RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of the many achievements by African Americans and their central role in the history of the United States; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who, with the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, sponsored a national Negro History Week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass; and
WHEREAS, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history"; and
WHEREAS, Black History Month also encompasses National Freedom Day, which is February 1 and celebrates the anniversary of the approval of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the United States in 1865; and
WHEREAS, Each year, Black History Month has a specific theme, with this year's theme being "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity"; and
WHEREAS, We celebrate the many black leaders in government, health care, education, law, science, and other fields who serve as examples for all people to follow; and
WHEREAS, Asa result of slavery, segregation, systemic racism, and mass incarceration, the black family has often been fractured, but not broken, as the love within communities has extended the familial bonds to support the family through oppression and other hard times; and
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago's Municipal Code in Section 1-24-010 celebrates the fluid concept of the family by expansively defining what is meant by a family member, and by encompassing the many ways families form, exist, develop, and survive as it appreciates and is inclusive of the families created by such dire conditions as suffered by so many; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Woodson thought it essential for young African Americans to understand and be proud of their heritage; and
WHEREAS, We recognize that we must continually recommit ourselves to this task of education, to see history not only through our own eyes, but through the eyes of those who experienced the world differently than we experience it and appreciate the struggles for the betterment of self, family, and community that so many have suffered for, strived for, worked for, and sacrificed for; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the Members of the City Council, assembled this twenty-fourth day of February 2021, do hereby celebrate Black History Month, and encourage all Chicagoans to join in the celebration.