Black History Month

WHEREAS, every February, Black History Month is recognized to not only encourage the study of African American life and history but act as a reminder that Black history is an integral part of the history of the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, what began as a week recognizing Black history, championed by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland in 1926, when they founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), evolved into a month by 1976, after official recognition by then President Gerald Ford; and

WHEREAS, each year the Association presents a new theme, and the theme for 2023 is Black Resistance; and

WHEREAS, the historic and ongoing resistance of African Americans has had a profound effect not only on American life but also in setting precedents and standards of resistance throughout the world. Since their brutal capture and deliverance to these shores, Black Americans have had to consistently push the United States to live up to its ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all.  This resistance persisted and stretched through the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights movement, and the Black Power revolution. And it continues today in the Movement for Black Lives; and

WHEREAS, from Bayard Rustin, Gloria Richardson, W.E.B. Du Bois, and James Baldwin, to their modern counterparts in Michelle Alexander, Tarana Burke, Laverne Cox, and Bryan Stevenson, it is shown from speaking out, shouting out, marching through the streets, and making people not only aware but properly informed and rightfully angry, that we continue to see a change in American life; and

WHEREAS, in (Municipality), we witness the effect of educating our students in the full spectrum of American history told through many voices — those of the global majority, LGBTQ+, female, and those intentionally silenced through mass incarceration and classist economic policies.  This knowledge informs our youths’ reasoning, enriches their politics, and empowers their ability and willingness to speak out against injustice.  It instills in them the courage to pursue an understanding of our collective history in the face of sanitized, State-sanctioned ignorance. To seek out Truth and navigate discomfort because knowledge is an intrinsic part of building diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED THAT I, (GOVERNING BODY), implore all residents to further educate themselves about the contributions of African Americans not only during this Black History Month but throughout the entire year.