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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Black History Month is being celebrated in February |
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| 6 | 7 | | 2017 in recognition of the rich cultural heritage and significant |
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| 7 | 8 | | achievements of African Americans; and |
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| 8 | 9 | | WHEREAS, In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford expanded and |
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| 9 | 10 | | formalized the half-century-old celebration of Black History Week, |
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| 10 | 11 | | urging citizens to use the entire month of February as an |
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| 11 | 12 | | opportunity "to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of |
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| 12 | 13 | | black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history"; |
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| 13 | 14 | | and |
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| 14 | 15 | | WHEREAS, The country has continued to work toward gaining |
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| 15 | 16 | | greater understanding of the enormity of African American |
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| 16 | 17 | | contributions in all realms; in September 2016, Barack Obama, the |
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| 17 | 18 | | first African American president of the United States, helped to |
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| 18 | 19 | | inaugurate the National Museum of African American History and |
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| 19 | 20 | | Culture, noting the centrality of the African American experience |
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| 20 | 21 | | to the American story; at the opening ceremony, former president |
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| 21 | 22 | | George W. Bush, who signed the 2003 bill authorizing construction |
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| 22 | 23 | | of the building, affirmed the study of African American history as a |
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| 23 | 24 | | demonstration of our commitment to a fuller, more comprehensive |
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| 24 | 25 | | telling of the nation's story; and |
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| 25 | 26 | | WHEREAS, The public has flocked to the museum in |
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| 26 | 27 | | extraordinary numbers, and this year, a wide range of federal |
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| 27 | 28 | | institutions are offering special Black History Month programming |
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| 28 | 29 | | as well, among them the Library of Congress, the National Archives |
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| 29 | 30 | | and Records Administration, the National Gallery of Art, and the |
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| 30 | 31 | | National Park Service; events and institutions across Texas and |
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| 31 | 32 | | around the country are also paying tribute to cultural icons and |
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| 32 | 33 | | giants of the struggle for freedom; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, While the journey of African Americans toward |
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| 34 | 35 | | freedom, equality, and justice has been long and difficult, the |
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| 35 | 36 | | trajectory of that path continues to inspire hope of a more |
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| 36 | 37 | | inclusive and ever-brighter future; now, therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 38 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 38 | 39 | | Legislature hereby recognize February 2017 as Black History Month |
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| 39 | 40 | | and encourage all Texans to take advantage of opportunities for |
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| 40 | 41 | | learning, reflection, and celebration. |
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