A house RESOLUTION

tO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR CELEBRATED PERFORMER DAVE CHAPPELLE AND TO EXTEND TO HIM A PALMETTO STATE WELCOME AS HE APPEARS AT THE NORTH CHARLESTON COLISEUM ON JANUARY 27, 2023.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to welcome famed entertainer, producer, and writer Dave Chappelle to the Palmetto State; and

Whereas, born August 24, 1973, in Washington D.C., Dave Chappelle's career started while he was in high school at D.C.'s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where he studied theatre arts. At the age of fourteen, he began performing stand-up comedy in nightclubs; and

Whereas, shortly after graduation, he moved to New York City, where he quickly established himself as a major young talent. At the age of nineteen, Dave made his film debut in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). He then starred in the short-lived sitcom Buddies (1996). He went on to appear in The Nutty Professor (2006), starred in Half-Baked (2008), and appeared in the remake of A Star is Born (2018); and

Whereas, his career has been enormously successful. This multitalented artist signed a $20 million deal with Netflix. He also won an Emmy Award in 2017 for his guest appearance on Saturday Night Live. He won Grammy awards in 2018, 2019, and 2020 for Best Comedy Album and was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presented by the Kennedy Center in 2019; and

Whereas, called the "comic genius of America" by Esquire in 2006 and "the best" by a Billboard writer in 2013, Dave Chappelle is best known for his iconic and acclaimed satirical comedy sketch series Chappelle's Show (2003). He was chosen for Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time and is the youngest person to make the list; and

Whereas, Dave is named for his great-grandfather William David Chappelle, a South Carolina minister and educator who was president of Allen University, a historically Black college in Columbia. In reference to his namesake, the comedian told one audience, "He was born a slave in South Carolina, was a slave for ten years of his life. And when the Northerners came down, they started educating some of the newly freed Black children, and he learned how to read. Became a man of education and dedicated his life to three things: education, freedom of Black people, Jesus Christ." Allen University's Chappelle Auditorium is named for Dave's great-grandfather. In 2017, in the newly renovated auditorium, Dave Chappelle spoke to a full house and was interviewed by Gayle King on CBS This Morning. He has frequented the city since as a welcome visitor; and

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives takes great pleasure in wishing Dave Chappelle many more years of success, and the members expect to hear of his flourishing career in the days ahead. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor celebrated performer Dave Chappelle and extend to him a Palmetto State welcome as he appears at the North Charleston Coliseum on January 27, 2023.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dave Chappelle.

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