; Whereas the United States and Sierra Leone are linked by a complex history stemming from the Atlantic slave trade in which large numbers of African slaves from present-day Sierra Leone were sent to the then-colonies of Georgia and South Carolina; Whereas many descendants of former slaves in the United States, known as the Gullah, still reside in the same region of the former southeastern colonies that were able to preserve much of their Sierra Leonean cultural heritage such as a dialect of creole similar to Sierra Leone Krio, and other customs; Whereas Sierra Leone is a recipient of significant United States foreign assistance to improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans through strategic investments in democracy and governance, health service delivery, and economic growth; and Whereas the United States underscored its commitment to expanding and deepening its partnership with African countries and working to bolster democracy and strengthen electoral processes during the 2021 Summit for Democracy and the 2022 United States-Africa Leaders Summit: Now, therefore, be it