Bill Text: VA HR445 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending women of the African diaspora.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-08 - Bill text as passed House (HR445ER) [HR445 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR445-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the global African diaspora refers to communities worldwide that are descendants of people from Africa, especially those in the Americas; and
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth and the United States are home to African descendants from all over the African continent, as well as new generations of African immigrants; and
WHEREAS, in the African diaspora, there are strong women business owners, doctors, nurses, spiritual leaders, and organization founders who enhance their communities by empowering women and girls; and
WHEREAS, these women provide job opportunities, teach career skills, promote spiritual growth, and more, and they have had a significant positive impact at the local, state, and national levels; and
WHEREAS, Nana Malaya, director of the Nubian Theater Dance and Music Company is one such leader among the women of the African diaspora; she has been performing since early childhood, and her experience in the arts has led to many diverse opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Nana Malaya's first major choreographic work was "The Hallelujah Chorus" in Pittsburgh when she was only 10 years old, and she was selected to be one of the youngest members of Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson's first professional theater company, the Black Horizon Theater; and
WHEREAS, through the Nubian Theater Dance and Music Company, Nana Malaya has been a featured performer at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institute, the Discovery Theater, the Lincoln Theatre, the National Black Theatre, and more; and
WHEREAS, Nana Malaya has toured and graced the stage with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Phyllis Hyman, Stevie Wonder, Miriam Makeba, Bill T. Jones, Alice Coltrane, and numerous other performers; and
WHEREAS, Nana Malaya has received local and national media attention, and she was declared "The Dancing Diplomat" as she has performed at venues around the world, including in Scotland, Japan, Hawaii, Ghana, Barbados, Jamaica, and so many more; she has had the honor of being chosen to perform for President Bill Clinton and Rosa Parks, among other prominent figures; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bridget Nkumbe is another high-performing leader in the African diaspora as an entrepreneur and chief executive officer of two health care organizations; she is also the founder of a nonprofit organization called She Believed, which is dedicated to the empowerment of women and girls, and she enjoys mentoring and supporting women and girls to achieve great heights in their personal or professional lives, along with her equally important role as a mother of two children; and
WHEREAS, Bridget Nkumbe has a doctorate in nursing with a concentration in executive leadership, and she has generously provided scholarships to high school seniors and personally supported girls in leadership roles in Prince William County; and
WHEREAS, Enid Mpumwire Machayo is the chief executive officer and co-founder of The Leading Ladies Initiative, Inc.; she holds a bachelor's degree in human services, a master's degree in human services, marriage, and family counseling, and a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling, and she has certifications related to nonprofit management, career readiness, leadership, and conflict prevention and resolution; and
WHEREAS, Enid Mpumwire Machayo is a member of FemWise-Africa, the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation, and the African Women Leaders Network and currently serves as a board member on the Loudoun County School Business Partnership Council for Loudoun County Public Schools, Family Services Advisory Board for Loudoun County Government, and the Virginia Advisory Board for Service and Volunteerism for the Governor of Virginia; she is originally from Uganda, is blessed with four children, and happily resides in Northern Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Nana Rokosz was originally born and raised in Ghana, West Africa, and moved in 2003 to the United States, where she has actively fostered a culture of servant-leadership within her church and the wider Dumfries and Prince William County communities; her belief in the power of collective action and her enthusiasm for encouraging others to join in exemplify what it means to be a dedicated community volunteer; and
WHEREAS, Nana Rokosz is a breast cancer survivor, and in 2022, she worked with Henry Godwin, pastor of Winners Church for All Nations in Dumfries, and the Hope Alive Foundation of Winners Church to launch the Faith in Action Breast Cancer Awareness Walk; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Amanda F. Standard is a graduate of LaGuardia High School of the Arts and Howard University who currently serves as founder and executive/artistic director for both Divine Dance Institute, Inc., (DDI) and SoundXpressed Dance Company in Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, Amanda Standard provides novice, pre-professional, and professional dancers the opportunity to study and perform all over the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area, the United States, and the world; after 20 years of serving the community through DDI, the Maryland Dance Education Association presented her with the Dance Educator of the Year for Private Studios award in 2018 and FAME's Educator of the Year award in 2019; and
WHEREAS, throughout her professional education tenure, Amanda Standard has educated students in kindergarten through 12th grade, while tackling multiple subjects at various levels, and currently serves at Benjamin D. Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy, a K-8 specialized program; through DDI, she has launched many other programs, including the Emerging Artists Showcase, The Pneuma Dance Project Summer Intensive, Seedz Summer Dance Lab, PG Powerdanz Project, Divine DESIGN Summer Enrichment Programs, and many more; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That women of the African diaspora hereby be commended for their service to communities throughout the Commonwealth and the United States; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Nana Malaya, Dr. Bridget Nkumbe, Enid Mpumwire Machayo, Nana Rokosz, and Dr. Amanda F. Standard, on behalf of women of the African diaspora, as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the group's contributions to the empowerment of women all over the world.
