Bill Text: VA HJR934 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Meg Medina.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-23 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ934ER) [HJR934 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-HJR934-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Richmond-based author Meg Medina received the 2019 John Newbery Medal for her children's book, Merci Suárez Changes Gears; and
WHEREAS, Meg Medina's award-winning book tells the story of an 11-year-old girl balancing the expectations of her peers at an elite private school with those of her large, lively Latino family; and
WHEREAS, as a Cuban-American, Meg Medina uses her own life experiences to craft relatable young adult, middle-grade, and picture books; and
WHEREAS, Meg Medina's childhood love of bicycling was a major influence for Merci Suárez Changes Gears, and she drew upon memories of her own Cuban-American grandmothers when creating the main character's vibrant family; and
WHEREAS, in Merci Suárez Changes Gears, Meg Medina strives to create positive characterizations of Latino families while portraying the immigrant experience in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Meg Medina has received many other awards and accolades, including the 2014 Pura Belpré Award and the 2012 Ezra Jack Keats Medal, for her other works, all of which focus on what it means to be a girl, or a girl in a Latino family; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Meg Medina on winning the John Newbery Medal for children's literature in 2019; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Meg Medina as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her contributions to American literature and her work to inspire young women throughout the Commonwealth and the United States.