On October 25, Minnesota’s congressional delegation introduced a resolution to award the late pop star legend Prince with a Congressional Gold Medal.
According to a post on the deceased musician’s Instagram account, the bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the legislation to honor Prince for his “legacy of musical achievement and … indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture.”
“The full Minnesota delegation in Congress has introduced a bipartisan resolution to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Prince Rogers Nelson. The resolution honors Prince for his “legacy of musical achievement and… indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture.”
“The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress. Only 163 have been awarded since 1776, and recipients include musicians Irving Berlin, Marian Anderson, George and Ira Gershwin, Harry Chapin, Aaron Copland, and Frank Sinatra,” it continued.
The post also explained exactly what needed to happen for the bill to come to pass and encouraged his fans to contact their government officials to achieve the milestone.
“Following the [sic] introduction, legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal must be co-sponsored by two-thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in order to be awarded.
The Prince Estate is encouraging all of Prince’s American fans (and fams) to contact their local representatives and senators and encourage them to support this monumental commendation of Prince’s talent, cultural impact, and historical legacy.”
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The bill is being led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Ilhan Omar.
“Like so many, I grew up with Prince’s music. I was always proud to say he was from Minnesota,” Klobuchar said in a statement on Omar’s website. “The world is a whole lot cooler because Prince was in it — he touched our hearts, opened our minds, and made us want to dance. With this legislation, we honor his memory and contributions as a composer, performer, and music innovator.”
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“Prince is a Minnesota icon,” said Omar. “I remember when I first came to America being captivated by Prince’s music and impact on the culture. He showed that it was okay to be a short, Black kid from Minneapolis and still change the world. He not only changed the arc of music history; he put Minneapolis on the map. Places like First Avenue, Uptown are landmarks because of Prince. I am proud to introduce this resolution to give Prince the recognition he deserves.”
The bill has to be supported by two-thirds of both the House and Senate to be approved.
The Congressional Gold Medal is given to a citizen of the country by the U.S. Congress. In the past, reportedly, only 163 other people have been awarded the medal since 1776.
The first-ever Congressional Gold Medal was given to George Washington. Other recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal are Gen. Colin Powell, Navajo Code Talkers, and the Tuskegee Airmen, Elie Wiesel, Rosa Parks, and more.
Prince, whose birth name was Prince Rogers Nelson, passed away in 2016 at the age of 57 after suffering from an accidental overdose.
