•HRES 699 IH 
Whereas the community of Americans of African immigrant 
heritage in the United States is an inherently diverse 
population hailing from every African country where up 
to 2,000 languages are spoken on the continent; 
Whereas Americans of African immigrant heritage in the 
United States come from all regions in Africa and do not 
constitute a homogeneous group, including people from 
different national, linguistic, ethnic, racial, cultural, and 
social backgrounds; 
Whereas African immigrants have made significant contribu-
tions to American culture such as having high edu-
cational and income levels, as well as contributing to 
many areas of American life such as the military, health 
care, arts, education, community service, and public pol-
icy; 
Whereas raising awareness about African immigrant heritage 
is crucial to effectively fighting disparities within the 
greater Black population in the American narrative and 
is essential to building a stronger community and a 
stronger America; 
Whereas during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a signifi-
cant number of enslaved people from the Africa region 
were brought to the United States; 
Whereas African immigrants from Cape Verde first came to 
the United States in the 1790s; 
Whereas, in 1820, free and formerly enslaved African Ameri-
cans began to resettle in Liberia, creating an enduring 
relationship between the two countries; 
Whereas, in the 1960s to 1970s, due to the more racially in-
clusive provisions of the Immigration and Nationality 
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•HRES 699 IH 
Act, more African immigrants from across the continent 
came to the United States primarily as students; 
Whereas, in the 1980s and 1990s, Africans in the United 
States were primarily refugees, who were fleeing hard-
ships from countries such as Ethiopia, Liberia, Sierra 
Leone, Somalia, and Sudan; 
Whereas, in the 2000s, Africans in the United States were 
the largest beneficiaries of the highly popular Depart-
ment of State program known as the Diversity Visa Lot-
tery program; 
Whereas restrictive immigration policies in the late 2010s 
and early 2020s, such as the Muslim and Africa bans, 
suspension of the Diversity Visa program, and changes to 
the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, had a negative 
impact on African immigration to the United States; 
Whereas much like the United States, the countries in Africa 
faced obstacles of in-country slavery and colonialism and 
struggled for independence; 
Whereas the independence movements in many countries in 
Africa during the 1960s and the consequential establish-
ment of independent democratic countries in Africa 
strengthened ties between the region and the United 
States; 
Whereas the 44th President of the United States, Barack 
Hussein Obama, is of Kenyan descent; 
Whereas the countries in Africa are important economic part-
ners of the United States; 
Whereas the people of Africa share the hopes and aspirations 
of the people of the United States for peace and pros-
perity throughout the world, but there remains much to 
be done to ensure that Americans of African immigrant 
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•HRES 699 IH 
heritage have access to resources and a voice in the 
United States Government and continue to advance in 
the political, social, and economic landscape of the United 
States; and 
Whereas celebrating ‘‘National African Immigrant Heritage 
Month’’ in September would provide the people of the 
United States with an opportunity to recognize the 
achievements, contributions, and history of and to appre-
ciate the challenges faced by Americans of African immi-
grant heritage: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) a ‘‘National African Immigrant Heritage 
Month’’ should be established to celebrate the sig-
nificant contributions of Americans of African immi-
grant heritage to the history of the United States; 
and 
(2) the people of the United States should ob-
serve the month with appropriate ceremonies, cele-
brations, and activities to recognize that Americans 
of African immigrant heritage enhance the rich di-
versity of and strengthen the United States. 
Æ 
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