Bill Text: NY K00361 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's Birthday on May 31, 2019
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-05-07 - adopted [K00361 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-K00361-Introduced.html
Assembly Resolution No. 361 BY: M. of A. Lentol COMMEMORATING the 200th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's Birthday on May 31, 2019 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 200th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's Birthday; this auspicious occasion will be celebrated with a myriad of events beginning May 27th, and culminating with a tour of his hometown on his birthday, Friday, May 31, 2019; 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, 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, 169 years after Walt Whitman began writing Leaves of Grass, many of us are still pondering "What is it then between us?"; and WHEREAS, May 31, 2019, 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, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's Birthday; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the Brooklyn Public Library.