Bill > H5149

This resolution celebrates Funda Fest 27, an annual two-week event organized by the Rhode Island Black Storytellers (RIBS), a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 dedicated to promoting Black storytelling through performance, educational, and cultural experiences. The resolution highlights that Funda Fest, a term derived from a Zulu word meaning "to learn" or "to teach", will take place from January 17th to 26th, 2025, and has historically reached over 120,000 people with diverse Black storytellers from international, national, regional, and local backgrounds. The Rhode Island House of Representatives officially recognizes the event's importance in providing a platform for Black people to shape their own narrative, preserve generational history, and share cultural traditions that are often overlooked in mainstream literature. The resolution urges Rhode Islanders to participate in the event by listening, experiencing, and learning from the "keepers of the culture" and directs the Secretary of State to send a certified copy of the resolution to RIBS as an official acknowledgment of their significant cultural contribution.

https://status.rilegislature.gov/