Bill Text: NY J02624 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2024, as Black Music Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-06-04 - ADOPTED [J02624 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J02624-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 2624

BY: Senator BAILEY

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        June 2024, as Black Music Month in the State of  New
        York

  WHEREAS,  It  is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those who seek to  preserve  and  celebrate  the  musical
heritage of our State and Nation; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
memorialize  Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2024, as Black Music
Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with  the  observance  of
National African American Music Appreciation Month; and

  WHEREAS,  African  American  Music  Appreciation  Month is an annual
celebration of African American music in the United States, commemorated
with special performances and  multi-day  festivals  in  musical  genres
ranging  from  soul  to jazz to gospel to hip-hop throughout the nation;
and

  WHEREAS, Observation of Black Music Month was initiated on  June  7,
1979,  by  President  Jimmy  Carter,  who decreed that June would be the
month of Black music; since then, American presidents have continued the
practice and, for each year of his term, former President  Barack  Obama
announced  the  observance  under  a  new  title, African American Music
Appreciation Month; and

  WHEREAS, America's diverse musical heritage is a reflection  of  the
creativity  and  optimism  of  our  Nation; during Black Music Month, we
celebrate the breathtaking talents and  creativity  of  African-American
vocalists,  instrumentalists,  and  composers  whose  achievements  have
shaped our national culture and enriched our communities; and

  WHEREAS, For the  entire  span  of  our  Nation's  history,  African
Americans  have created music that communicates across racial and social
boundaries, giving voice to the full range of human experience; and

  WHEREAS, During  African  Americans'  involuntary  servitude,  music
often served as a means of expressing the inexpressible; when facing the
cruelty of slavery and injustice, spirituals brought a sense of comfort;
and

  WHEREAS,  These timeless declarations of hope and faith evolved into
the more modern genres of gospel, blues, ragtime, and jazz, expressed in
the musical genius of Scott Joplin, Marian Anderson,  Eubie  Blake,  and
Mahalia Jackson; during the Civil Rights era, African American musicians
such  as  Duke  Ellington,  Muddy  Waters,  and  Ruth Brown conveyed the
struggles of their communities while bringing people of all  backgrounds
together;  today, this music continues to inspire America's citizens and
advance its creative spirit; and

  WHEREAS, Throughout the course of American history, Black  musicians
have  used  their  great  talents  to  share the richness of the African

American experience and to develop a uniquely American  style  of  music
enjoyed  throughout  the  world;  in June 2024, we honor the pioneers of
African American music along with today's  artists  who  continue  their
legacy; and

  WHEREAS,  From  Ella  Fitzgerald  making  history as the first Black
woman to win a Grammy in 1958, to "Fight For  You,"  the  Academy  Award
winning best original song in the movie "Judas and The Black Messiah" in
2021,  the historic success of Black artists continues to leave its mark
in communities, and we are reminded every day that Black  Lives  Matter;
and

  WHEREAS,  A  local  component,  the Harlem Renaissance, was the name
given to the cultural, social, and artistic movement that took place  in
Harlem  between  the  end  of  World  War I and the middle of the 1930s;
during this period, Harlem was a cultural center, drawing Black writers,
artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars; and

  WHEREAS, The Bronx is home to hip-hop,  a  cultural  movement  which
formed  during  the  late 1960s among African American youth residing in
the South Bronx in New York City; hip-hop  legends  who  hail  from  the
Bronx include KOOL DJ Herc, Grandmaster Melle Mel, and Kurtis Blow; and

  WHEREAS,  Queens, and in particular the neighborhoods of St. Albans,
Addisleigh Park and Jamaica, were the  traditional  home  to  an  entire
spectrum  of  musical  pioneers and legends, including Count Basie, Lena
Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Illinois  Jacquet,  James  Brown,  Milt  Hinton,
Cootie Williams, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Nasir Jones, and Russell
Simmons, among so many others; and

  WHEREAS,  Events  which  provide a means of preserving a part of our
rich American past and which contribute to the community in  such  noble
endeavors  as  aforementioned,  are  held  in the highest regard by this
Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize  Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2024, as Black Music
Month in the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That a copy of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.