ENGROSSED SENATE
CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION NO. 8	By:	Johnson (Constance), Aldridge, Allen, Anderson, Ballenger, Barrington, Bass, Bingman, Boggs, Branan, Brecheen, Brinkley, Brooks, Brown, Burrage, Coates, Crain, Dahm, David, Ellis, Fields, Ford, Garrison, Griffin, Halligan, Holt, Ivester, Johnson (Rob), Jolley, Justice, Loveless, Marlatt, Mazzei, McAffrey, Newberry, Paddack, Schulz, Sharp, Shaw, Shortey, Shumate, Simpson, Sparks, Standridge, Stanislawski, Sykes, Treat and Wyrick of the Senate

			and

		Pittman and Shelton of the House

A Concurrent Resolution recognizing March 2013 through March 2014 as the Centennial Celebration Year of the life and work of Ralph Waldo Ellison; and directing distribution.

WHEREAS, Ralph Waldo Ellison, an internationally renowned writer and one of the most celebrated figures in American literature, was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on March 1, 1913; and
WHEREAS, Ralph Waldo Ellison was the author of the 1953 National Book Award-winning novel "Invisible Man"; numerous short stories; essays on jazz, literature, and American culture collected in "Shadow and Act" and "Going to the Territory"; and his posthumous novels "Juneteenth" and "Three Days Before the Shooting"; and
WHEREAS, Ralph Waldo Ellison, also an accomplished sculptor, musician, photographer and college professor, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969, and the National Medal of Arts in 1985.  His hometown honored him in 1975 with the dedication of the Ralph Ellison Library in Oklahoma City; and
WHEREAS, the Ralph Ellison Centennial Committee is working to honor the memory and legacy of this famed literary treasure's life March 2013 through March 2014 via a series of public events throughout Oklahoma City and the State of Oklahoma, and the establishment of a variety of Ralph Ellison memorials and archives that will live on beyond the centennial celebration; and
WHEREAS, community partners will work collaboratively and individually to organize public events in a variety of venues to celebrate Ralph Ellison and his influence in raising awareness of the contributions of African Americans to America's national identity, and the idea that embracing one's culture is the way to personal freedom.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 54TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN:
THAT the Oklahoma Legislature recognizes March 2013 through March 2014 as the Centennial Celebration Year of the life and work of Ralph Waldo Ellison.
THAT a copy of this resolution be distributed to the Ralph Ellison Library in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Adopted by the Senate the 28th day of February, 2013.

	
	Presiding Officer of the Senate

Adopted by the House of Representatives the ____ day of _______, 2013.

	
	Presiding Officer of the House
	of Representatives