Senate Resolution No. 1813

BY: Senator PARKER

COMMENDING the Center for Black Literature at
Medgar Evers College upon the occasion of hosting
its 18th National Black Writers Conference on March
25-28, 2026, and recognizing Kassahun Checole as
recipient of the Margaret T. Burroughs Institution
Building Award

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
celebrate events and institutions that advance literature, scholarship,
and the preservation of Black cultural heritage, thereby enriching the
intellectual and artistic life of our communities and our nation; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College upon the
occasion of hosting its 18th National Black Writers Conference on March
25-28, 2026, at Medgar Evers College, City University of New York; and

WHEREAS, The Center for Black Literature, founded by Dr. Brenda M.
Greene, is the only center in the nation devoted exclusively to
expanding and enriching public knowledge and appreciation of literature
produced by people of the African diaspora, and serves as an essential
forum for discussion, research, and critical analysis while nurturing
generations of writers, scholars, and literary advocates; and

WHEREAS, The National Black Writers Conference, founded in 1986 by
novelist John Oliver Killens at Medgar Evers College, has for nearly
four decades convened thousands of writers, readers, scholars, and
lovers of Black literature from across the United States and around the
world, and has featured such distinguished participants as Maya Angelou,
Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott; and

WHEREAS, The Conference continues its tradition of excellence by
recognizing individuals whose work strengthens literary and cultural
institutions, including Kassahun Checole, President and Publisher of
Africa World Press, Inc. and The Red Sea Press, Inc., who will receive
the Margaret T. Burroughs Institution Building Award; and

WHEREAS, The Margaret T. Burroughs Institution Building Award, named
in honor of the renowned artist, educator, and founder of the DuSable
Museum of African American History, recognizes those whose work sustains
and strengthens the institutions upon which African diasporic culture
and scholarship depend; and

WHEREAS, Kassahun Checole has made extraordinary contributions to
African and African diasporic publishing, having founded Africa World
Press in 1983 and The Red Sea Press in 1985, and publishing thousands of
titles in more than 20 languages, amplifying the voices of African and
diasporic writers; and

WHEREAS, The 18th National Black Writers Conference stands as a
vital and enduring gathering that celebrates the richness, diversity,
and global impact of Black literature, fosters meaningful dialogue among

writers and scholars, and continues to advance the mission of preserving
and promoting the literary traditions of the African diaspora; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College upon the
occasion of hosting its 18th National Black Writers Conference, and to
celebrate its enduring mission of expanding, preserving, and uplifting
the literary traditions of the African diaspora; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body further recognizes Kassahun
Checole upon the occasion of his receipt of the Margaret T. Burroughs
Institution Building Award, and extends its heartfelt congratulations
and deepest appreciation for his enduring contributions to literature
and the amplification of African and diasporic voices; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Center for Black Literature, Medgar Evers College;
and to Kassahun Checole as a token of the esteem and high regard of this
Legislative Body.