Assembly Resolution No. 1522

BY: M. of A. Gallagher

COMMEMORATING the 207th Anniversary of Walt
Whitman's Birthday on May 31, 2026

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor and pay
tribute to those American authors whose commitment and creative talents
have contributed to the entertainment and cultural enrichment of their
community and the entire State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long- standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 207th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's Birthday on Sunday,
May 31, 2026; and

WHEREAS, Walt Whitman, an American poet, essayist, and journalist,
was born to Louisa (Van Velsor) and Walter Whitman on May 31, 1819, in
West Hills, Town of Huntington, Long Island; and

WHEREAS, To honor Walt Whitman, a reading of his poem "Song of
Myself" will be held near the Robert Burns statue in Washington Park,
Albany, New York on Sunday, May 31, 2026; and

WHEREAS, Walt Whitman lived at the Vinegar Hill house on 99 Reyerson
Street near the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, where he penned American classics
such as Leaves of Grass, a collection of poetry which he would continue
editing and revising until his death; one of its most famous poems,
"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," describes the ferry trip across the East
River from Manhattan to Brooklyn at the exact location that was to
become the Brooklyn Bridge; and

WHEREAS, Today, 176 years after Walt Whitman began writing Leaves of
Grass, many citizens of New York and this Nation still ponder the
meanings of his great works; and

WHEREAS, May 31, 2026, is an opportunity for all New Yorkers and
Americans to reflect upon the legacy of one of the most influential
poets in the American Canon, the Father of Free Verse, Walt Whitman;
now, there- fore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 207th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's Birthday on Sunday,
May 31, 2026.