HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2020-4655

HR 4655

ByRepresentatives Jinkins, Wilcox, Appleton, Barkis, Bergquist, Blake, Boehnke, Caldier, Callan, Chambers, Chandler, Chapman, Chopp, Cody, Corry, Davis, DeBolt, Dent, Doglio, Dolan, Duerr, Dufault, Dye, Entenman, Eslick, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Frame, Gildon, Goehner, Goodman, Graham, Gregerson, Griffey, Hansen, Harris, Hoff, Hudgins, Irwin, Jenkin, J. Johnson, Kilduff, Kirby, Klippert, Kloba, Kraft, Kretz, Leavitt, Lekanoff, Lovick, MacEwen, Macri, Maycumber, McCaslin, Mead, Morgan, Mosbrucker, Orcutt, Ormsby, Ortiz-Self, Orwall, Paul, Pellicciotti, Peterson, Pettigrew, Pollet, Ramel, Ramos, Riccelli, Robinson, Rude, Ryu, Santos, Schmick, Sells, Senn, Shewmake, Slatter, Smith, Springer, Steele, Stokesbary, Stonier, Sullivan, Sutherland, Tarleton, Thai, Tharinger, Valdez, Van Werven, Vick, Volz, Walen, Walsh, Wylie, Ybarra, and Young

WHEREAS, Black History Month is celebrated in Washington state and around the nation due to the efforts of Dr. Carter Woodson, who in 1926 advocated that we set aside a special period in February to recognize the history, heritage, and achievements of black people in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Woodson chose February to celebrate black history to honor the birth month of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation; and

WHEREAS, In 1776, those founding the United States stated they were dedicated to the proposition stated in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal, and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; and

WHEREAS, Much of the history of black Americans can be viewed through the lens of the long, hard struggle to reconcile the reality of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation with the words and ideals written in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights; and

WHEREAS, In the face of persistent and entrenched injustice and inequality, countless men and women of good will came together to fight to improve our imperfect union and bring it closer to the ideals of equality and opportunity for all; and

WHEREAS, We recognize the vision and ideas of writers like Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, and Ralph Ellison; and

WHEREAS, We honor the vision and resolve of national leaders such as Shirley Chisholm and Elijah Cummings, along with local leaders such as Thelma Jackson of Tacoma and Norm Rice, the first black American mayor of Seattle; and

WHEREAS, In 2008, Barack Obama became the first black American to serve as President of the United States; and

WHEREAS, In 2019, Representative John Lovick became Acting Speaker of the House of Representatives and became the first black American to serve as Speaker in the history of Washington, which achieved statehood in 1889;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the contributions of black men and women to our communities, cities, military, the state of Washington, and the United States of America; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage the celebration of Black History Month in our schools and universities, and in our communities and neighborhoods, to foster a better understanding of that history and its significance here in Washington and throughout this nation.