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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-58
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 2, 2015
To recognize the importance of DC Black Pride to the community and to welcome visitors from this region, across the country, and around the world to the festival and associated events.
WHEREAS, May 22, 2015 through May 25, 2015, marks the 25th Annual DC Black Pride Celebration;
WHEREAS, DC Black Pride is the oldest and one of the largest Black Pride events in the world, drawing thousands of visitors from around the globe;
WHEREAS, the mission of DC Black Pride has always been to increase awareness of and pride in the diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning in the African American community as well as support organizations that focus on health disparities, education, youth, and families;
WHEREAS, DC Black Pride is led by Earl D. Fowlkes, Jr. and Kenya Hutton and a volunteer Advisory Board that coordinates this annual event and consists of: Andrea Woody-Macko; Genise Chambers; Re’ginald Shaw-Richardson, Joseph F. Young; Cedric Harmon; Jeffrey Richardson, Angela Peoples, Thomas King , C. Hawkins and Sonya Hemphill;
WHEREAS, as the very first Black Pride festival, DC Black Pride fostered the beginning of the Center for Black Equity (formerly known as the International Federation of Black Prides, Inc. (IFBP)) and the “Black Pride Movement,” which now consists of 40 Black Prides on 4 continents;
WHEREAS, DC Black Pride is a program of the Center For Black Equity;
WHEREAS, DC Black Pride 2015 is a multi-day festival featuring: an Opening Reception; community town hall meetings; educational workshops; a poetry slam; a film festival; an interfaith service; performances by musicians, dancers, and other artists; and the Health and Wellness Expo, the culminating event of DC Black Pride;
WHEREAS, DC Black Pride is widely considered to be one of the world’s preeminent Black Pride celebrations, drawing more than 30,000 people to the Nation's Capital from across the United States as well as Canada, the Caribbean, South Africa, Great Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands; and
WHEREAS, the theme for this year’s celebrations is: “DC Black Pride 2015: “25! Inspiring a Movement, The Mission Continues”.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia hereby honors the hard work of all those involved in organizing the 25th Annual DC Black Pride Celebration, and welcomes visitors from this region and across the country and the world to the 2015 DC Black Pride Festival and associated events.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “DC Black Pride Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
