III
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 199
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 25, 2013
Mr. Coons (for himself and Mr. Carper) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
August 1, 2013
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 200th August Quarterly Festival taking place from August 18, 2013, through August 25, 2013, in Wilmington, Delaware.
Whereas, 200 years before the date of agreement to this resolution, in 1813, Peter Spencer founded the African Union Church, 1 of the first African-American institutions legally incorporated within the United States;
Whereas, 1 year later, in 1814, Spencer and the African Union Church convened the first August Quarterly meeting and festival in Wilmington, Delaware, bringing thousands of African-Americans together to celebrate their faith;
Whereas the August Quarterly (or Big Quarterly) Festival became a meeting place for African-Americans celebrating freedom, sharing in solidarity, and looking for relatives lost or sold in the institution of slavery, and a means through which Harriett Tubman and other conductors and station masters of the Underground Railroad met with those looking to escape the bonds of slavery;
Whereas the August Quarterly Festival is well recognized as the longest continuously celebrated African-American festival in the United States; and
Whereas, from August 18, 2013, through August 25, 2013, thousands of people will come together in Wilmington, Delaware, to celebrate the 200th August Quarterly Festival: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
celebrates the 200th August Quarterly Festival taking place from August 18, 2013, through August 25, 2013;
recognizes the historical significance of the August Quarterly Festival and the role the festival has played since 1814 in celebrating faith, community, culture, and freedom;
honors the life of leadership, faith, and service of Peter Spencer, founder of the African Union Church and of the August Quarterly Festival; and
recognizes the service volunteers and religious leaders who ensure that the legacy of Peter Spencer lives on through the continuation of the August Quarterly Festival.