Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement to congratulate the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), which today received the 2013 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House.

“On behalf of the people of the Ninth Congressional District of New York, I want to congratulate the Brooklyn Academy of Music on receiving the National Medal of Arts in recognition of its contributions to the performing and visual arts. As a proud native of Brooklyn, I have enjoyed the opportunity to live in a community where the arts are celebrated. Since 1861, BAM has entertained the people of Brooklyn with a wide variety of performances, from Isadora Duncan and Paul Robeson to Laurie Anderson and Philip Glass. I want to commend President Karen Brooks Hopkins, the staff of BAM, and the performers for their dedication to the development of our diverse culture, and I wish you all much success in the future.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.