Goverment Stops Native Sovereignty in British Columbia (fwd)

Alan A. Jabbour (ajab@LOC.GOV)
Fri, 23 Jun 1995 11:15:10 -0400

The following is in response to the many queries about the
situation at the American Folklife Center:

Yesterday, June 22, the House of Representatives voted to take
the funds of the American Folklife Center at the Library of
Congress to use for another purpose. The action was an amendment
to the budget of the Library introduced by Rep. William Clinger
of Pennsylvania and part of a larger appropriations bill. House
members advocating the amendment suggested that the Center and
its 70-year old Archive of Folk Culture should seek private
funds. Opponents of the action defended the role of the Center
and its archive in American culture. The vote was 260 to 159.
The bill will now proceed to the Senate for action in the next
few weeks.

The Folklife Center's current funding and authorization ends
September 30th. A two year reauthorization has been proposed and
is proceeding through Congress.

The staff of the Folklife Center would like to thank its many
friends and well-wishers who have responded to this event. The
outpouring of support for the Center has impressed even
supporters of the amendment removing its funding. The supportive
phone calls, faxes, and email messages have ensured that members
of Congress are informed about the Center and the collections in
its Archive of Folk Culture. Although yesterday was an unhappy
day, the staff are reassured that the seeds of the Center's
salvation were evident in that support.

If you wish to learn more about the American Folklife Center and
its collections, you may write to us at the address below, reply
to this email message, or call at 202 707-6590.

You may also visit our Gopher site on LC MARVEL at marvel.loc.gov
(login as marvel), choose / Research and Reference, / Reading
Rooms of the Library of Congress /American Folklife Center, or
visit our World Wide Web site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/folklife

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Alan Jabbour, Director
American Folklife Center
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540-8100
ajab@loc.gov
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