Black history month

WHEREAS, 2026 marks the centennial of celebrating Black History 1
across the nation and in Washington state; and 2
WHEREAS, Historian Dr. Carter Woodson worked to establish Negro 3
History Week in 1926, and President Gerald Ford expanded the 4
celebration of Black accomplishments to all of February in 1976; and5
WHEREAS, While Dr. Woodson would not live to experience the 6
adoption of Black History Month, his own contributions, expertise, 7
and advocacy have been invaluable in continuing to expand recognition 8
of the contributions of Black Americans to this state and nation; and9
WHEREAS, Much of the history of Black Americans can be viewed 10
through the lens of the long, hard struggle to reconcile the reality 11
of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation with the words and ideals 12
written in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights; 13
and 14
WHEREAS, 2026 is the year in which we look back on 100 years of 15
celebration and recognition of Black history, contributions, culture, 16
and accomplishments; and 17
WHEREAS, The 1920s delivered the Golden Age of Jazz led by Black 18
musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith with 19
their driving rhythms, rich voices, clear instruments, captivating 20
music, and compelling dance; and 21
WHEREAS, The 1930s saw Black American led advancements in 22
agricultural science with the work of George Washington Carver, 23
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2026-4701 , by Representatives Donaghy, Street, Taylor,
Reeves, Thomas, Reed, Rude, Dent, Connors, Marshall, Steele, Schmidt, Waters,
Griffey, Eslick, Penner, McClintock, Low, Dye, Manjarrez, Volz, Stokesbary, Stuebe,
Jacobsen, Engell, Walsh, Burnett, Ley, Mendoza, Graham, Abbarno, Orcutt, Keaton,
Klicker, and Corry
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personal care and beauty due to the ingenuity of Mary Beatrice 1
Davidson Kenner, Marjorie Joyner, and so many others determined to 2
make the lives of all just a bit easier; and 3
WHEREAS, The 1940s "Great Migration" swelled the Black population 4
in Washington with the promise of wartime jobs and opportunity, but 5
not without crowding, discrimination, housing inequities, and 6
segregation; and 7
WHEREAS, The 1950s experienced a rise in the civil rights 8
movement in Washington as Black Washingtonians became the largest 9
minority population in the Puget Sound area, and stood up to demand 10
equal treatment; and 11
WHEREAS, The 1960s saw the appointment of the first Black woman 12
to the Washington State Legislature in Marjorie Pitter-King and the 13
civil rights movement continuing to intensify across the nation, 14
calling for equal rights and justice for Black Americans while Black 15
Americans continued to offer technological advances through the work 16
of inventors like Marie Van Brittan Brown and James E. West; and17
WHEREAS, The 1970s was a decade of Black empowerment, education 18
and transformational change, with the first all Black Washington 19
state legislative delegation out of the 37th district including 20
Senator George Fleming, Representative Michael K. Ross, and 21
Representative Peggy Joan Maxie, and the advent of the American 22
Ethnic Studies department and the Ethnic Cultural Center at the 23
University of Washington through the work of the Black Student Union; 24
and 25
WHEREAS, The 1980s marked the establishment of Martin Luther 26
King, Jr. Day as a federal holiday, signed into law by President 27
Ronald Reagan, and the launch of Black Entertainment Television while 28
Black communities across the United States experienced significant 29
pushback against earlier civil rights advancements; and30
WHEREAS, The 1990s saw: Carol Moseley Braun from Illinois, the 31
first Black woman elected to the United States Senate; Rosa Gourdine 32
Franklin, the first Black woman elected to the Washington State 33
Senate; and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to go to space; 34
and 35
WHEREAS, In the 2000s, Barack Obama became the first Black 36
President of the United States of America, Ron Ward became the first 37
Black President of the Washington State Bar Association, and Dr. 38
Patricia Bath revolutionized cataract treatments; and39
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WHEREAS, The 2010s saw the opening of the National Museum of 1
African American History and Culture, Misty Copeland became the first 2
Black principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater, and Loretta 3
Lynch became the first Black woman to serve as Attorney General of 4
the United States; and 5
WHEREAS, In the 2020s, Marilyn Strickland was the first Black 6
member elected to the United States House of Representatives in 7
Washington's 10th congressional district, Kamala Harris became the 8
first Black and South Asian Vice President of the United States, and 9
Victor Glover was named the first Black Astronaut for a moon mission; 10
and 11
WHEREAS, Black Americans and Black Washingtonians still to this 12
day demonstrate the ingenuity, entrepreneurship, leadership, and 13
creativity that continues to benefit this nation and all of 14
Washington; and 15
WHEREAS, Black history is American history. Black culture is 16
American culture; and 17
WHEREAS, This Black History Month, and every month, is a time to 18
learn about those who came before us, and keep pushing towards a 19
brighter, more just future; 20
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives 21
celebrate Black History Month and recognize the legacy and 22
innumerable contributions of Black Americans to the lives of 23
Washingtonians, not only in February but throughout the whole year; 24
and 25
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor 26
and thank all of the Black individuals who participated in the 27
shaping of the United States, as well as all Black and African 28
American active-duty military personnel, veterans, elected leaders 29
and others who serve, and encourage the celebration of Black History 30
Month in our schools, universities, communities, and neighborhoods, 31
to foster a better understanding of that history and its importance 32
here in Washington and throughout this nation. 33
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