THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

54

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

supporting the ralph bunche centenary celebration.

 

WHEREAS, as a young black man growing up in America in the early 1900s, Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche, born in 1903, rose from humble beginnings to become a legend in his time, recognized and revered as a highly accomplished and internationally-renowned scholar, educator, civil rights advocate, public servant, and statesman; and

WHEREAS, in 1950, Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche transcended racial barriers and became the first person of color in the world to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his success as United Nations Mediator in bringing about the 1949 Rhodes armistices between Israel and its neighboring Arab states, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria; and

WHEREAS, throughout his distinguished career and lifetime of service, Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche dedicated himself to the advancement of civil rights and racial equality in the United States and made pioneering contributions to race relations, human rights, decolonization, international mediation, peacekeeping, and diplomacy worldwide; and

WHEREAS, in 1960, upon invitation by the State House of Representatives, Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche, then Under Secretary for the United Nations, delivered a well-received address before a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives of the First Legislature of the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, prior to his death in 1971, Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche delivered his last, and one of his most important, public speeches, entitled "On Race: The Alienation of Modern Man" at the Fifth East-West Philosophers Conference at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 10, 1969; and

WHEREAS, in April 2001, the Ralph Bunche Centenary Commemoration Committee was organized to support an initiative, coordinated by the Internal Management Group and its Secretariat located at The Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, to promote a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of this outstanding American and internationalist; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that this body supports the Ralph Bunche Centenary Celebration commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor is requested to designate August 2003 through August 2004 as a Ralph Bunche Centenary Celebration for the State of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii and the East-West Center are encouraged to participate in the Ralph Bunche Centenary Celebration by sponsoring an activity, program, or event commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the President of the University of Hawaii, the President of the East-West Center, the Chair of the Board of Governors of the East-West Center, the Chair of the Ralph Bunche Centenary Commemoration Committee, the Chair of the Internal Management Group, and the Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Ralph Bunche Centenary Celebration