S.Res. 779

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 779 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 779

Recognizing the contributions of Black people to the musical heritage 
of the United States and the need for greater access to music education 
for Black students and designating June 2026 as ``Black Music Month''.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 18, 2026

Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Van Hollen, and Ms. Klobuchar) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the contributions of Black people to the musical heritage 
of the United States and the need for greater access to music education 
for Black students and designating June 2026 as ``Black Music Month''.

Whereas spirituals, ragtime, blues, jazz, gospel, classical composition, and 
countless other categories of music have been created or enhanced by 
Black people and are etched into the history and culture of the United 
States;
Whereas the first Africans transported to the United States came from a variety 
of ethnic groups with a long history of distinct and cultivated musical 
traditions, brought musical instruments with them, and built new musical 
instruments in the United States;
Whereas spirituals were a distinct response to the conditions of slavery in the 
United States and expressed the longing of the enslaved for spiritual 
and bodily freedom, for safety from harm and evil, and for relief from 
the hardships of slavery;
Whereas jazz, arguably the most creative and complex music that the United 
States has produced, combines the musical traditions of Black people in 
New Orleans with the creative flexibility of blues music;
Whereas masterful trumpeters Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis achieved national 
and international recognition with the success of ``West End Blues'' by 
Louis Armstrong in the 1920s and ``So What'' by Miles Davis in the late 
1950s;
Whereas Thomas Dorsey, the ``Father of Gospel Music'', used his composing 
talents to merge sacred and secular styles that created a revolution in 
music;
Whereas talented jazz pianist and vocalist Nat King Cole recorded more than 150 
singles and sold more than 50,000,000 records;
Whereas the talent of Ella Fitzgerald, a winner of 13 Grammy Awards, is 
epitomized by a rendition of ``Summertime'', a bluesy record accompanied 
by melodic vocals;
Whereas Natalie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole, achieved musical success in 
the mid-1970s as a rhythm and blues artist with the hits ``This Will 
Be'' and ``Unforgettable'';
Whereas, in the 1940s, bebop evolved through jam sessions, which included 
trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, held at 
clubs in Harlem, New York, such as Minton's Playhouse;
Whereas earlier classical singers such as Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, one of 
the first widely known Black vocalists, and other early Black singing 
pioneers, including Nellie Mitchell Brown, Marie Selika Williams, Rachel 
Walker Turner, Marian Anderson, and Flora Batson Bergen, paved the way 
for the female Black concert singers who have achieved great popularity 
during the last 50 years;
Whereas the term ``rhythm and blues'' originated in the late 1940s as a way to 
describe recordings marketed to Black people and replaced the term 
``race music'';
Whereas lyrical themes in rhythm and blues often encapsulate the Black 
experience of pain, the quest for freedom, joy, triumphs and failures, 
relationships, economics, and aspiration and were popularized by artists 
such as Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Etta James, and Otis Redding;
Whereas the musical virtuoso Reverend Richard Smallwood, a composer and arranger 
of classical gospel music, continues to inspire audiences and performers 
worldwide;
Whereas soul music originated in the Black community in the late 1950s and early 
1960s, combines elements of Black gospel music, rhythm and blues, and 
jazz, and was popularized by artists such as Aretha Franklin, James 
Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Bill Withers, and Jackie Wilson;
Whereas Motown, founded as a record label in 1959, evolved into a distinctive 
style known for the ``Motown Sound'', a blend of pop and soul musical 
stylings made popular by prominent Black artists such as Marvin Gaye, 
James Mason, and Mary Wells;
Whereas go-go, developed by Black musicians in the mid-1960s and combining funk, 
soul, and Latin music, was popularized by artists such as Chuck Brown 
and Rare Essence, and is the ``official music of Washington, DC'';
Whereas Harry Belafonte, a singer, actor, activist, and a supporter and 
confidant of Martin Luther King, Jr., throughout the civil rights 
movement, influenced by his Caribbean roots, popularized calypso music 
in the United States;
Whereas, in the early 1970s, the musical style of disco emerged and was 
popularized by programs such as Soul Train and by artists such as Donna 
Summer;
Whereas reggae is a genre of music that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s 
and incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, 
mento, calypso, and African music, and was popularized by artists such 
as Bob Marley;
Whereas rock and roll was developed from Black musical styles such as gospel and 
rhythm and blues and was popularized by artists such as Chuck Berry, Bo 
Diddley, Little Richard, and Jimi Hendrix;
Whereas rap, arguably the most complex and influential form of hip-hop culture, 
combines blues, jazz, and soul and elements of the Black musical 
tradition with Caribbean calypso, dub, and dance hall reggae;
Whereas the development and popularity of old-style rap combined confident beats 
with wordplay and storytelling, highlighting the struggle of Black youth 
growing up in underresourced neighborhoods;
Whereas Dayton, Ohio, known as the ``Land of Funk'', helped give rise to the 
genre of funk as a mixture of soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues and 
popularized bands such as the Ohio Players, Heatwave, Roger and Zapp, 
and Lakeside;
Whereas contemporary rhythm and blues, which originated in the late 1970s and 
combines elements of pop, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, hip hop, gospel, 
and electronic dance music, was popularized by artists such as Whitney 
Houston and Aaliyah;
Whereas Prince Rogers Nelson, a Minnesota native, was a one-of-a-kind artist who 
