IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 371 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should 
be established a ‘‘National African Immigrant Heritage Month’’ in Sep-
tember to celebrate the great contributions of Americans of African 
immigrant heritage in the United States who have enriched the history 
of the Nation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2015 
Ms. CLARKE of New York (for herself, Ms. MENG, Ms. LEE, Mr. SERRANO, 
Mr. PAYNE, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. NORTON, 
Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. LEWIS, 
and Mr. RANGEL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
there should be established a ‘‘National African Immi-
grant Heritage Month’’ in September to celebrate the 
great contributions of Americans of African immigrant 
heritage in the United States who have enriched the 
history of the Nation. 
Whereas people of recent African immigrant heritage are 
found in every State of the Union; 
Whereas the history of Americans of African immigrant her-
itage in the United States is inextricably tied to the story 
of the Nation; 
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•HRES 371 IH 
Whereas the community of Americans of African immigrant 
heritage in the United States is an inherently diverse 
population comprised of more than 45 distinct ethnicities 
and more than 500 language dialects; 
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 Americans of African immigrant heritage in the 
United States came to the United States voluntarily, and 
are distinct from African-Americans, the latter of whom 
are descendants of mostly West and Central Africans who 
were involuntarily brought to the United States by means 
of the historic Atlantic slave trade; 
Whereas the month of September has been celebrated by the 
Africans and allies of Montgomery County, Maryland, 
since 2008, month-long proclamations have been issued 
by more than 20 Governors since 2011 and the White 
House acknowledged the month in 2012 and hosted a full 
day White House Briefing in 2013 because ‘‘African 
Union Day’’ is on September 9; 
Whereas recent African immigrants have made significant 
contributions to American culture such as having high 
educational 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 
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•HRES 371 IH 
is essential to building a stronger community and a 
stronger America; 
Whereas during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a signifi-
cant number of slaves 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 the Cape Verdean immigrants arrived aboard New 
England whaling ships, which would often pick up crew-
men off the coast of Cape Verde in Africa and their de-
scendants include the legendary Lena Horne and sailors 
who fought in the Union Navy; 
Whereas in 1922, the United States Government restricted 
the immigration of peoples of color, greatly reducing 
Cape Verdean immigration; 
Whereas the new regulations also prevented Cape Verdean 
Americans from visiting Africa for fear of being denied 
reentry into the United States; 
Whereas in the 1960s to 1970s, due to the more racially in-
clusive regulations of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act of 1965, more African immigrants from across the 
continent came to the United States primarily as stu-
dents; 
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 
largely beneficiaries of the highly popular Department of 
State program known as the Diversity Visa Lottery Pro-
gram; 
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•HRES 371 IH 
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 recent African immi-
grant 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 recent African 
immigrant 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-
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•HRES 371 IH 
nificant contributions of Americans of recent African 
immigrant 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 recent African immigrant heritage enhance the 
rich diversity of and strengthen the United States. 
Æ 
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