Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AJR96 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	LRB-4909/1
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3	3	2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
4	4	2023 ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTIO N 96
5	5	November 27, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives MYERS, ARMSTRONG, CONLEY,
6	6	DRAKE, ORTIZ-VELEZ, STUBBS, ANDRACA and SINICKI, cosponsored by Senator
7	7	TAYLOR. Referred to Committee on Rules.
8	8	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
9	9	Relating to: proclaiming November 2023 as Black Catholic History Month.
10	10	Whereas, in 1990, the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United
11	11	States designated November as Black Catholic History Month to recognize and
12	12	foster respect for the lives and contributions of Catholics of African descent; and
13	13	Whereas, All Saints' Day, observed on November 1, invites people to remember
14	14	venerable saints of African descent such as St. Martin de Porres, St. Benedict the
15	15	Moor, and St. Augustine; and
16	16	Whereas, All Souls' Day, observed on November 2, invites people to remember
17	17	the estimated two million enslaved Africans who lost their lives due to inhumane
18	18	treatment during the Middle Passage crossing of the Atlantic Ocean; and
19	19	Whereas, Catholics of African descent have lived in the Americas for as long as
20	20	Catholics have lived in the Americas, with Congolese Catholics being among the first
21	21	enslaved peoples brought to the British colonies; and
22	22	Whereas, there are now an estimated three million Black Catholics living in the
23	23	United States; and
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42	42	Whereas, after centuries of struggling for recognition within their own church,
43	43	Black American Catholics formed several new Black Catholic organizations,
44	44	including the Knights of Peter Claver, the National Black Sisters' Conference, the
45	45	National Black Catholic Seminarians Association, and the National Association of
46	46	Black Catholic Deacons. In 1968, the Black Catholic Clergy Caucus was created to
47	47	protest white supremacy; and
48	48	Whereas, through the Black Catholic Movement, as this collective action
49	49	became known, Black American Catholics were not only able to establish their own
50	50	leadership and cultural identity within the faith, but also to push religious
51	51	communities to begin reckoning with its history of racism; and
52	52	Whereas, that work continues, with the United States Conference of Catholic
53	53	Bishops recently issuing a pastoral letter calling for church members to acknowledge
54	54	“the scourge of racism” and work to stop the racial inequality established by slavery
55	55	and perpetuated for generations against African Americans by wage theft, Jim Crow
56	56	laws, and the systemic denial of access to wealth-building opportunities, such as
57	57	securing home loans; and
58	58	Whereas, although there are currently no Black American saints, there are six
59	59	widely revered Black American Catholics who are advancing toward sainthood as a
60	60	result of their remarkable kindness, generosity, and devoted faith: Venerable Pierre
61	61	Toussaint, Venerable Mary Elizabeth Lange, Venerable Henriette Delille, Venerable
62	62	Augustus Tolton, Julia Greeley, and Sr. Thea Bowman; and
63	63	Whereas, Milwaukee resident Dr. Shawnee Daniels-Sykes, who passed away
64	64	on October 31, 2022, promoted ethics, social justice, and human rights through
65	65	intellectual, theological, and moral discussions and research rooted in her expertise
66	66	as the only Black Catholic female theological bioethicist in the nation; and
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95	95	Whereas, the role of Black Catholics in the United States continues to evolve
96	96	and their positive contributions to the church and the culture at large are
97	97	undeniable; now, therefore, be it
98	98	Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin
99	99	Legislature recognizes November 2023 as Black Catholic History Month.
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