PRINTER'S NO. 1634
No. 166 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY J. WILLIAMS, ARMSTRONG, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI,
BELFANTI, CALTAGIRONE, L. I. COHEN, COLEMAN, COSTA,
CREIGHTON, CURRY, DALEY, DeWEESE, D. EVANS, FRANKEL, GEIST,
GEORGE, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HORSEY,
HUTCHINSON, JOSEPHS, KELLER, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, LESCOVITZ,
LEVDANSKY, MANDERINO, MANN, McILHATTAN, MYERS, PETRARCA,
PISTELLA, READSHAW, ROBERTS, ROBINSON, ROEBUCK, ROSS, RUBLEY,
SHANER, STABACK, STURLA, SURRA, THOMAS, TIGUE, TRELLO, VEON,
WALKO, WATERS, C. WILLIAMS AND WOJNAROSKI, APRIL 24, 2001
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 24, 2001
A RESOLUTION
1 Commemorating the life of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois and
2 his contributions to American history; and observing February
3 23, 2001, as "W.E.B. Du Bois Day" in Pennsylvania.
4 WHEREAS, William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois was born
5 on February 23, 1868, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and
6 died on August 27, 1963, in Accra, Ghana; and
7 WHEREAS, W.E.B. Du Bois was an African-American historian and
8 sociologist who conducted the initial research on the black
9 experience in the United States; and
10 WHEREAS, W.E.B. Du Bois was the first African American to
11 obtain a doctorate from Harvard University; and
12 WHEREAS, W.E.B. Du Bois was the author of 20 books, including
13 "Africa--Its Place in Modern History," "Black Reconstruction in
14 the South" and "The Souls of Black Folk," a powerful collection
1 of essays describing some of the key themes of the black
2 experience; and
3 WHEREAS, W.E.B. Bu Bois' "The Philadelphia Negro," which
4 encompasses an exhaustive study of the social and economic
5 conditions of urban African Americans in Philadelphia in 1896
6 and 1897, was the first sociological text on an African-American
7 community published in the United States; and
8 WHEREAS, W.E.B. Du Bois was a cofounder of the National
9 Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and
10 WHEREAS, W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the organizers of the Pan-
11 African congresses that nurtured worldwide unity among people of
12 African descent; and
13 WHEREAS, W.E.B. Du Bois was the chairman of the Peace
14 Information Center, a post-World War II group whose stated
15 objective was to gather signatures in the United States for a
16 global petition to ban the use of nuclear weapons; and
17 WHEREAS, The work of W.E.B. Du Bois paved the way for the
18 civil rights movement in the United States; therefore be it
19 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commemorate the
20 life and achievements of W.E.B. Du Bois and his contributions to
21 the American experience in the 20th century; and be it further
22 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge all public
23 and private educational institutions in this Commonwealth, the
24 State Library, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
25 and the Department of Education to promote the study of Dr. Du
26 Bois' life and contributions to American society; and be it
27 further
28 RESOLVED, That February 23, 2001, be observed as "W.E.B. Du
29 Bois Day" in Pennsylvania.
B9L82JAM/20010H0166R1634 - 2 -