Assembly Resolution No. 822
BY: M. of A. Heastie
MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
February 2024, as Black History Month in the State
of New York
WHEREAS, Black History Month, previously known as Negro History
Week, was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and was first celebrated on
February 1, 1926; since 1976, it has become a nationally recognized
month-long celebration, held each year during the month of February to
acknowledge and pay tribute to African-Americans neglected by both
society and the history books; and
WHEREAS, The month of February observes the rich and diverse
heritage of our great State and Nation and encourages the celebration of
Black History Month to provide a continuing opportunity for all people
in the United States to learn from the past, and understand the factors
that have shaped and guided the course of our present-day experiences;
and
WHEREAS, Black History Month seeks to emphasize that Black History
is American History; and
WHEREAS, Black History Month is a time to reflect on the struggles
and victories of African-Americans throughout our country's history and
to recognize their numerous valuable contributions to the protection of
our democratic society in war and in peace; and
WHEREAS, Some African-American pioneers whose many accomplishments,
all which took place during the month of February, went unnoticed as
well as numerous symbolic events in February, that deserve to be
memorialized include: John Sweat Rock, a noted Boston lawyer who became
the first African-American admitted to argue before the U.S. Supreme
Court on February 1, 1865, and the first African-American to be received
on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives; Jonathan Jasper
Wright, the first African-American to hold a major judicial position,
who was elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court on February 1, 1870;
President Abraham Lincoln submitted the proposed 13th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, to the states for ratification
on February 1, 1865; civil rights protester Jimmie Lee Jackson died from
wounds inflicted during a protest on February 26, 1965, leading to the
historic Selma, Alabama civil rights demonstrations, including Bloody
Sunday in which 600 demonstrators, including Martin Luther King, Jr.
were attacked by police; Autherine J. Lucy became the first
African-American student to attend the University of Alabama on February
3, 1956, she was expelled three days later "for her own safety" in
response to threats from a mob; in 1992, Autherine Lucy Foster graduated
from the University of Alabama with a Master's degree in Education, the
same day her daughter, Grazia Foster, graduated with a Bachelor's degree
in Corporate Finance; the Negro Baseball League was founded on February
3, 1920; Jack Johnson, the first African-American World Heavyweight
Boxing Champion, won his first title on February 3, 1903; and Reginald
F. Lewis, born on December 7, 1942, in Baltimore, Maryland, received his
law degree from Harvard Law School in 1968, and was a partner in Murphy,
Thorpes & Lewis, the first Black law firm on Wall Street, and in 1989,
he became President and CEO of TLC Beatrice International Food Company,
the largest Black-owned business in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, the impact of African-American contributions
to the moral fabric and history of this great Nation are ever-growing
and unprecedented; more recently, on January 20, 2009, Barack Obama
became the first Black President of the United States, earning his wife,
Michelle Obama, the same distinction in her role as First Lady; Lloyd J.
Austin has the unique distinction of being the first Black United States
Secretary of Defense, sworn in on January 22, 2021; Ketanji Brown
Jackson made history in her becoming the first Black woman to serve on
the United States Supreme Court on June 30, 2022; and
WHEREAS, More notable African-American trailblazers who serve as a
testament to the success, growth, and strength of our Nation are: Carole
Gist, the first Black Miss USA of 1990; Toni Morrison, the first Black
person to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993; Robert Stanton,
the first Black Director of the National Park Service in 1997; Venus
Williams, the first Black woman to be ranked number one in tennis in the
United States in 2002; Sophia Danenberg, reaching unprecedented heights,
was the first Black woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest in 2006;
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who became the first Black president of the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2013; Paulette Brown, the first
Black woman to become the American Bar Association President in 2015;
Dr. Carla Hayden, the first Black Librarian of Congress in 2016;
Jennifer King, the first full-time Black woman NFL coach, heading the
Washington Commanders in 2020; Maya Angelou, the first Black woman to
appear on U.S. currency in 2022; and Sika Henry, the first Black woman
to be recognized as a Professional Triathlete in the United States in
2021, and inductee of the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame
in 2022, all of whom encompass the many more powerful Black individuals
who pushed through countless obstacles to earn the respect of their
peers and this Great State and Nation; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of the vast contributions of
African-Americans, a joyful month-long celebration is held across New
York State and across the United States with many commemorative events
to honor and display the cultural heritage of African-Americans; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body commends the African-American
community for preserving, for future generations, its centuries-old
traditions that benefit us all and add to the color and beauty of the
tapestry which is our American society; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim February 2024, as Black
History Month in the State of New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York; and to the events commemorating Black History Month throughout New
York State.
