New York K 722: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim June 2025, as Black Music Month in the State of New York

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K00722 Summary:

BILL NOK00722 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORJackson

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSRButtenschon, Santabarbara, Zinerman

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Go to top K00722 Actions:

BILL NOK00722 

&nbsp

06/06/2025referred to calendar

06/09/2025adopted

Go to topK00722 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topK00722 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topK00722 Text:

Assembly Resolution No. 722

BY: M. of A. Jackson

 MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
 June 2025, 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 2025, 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 2025, 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