HR573 - Recognizing March 19, 2025, as African Methodist Episcopal Day at the State Capitol.

      H.R. No. 573       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, Members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church   are gathering at the State Capitol on March 19, 2025, in   celebration of AME Day; and          WHEREAS, A denomination with a long and storied history, the   African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in Philadelphia in   1816 by Richard Allen, a previously ordained deacon of the   Methodist Episcopal Church; it evolved out of the Free African   Society, a group established in 1787 by Mr. Allen and other free   Blacks in response to the discrimination and exclusion they faced   in both social and religious spheres; born out of opposition to   slavery and to the dehumanization of people of African descent, the   AME Church carried forward the spirit of FAS in its dedication to   reaching out to the marginalized; and          WHEREAS, Mr. Allen was elected as the first bishop of the AME   Church by the first General Conference, which included ministers   from Methodist Episcopal congregations in the Philadelphia area, in   Delaware, and in Baltimore, Maryland; the denomination then   expanded westward and throughout the South, especially in the years   following the American Civil War, becoming the largest major   African American denomination in the Methodist tradition; and          WHEREAS, Though it holds the distinction of being the first   independent protestant denomination founded by Black people, the   AME Church welcomes members of all ethnicities; today, the church   continues to embrace its mission to minister to the spiritual,   intellectual, physical, emotional, and environmental needs of all   people by sharing the gospel through word and deed; and          WHEREAS, For more than two centuries, the African Methodist   Episcopal Church has been a vital force in promoting spiritual   enrichment while championing the rights and dignity of Black   communities, and the denomination has played a transformative role   in the lives of its members and in the nation at large; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby recognize March 19, 2025, as AME Day at the   State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to all those who are   visiting Austin in observance of this occasion.     Reynolds     Burrows Guerra Morales Shaw   Alders Guillen Morgan   Allen Harless Muñoz   Anchía Harris Noble   Ashby Harris Davila Olcott   Barry Harrison Oliverson   Bell of Kaufman Hayes Ordaz   Bell of Montgomery Hefner Orr   Bernal Hernandez Patterson   Bhojani Hickland Paul   Bonnen Hinojosa Perez of El Paso   Bowers Holt Perez of Harris   Bryant Hopper Phelan   Buckley Howard Pierson   Bucy Hull Plesa   Bumgarner Hunter Raymond   Button Isaac Reynolds   Cain Johnson Richardson   Campos Jones of Dallas Rodríguez Ramos   Canales Jones of Harris Romero   Capriglione Kerwin Rose   Cole King Rosenthal   Collier Kitzman Schatzline   Cook LaHood Schofield   Cortez Lalani Schoolcraft   Craddick Lambert Shaheen   Cunningham Landgraf Shofner   Curry Leach Simmons   Darby Leo Wilson Slawson   A. Davis of Dallas Little Smithee   Y. Davis of Dallas Longoria Spiller   Dean Lopez of Bexar Swanson   DeAyala Lopez of Cameron Talarico   Dorazio Louderback Tepper   Dutton Lowe Thompson   Dyson Lozano Tinderholt   Fairly Lujan Toth   Flores Luther Troxclair   Frank Manuel Turner   Gámez Martinez VanDeaver   Garcia of Bexar Martinez Fischer Vasut   Garcia of Dallas McLaughlin Villalobos   Garcia Hernandez McQueeney Virdell   Gates Metcalf Vo   Gerdes Meyer Walle   Geren Meza Ward Johnson   Gervin-Hawkins Money Wharton   González of Dallas Moody Wilson   González of El Paso Morales of Harris Wu   Goodwin Morales of Maverick Zwiener     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 573 was adopted by the House on March   19, 2025, by a non-record vote.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House