By Senators Rolfes, Jayapal, Liias, Nelson, Billig, Cleveland, Darneille, Conway, Chase, Hasegawa, Carlyle, McCoy, Ranker, Hargrove, Keiser, Mullet, Hobbs, Pedersen, Takko, Frockt, McAuliffe, Fraser, Angel, Dammeier, O'Ban, Benton, Roach, and Habib

WHEREAS, February 2016 marks the 90th annual celebration of African American History Month in the United States of America, established by African American historian Carter G. Woodson; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 400 years ago, when the first enslaved Africans were brought to the shores of North America, black people of African descent have been fundamental to the formation of America and interwoven into the fabric of American history; and

WHEREAS, African Americans have and continue to contribute to every segment of the American experience as we know it; and

WHEREAS, On this Monday, February 15, 2016, we speak the names of some of the African Americans who paved the way for each of us today; and

WHEREAS, We speak the names of freedom fighters and civil rights leaders: Harriett Tubman, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Dubois, Dorothy Height, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, A. Phillip Randolph, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Ruby Bridges, and Rep. John Lewis, and those engaged in the struggle for human rights that continues; and

WHEREAS, We speak the names of African American inventors and educators: Alexander Lucius Twilight, Edward Alexander Bouchet, Mary Jane Patterson, Mary McLeod Bethune, Elijah McCoy, Madame C.J. Walker, Alain Leroy Locke, Bessie Blount, Angela Davis, Dr. Cornel West, and Dr. Maxine Mimms; and

WHEREAS, We speak the names of African Americans contributing to the fields of medicine and science: Benjamin Banneker, Daniel Hale Williams, Mary Mahoney, Roger Arliner Young, George Washington Carver, Charles Drew, Marie Daly, Mae Jemison, and Dr. Regina Benjamin; and

WHEREAS, We speak the names of African Americans who shared their gifts in the arts, sports, and entertainment: Edmonia Lewis, Augusta Savage, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, Willie Mays, Muhammad Ali, Serena and Venus Williams, Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price, Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, and Maya Angelou; and

WHEREAS, We honor the accomplishments of the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama, and the legacy that he and his wife, Michelle Obama, will leave for us all; and

WHEREAS, We honor the innumerable African American men, women, and children who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom, and who have built the rich and remarkable history we celebrate today; let us all continue to speak the names, share the history and the history in the making; let us all commit to living lives that honor their legacy;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize and honor the African American citizens of this great country and their innumerable contributions, and support the observance of the month of February as African American history month.