made ``Purple Rain'' a household name, First Avenue a landmark, and 
brought international fame to Minnesota's music scene;
Whereas the incredible Billie Holiday created a cultural reset by recording 
``Strange Fruit'', originally a poem that depicted lynching in the 
Southern United States, which became the first protest song of the civil 
rights era;
Whereas the talented jazz artist Duke Ellington pushed boundaries with his hits 
``It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing'' and ``Sophisticated 
Lady'' and received 13 Grammy Awards and the Presidential Gold Medal;
Whereas Sister Rosetta Tharpe, known as the ``Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll'', 
combined her distinctive guitar style with melodic blues and traditional 
gospel music that influenced the likes of Aretha Franklin and Chuck 
Berry;
Whereas Tina Turner, known as the ``Queen of Rock 'n' Roll'', stunned audiences 
with her powerful vocals, was the first woman or Black musician to be 
featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, and received 12 Grammy Awards 
during her lifetime;
Whereas trailblazer Florence Price was the first noted Black female composer to 
gain national status and the first Black woman to have her composed work 
performed by a major national symphony orchestra;
Whereas the classical singer Marian Anderson broke down racial barriers by 
performing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 after being denied the 
opportunity to sing in front of an integrated audience at the Daughters 
of the American Revolution Constitution Hall in Washington, DC;
Whereas country music singer Charley Pride was inducted into the Country Music 
Hall of Fame in 2000 and has had more than 40 hits reach number 1 on the 
country charts;
Whereas Nina Simone, one of the most prominent and extraordinary soul singers, 
has music spanning more than 4 decades that impacted generations with 
detailed storytelling;
Whereas musician Bobby McFerrin brought joy to audiences everywhere with his 
smash hit ``Don't Worry Be Happy'';
Whereas famous saxophone player John Coltrane made his impact on genres like 
bebop, jazz, and rhythm and blues through his work such as ``A Love 
Supreme'';
Whereas David Jolicoeur, also known as Trugoy the Dove, was a founding member of 
hip-hop groups De La Soul and Native Tongues and used his passion for 
rap music to spread positive messages within his community;
Whereas musical force Marvin Gaye used his versatility as an artist to produce 
hits like ``I Heard It Through the Grapevine'' and ``Ain't No Mountain 
High Enough'';
Whereas Sylvia Robinson, a New Jersey native, was an American singer, record 
producer, and founder of Sugar Hill Records and is widely credited with 
launching the hip-hop genre internationally;
Whereas New Jersey resident Q-Tip, also known as Kamaal Fareed, along with his 
fellow members of A Tribe Called Quest--Phife Dawg, Jarobi White, and 
Ali Shaheed Muhammad--helped define uplifting and conscious hip-hop;
Whereas East Orange, New Jersey, native Whitney Houston, one of the most 
recognizable voices in music, sold more than 220,000,000 records 
worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time, and 
holds the Guinness World Record as the most awarded female artist with 
more than 400 career awards.
Whereas Camden, New Jersey, native Leon Huff and his longtime partner Kenny 
Gamble are Grammy-winning songwriters and producers, who founded 
Philadelphia International Records and produced more than 170 gold and 
platinum records for artists such as Billy Paul, Lou Rawls, The O'Jays, 
Patti LaBelle, and Phyllis Hyman;
Whereas Black Music Month was established 47 years ago by songwriter and 
producer Kenny Gamble, broadcaster Dyana Williams, and radio executive 
Ed Wright under the auspices of the Black Music Association;
Whereas the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee, 
serves as the official home of Black Music Month and is dedicated to 
preserving and celebrating the central role of Black music in American 
culture;
Whereas a recent study by the National Arts Education Data Project found that 49 
percent of all students attending schools with a predominately African-
American student population do not participate in school music programs;
Whereas Black students scored the lowest of all ethnicities in the most recent 
National Assessment for Educational Progress arts assessment;
Whereas Black students often receive a music education that does not reflect 
their own culture;
Whereas students who are eligible for the school lunch program established under 
the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et 
seq.) have significantly lower scores on the music portion of the 
National Assessment for Educational Progress arts assessment than 
students who are ineligible for that program, which suggests that 
students in low-income families are disadvantaged in the subject of 
music;
Whereas a study found that--

(1) nearly \2/3\ of music ensemble students were White and middle 
class, and only 15 percent of those students were Black; and

(2) only 7 percent of music teacher licensure candidates were Black; 
and

Whereas students of color face many barriers to accessing music education and 
training, especially in large urban public schools: Now, therefore, be 
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes--
(A) the contributions of Black people to the 
musical heritage of the United States;
(B) the wide array of talented and popular Black 
musical artists, composers, songwriters, and musicians 
who are underrecognized for contributions to music;
(C) the achievements, talent, and hard work of 
Black pioneer artists and the obstacles that those 
artists overcame to gain recognition;
(D) the need for Black students to have greater 
access to, and participation in, culturally relevant 
music programs in schools across the United States; and
(E) Black History Month and Black Music Month as an 
important time--
(i) to celebrate the impact of the Black 
musical heritage on the musical heritage of the 
United States; and
(ii) to encourage greater access to music 
education so that the next generation may 
continue to greatly contribute to the musical 
heritage of the United States; and
(2) designates June 2026 as ``Black Music Month''.
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