; Whereas the novel The Fire in the Flint was a powerful view of 20th century racial oppression written by Walter White in 1924 and translated into French, spreading to the Black population in France and French-speaking colonies in Africa and the Caribbean; Whereas, due to World War I, Black soldiers in the Armed Forces such as James Reese Europe brought Black culture and music with them when they were sent abroad; Whereas Langston Hughes, the poet, social activist, playwright, and columnist, was a powerful figure during the Harlem Renaissance and spread Black culture and art through his travels to West Africa and Europe; Whereas the Harlem Renaissance was a significant and pivotal cultural movement that influenced the Black Renaissance; Whereas cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Orleans were home to many Black artists whose creations also contributed greatly to the Black Renaissance; Whereas the Black arts movement began in the 1960s as a way to artistically explore the themes and issues that were advocated by the Black power movement; Whereas the poet Amiri Baraka is widely considered to be the father of the Black arts movement; Whereas this cultural movement emphasized the autonomy of Black artists to create their art for Black people with the goal of awakening Black consciousness and ultimately liberation; Whereas the Black arts movement brought about artists such as Audre Lorde, Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez; Whereas, in 1973, a new genre of music called hip-hop was created in the Bronx, New York, in part by Black musicians DJ Kool Herc and Coke La Rock; Whereas five foundational elements of hip-hop include: MCing, DJing, graffiti art, breakdancing, and knowledge of self; Whereas hip-hop, since its inception, has been a central force in political, social, and cultural spaces and has continued to be a space in which issues such as racism, violence, sexism, economic disinvestment, and others have taken center stage