for Arts and Humanities in the late 1960s, and 
the Katherine Dunham Museum and Children’s Work-
shop in 1977; 
Whereas, in 1992, Katherine Dunham went on a 47-day hun-
ger strike to call attention to the plight of the Haitians,
•HRES 655 EH 
thereby helping to shift public opinion on United States 
relations with the Republic of Haiti and precipitating the 
return of the first democratically elected president of the 
Republic of Haiti; 
Whereas Katherine Dunham has received over 10 honorary 
doctorates and numerous other awards, including the 
Presidential Medal of Arts, Albert Schweitzer Music 
Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, the French Legion 
of Honor, and the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award; 
Whereas Katherine Dunham was an activist, teacher, dancer, 
and mentor to young people throughout the world; and 
Whereas with the death of Katherine Dunham on May 21, 
2006, in New York City, the United States lost a prolific 
and premier artist and humanitarian: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the 
life and accomplishments of Katherine Dunham and recog-
nizes Katherine Dunham’s immeasurable contributions to the 
arts and all of humanity. 
Attest: 
Clerk.