Senators Booker, Harris, Rep. Meeks Introduce Resolution Honoring Contributions of African Americans to America's Musical Heritage

Statement

Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), along with Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY-05), introduced a resolution designating June as African American Music Appreciation Month, to recognize the contributions of African Americans to America's music heritage and to raise awareness of the need for greater access to music education for African American students.

Also sponsoring the resolution in the Senate are Senators Tom Carper (D-DE), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Doug Jones (D-AL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Chris Coons (D-DE).

According to the National Assessment for Educational Progress Arts Assessment, African American students scored the lowest of all ethnicities. Another study found that only 15 percent of all students in music ensembles and only 7 percent of all licensed music teachers were black. A recent Department of Education study found that only 28 percent of African American students receive any kind of arts education.

An excerpt of the resolution follows:

"The Senate recognizes the contributions of African Americans to the musical heritage of the United States; the wide array of talented and popular African-American musical artists, composers, song- writers, and musicians who are underrecognized for contributions to music; the achievements, talent, and hard work of African-American pioneer artists, and the obstacles that those artists overcame to gain recognition; the need for African-American students to have greater access to and participation in music education in schools across the United States; and Black History Month and African-American Music Appreciation Month as an important time to celebrate the impact of the African- American musical heritage on the musical heritage of the United States; and to encourage greater access to music education so that the next generation may continue to greatly contribute to the musical heritage of the United States,"

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