Senate Resolution No. 1813
BY: Senator PARKER
HONORING Kassahun Checole upon the occasion of
being the recipient of the Margaret T. Burroughs
Institution Building Award to be presented by the
Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College
at the 18th National Black Writers Conference March
25-28, 2026
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
celebrate those institutions and individuals whose unwavering dedication
to literature, scholarship, and the preservation of Black cultural
heritage have profoundly enriched the intellectual and artistic life of
our communities and our nation; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Kassahun Checole upon the occasion of being the recipient of the
Margaret T. Burroughs Institution Building Award to be presented by the
Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, City University of
New York, at the 18th National Black Writers Conference, to be held from
March 25-28, 2026; and
WHEREAS, The Center for Black Literature, founded by Dr. Brenda M.
Greene, is the only center in the country devoted exclusively to
expanding and enriching the public's knowledge and appreciation of
literature produced by people of the African diaspora, serving as an
irreplaceable forum for the discussion, research, and critical analysis
of Black literature and nurturing generations of writers, scholars, and
literary activists; and
WHEREAS, The National Black Writers Conference was founded by
novelist John Oliver Killens in 1986 at Medgar Evers College, and has
over nearly four decades convened thousands of writers, readers,
scholars, and lovers of Black literature from across the United States
and the world, with past luminaries including Maya Angelou, Toni
Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott among its
distinguished participants; and
WHEREAS, On this distinguished occasion, the Conference is proud to
present the Margaret T. Burroughs Institution Building Award to Kassahun
Checole, President and Publisher of Africa World Press, Inc. and The Red
Sea Press, Inc., in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to
African and African diasporic publishing; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Checole founded Africa World Press in 1983 and The Red
Sea Press in 1985, and has since published over 3,500 titles by
thousands of authors in more than 20 languages, ensuring that African
scholars, writers, and people of African descent could publish in their
own voices and tell their own stories; among his many honors, he has
been inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame and received
the PEN Eritrea Freedom of Expression Award, the Flora Nwapa Society
Award, and the Association of Concerned African Scholars' Bud Day Award
for Activism; and
WHEREAS, The Margaret T. Burroughs Institution Building Award, named
in honor of the legendary artist, educator, and founder of the DuSable
Museum of African American History, is a most fitting tribute to a man
whose life's work has been devoted to building and sustaining the
institutions upon which African diasporic culture and scholarship
depend; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College upon the
occasion of the 18th National Black Writers Conference, and to celebrate
its enduring mission of expanding, preserving, and uplifting the
literary traditions of the African diaspora; and be it further
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body proudly honors Kassahun Checole
upon his receipt of the National Black Writers Conference Margaret T.
Burroughs Institution Building Award, and extends its deepest
congratulations for this most fitting and well-deserved honor; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Center for Black Literature, Medgar Evers College,
and to Kassahun Checole as a token of this Legislative Body's esteem and
highest regard.
