2025 -- H 5149
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LC000890
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
CELEBRATING FUNDA FEST 27 AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE RI BLACK
STORYTELLERS (RIBS) FROM JANUARY 17TH-26TH, 2025
Introduced By: Representatives Morales, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Biah,
Abney, Giraldo, Cruz, Stewart, and Solomon
Date Introduced: January 23, 2025
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, RI Black Storytellers (RIBS) was founded in 1998, and is a nonprofit 1
organization whose mission is to promote “the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black 2
Storytelling in Rhode Island through performance, as well as through educational and cultural 3
experiences”; and 4
WHEREAS, Funda Fest is “the flagship of RIBS programming”, and over the years, has 5
reached over 120,000 people with international, national, regional, and local artists at various 6
career stages, representing the diversity of Black storytelling; and 7
WHEREAS, Funda is a South African Zulu word meaning “to learn” or “to teach”. Funda 8
Fest is a two-week celebration which includes seven statewide public performances in partnership 9
with local organizations in each city or town, and annually reaches a statewide audience of 10
thousands; and 11
WHEREAS, This year heralds the 27
th
celebration of Funda Fest, and provides a platform 12
for Black people to shape the narrative of their own history and promote awareness, appreciation, 13
and application of Black storytelling through an educational and cultural experience, with a place 14
and time to learn the history, values, and traditions that have often been non-existent in 15
mainstream literature; now, therefore be it 16
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 17
joins the thousands of Rhode Islanders in celebrating and supporting Funda Fest 27 from January 18
17
th
through the 26
th
, 2025. We moreover urge all Rhode Islanders to take this time to listen, 19
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experience, and learn generational Black history, values and traditions through the power of 1
storytelling from the “keepers of the culture”; and be it further 2
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 3
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS). 4
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LC000890
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