A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide funding for the african‑american heritage commission.
Whereas, the African-American Heritage Commission (Commission) was established in 2008 by an act of the General Assembly to "assist the Secretary of Cultural Resources in the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of African‑American history, arts, and culture"; and
Whereas, some of the Commission's notable accomplishments include the following:
(1)	Providing in‑kind support for four heritage initiatives: the Federal Gullah‑Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, the development of the 2011 Office of Archives and History Teachers Institute, the Public Art Component of the African‑American Music Trail, and the African‑American Cultural Celebration;
(2)	Providing fiscal support for the publication of "A Day of Blood: The 1898 Wilmington Race Riot" by LeRae Sikes Umfleet and the reprinting of "A History of African Americans in North Carolina" by Jeffrey J. Crow, Paul D. Escott, and Flora J. Hatley;
(3)	Supporting archival acquisitions and providing direct‑impact technical support for heritage practitioners ranging from cemetery preservationists to visual artists and academic scholars;
(4)	Promoting Civil War 150th anniversary initiatives; and
Whereas, the Commission found during its 34‑county survey of North Carolina residents that the key to preserving, protecting, and promoting North Carolina's African‑American heritage is to be responsive to community needs and visions; and
Whereas, funding is needed to enable the Commission to continue its efforts to engage communities, raise awareness of heritage resources and professionals, build an online heritage database, and develop partnerships that support inclusive education, heritage tourism, preservation of African‑American historic structures, scholarly research, and heritage workforce support and development; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Cultural Resources the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 2011‑2012 fiscal year and the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 2012‑2013 fiscal year to support the operations of the State's African‑American Heritage Commission.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2011.