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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-106
In the Council of the District of Columbia
September 22, 2015
To declare September 2015 as “African Immigrant Heritage Month” in the District of Columbia and to honor the contributions of District of Columbia residents of African immigrant heritage.
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia is home to approximately 16,000 African-born residents, which is the highest proportion of African-born residents of any major city in the United States;
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia has the unique privilege of hosting the embassies of all 54 countries on the African continent;
WHEREAS, African immigrants contribute greatly to the social fabric of our city in a variety of ways, including through the arts, music, education, and cuisine;
WHEREAS, African immigrant entrepreneurs help to build the vibrancy of our city’s economy from restaurants to grocery stores to salons;
WHEREAS, we celebrate the great diversity of our city, including our diverse immigrant communities;
WHEREAS, District of Columbia laws are responsive to the needs of our immigrant residents, including through the Language Access Act, which recognizes Amharic and French as languages spoken by a large number of residents, largely African immigrants;
WHEREAS, the District of Columbia is host to the 5th Annual National African Immigrant Legislative Week from September 25-30, 2015; and
WHEREAS, African Union day is September 9, and numerous governmental bodies, including the United States Congress, have recognized September as African Immigrant Heritage Month.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia recognizes and honors the contributions of its African immigrant residents, and declares September 2015 as “African Immigrant Heritage Month” in the District of Columbia.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “African Immigrant Heritage Month Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
