WHEREAS,  Melissa Arnette Elliott, also known as Missy Elliott, was born on July 1, 1971 at Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth to Patricia Elliott and Ronnie Elliott; and,   

WHEREAS, Missy Elliott grew up in the Hodges Ferry neighborhood of Portsmouth and attended Manor High School where she graduated in 1990; and, 

WHEREAS, singing since the age of four and active in her church choir, Missy Elliott found her passion early in life; and,

WHEREAS, her dynamic music success began when Missy Elliot formed an all-female R&B group, her first solo album release became a platinum and was nominated for a Grammy Award, her second album spent almost a year on the Billboard Charts, in 2001 her third album won Missy her first two Grammy awards, and she won a third Grammy for her hit single from her album released in 2022; and,

WHEREAS, rooted in faith, family and community Missy Elliott has given more than $50,000 to her alma mater Manor High School and is a longtime financial supporter of Hampton University; and, 

WHEREAS, she received an Honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music; and,

WHEREAS, her singing, song writing talent, hard work and creative vision, has inspired young women to pursue careers in the arts and music and created millions of fans around the world; and,

WHEREAS, Missy Elliott has received numerous awards as being admitted into the Songwriters Hall of fame in 2019, received the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards, won four Grammy awards, BET Award for Best Female Hip Hop Artist and she appeared at the super-bowl half-time show with Katy Perry and is considered the most watched halftime show of Super bowl History; and,

WHEREAS, the Portsmouth City Council agreed to change Mclean Street located in the city’s entertainment district to Missy Elliott Boulevard to honor the singer, songwriter and producer for her successful career;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize October 17, 2022 as MISSY ELLIOTT DAY in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.