5°
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT
MAYOR
February 23, 2022
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with City Clerk Valencia and Aldermen Sigcho-Lopez, Gardiner, Scott, Nugent, Taylor, Villegas, Moore, Ervin, Tunney, Brookins, Cappleman, Rodriguez, Reboyras, Harris, Sposato, Vasquez, Burnett, O'Shea, Lladden, Dowell, Mitts, Silverstein, Hopkins, Burke, Hairston and Martin, a resolution celebrating Black History Month.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
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, As a 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, We celebrate the countless Black Americans who have demonstrated profound moral courage and resilience to help shape our Nation for the better. Today, Black Americans lead industries and movements for change, serve our communities and our Nation at every level, and advance every field across the board, including arts and sciences, business and law, health and education, and many more; and
WHEREAS, Each year, Black History Month has a specific theme, with this year's theme being "Black Health and Wellness." This theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing throughout the African Diaspora. The theme is especially timely as we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected minority communities and placed unique burdens on Black health care professionals; and
WHEREAS, Black History Month provides Chicagoans with an opportunity to reflect on our shared history as Americans; and honor the contributions and sacrifices of Black Americans who have helped shape our Nation; and
WHEREAS, We recognize that we must continually recommit ourselves to the 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-third day of February 2022, do hereby celebrate Black History Month, and encourage all Chicagoans to join in the celebration.