Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Passage Of His Resolution Honoring The 50th Anniversary Of Hip Hop
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor following passage of the Schumer-Cassidy resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:
First, I’m happy to talk about the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, a great artistic creation in America and we have a resolution celebrating that 50th anniversary.
I am proud that my resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop has just passed the Senate. The resolution again designates August 11 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day,” the month of August as “Hip Hop Recognition Month,” and the month of November as “Hip Hop History Month.”
I’d like to thank Senator Cassidy, as well as Congressman Bowman in the House, for their work on this resolution. And I also want to thank my dear friend LeRoy McCarthy, the historian of Hip Hop, who proposed to me the idea of honoring Hip Hop. He deserves credit today, as do all my colleagues who made this happen.
Hip Hop was born in my hometown of New York – at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. Years ago, I worked with DJ Kool Herc, KRS-One, and the residents of 1520 to save the birthplace of Hip Hop, when the owner wanted to sell the building to another developer and remove its affordable housing units to make a profit. They were going to destroy the rec room where Hip Hop was first created by DJ Kool Herc. We were able to prevent so many people from being displaced, and at the same time, make sure this historic landmark would forever be honored properly.
And over the decades, Hip Hop has transcended language, race, age, both geographic and socioeconomic barriers. Many people can attest to the fact that Hip Hop actually changed their lives for the better, gave them purpose and meaning. I know many of them myself, many of whom are New York City and Bronx residents. So, Hip Hop is great. It’s a uniquely American art form that quickly blossomed into a global movement and we are proud, proud, proud, proud today that this resolution, honoring the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, has passed.
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