Black History Month 2021 Proclamation

WHEREAS, In 1915, it started as an idea for ways to celebrate African American achievements. In 1924, a celebration that eventually got renamed to “Negro Achievement Week” began and the outreach was significant, but the desire for a greater impact also persisted. “We are going back to that beautiful history and it is going to inspire us to greater achievements.” By February 1926, this statement of Harvard-trained historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson along with that idea he and other prominent African American figures had would then become “Negro History Week.” Dr. Woodson chose February for reasons of continuing what was already familiar to many. Since 1865, Black communities had celebrated fallen President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and then by the late 1890s former slave and prominent abolitionist activist, Frederick Douglass’ birthday, both occurring in February. This showed his true effort to extend the study of black history, not create a new tradition. Finally, in 1976, this celebration was expanded to include the entire month of February, and today Black History Month garners support throughout the country as people of all ethnic and social backgrounds discuss the African American experience; and 

WHEREAS, The City of Kyle takes pride in its African-American heritage, which throughout our nation’s history has shown examples of both subtle and forthright threads in the fabric that is the United States of America. This can also be seen in Kyle within its entire scale of history, from the enslaved people at its founding to the courageous Freedmen who settled in the area; and from the early traders representing business in Kyle to those who have served and represented this growing community in various capacities including publicly elected offices; and

WHEREAS, The City of Kyle encourages the preservation of our African-American history and applauds the efforts of groups such as the Hays County Historical Commission, as well as individuals such as Ollie Giles, Winton Porterfield and Gene Bagwell, in helping preserve, restore and maintain Kyle’s former African-American Cemetery, now known as the Kyle Family Pioneer Cemetery and being recognized as an Official Historic Texas Cemetery; and 

WHEREAS, The City of Kyle joins in the unified endeavor of its community members around Hays County in paying homage to those that have helped carry on the resolute efforts in a continual reminder of the achievements and sacrifices by African American men and women who had contributed to the advancements of human civilization; and

WHEREAS, This year’s theme, “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity” chosen each year by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (the same group founded in part by Dr. Woodson in 1915), offers a reminder to the spread of family members across states, nations and continents, along with the impact and continued the discussion over how to represent its meaning from a historical perspective; and

THEREFORE, Be it proclaimed by the City of Kyle, that the month of February 2021 should be celebrated as 

“Black History Month”

in appreciation of the many achievements of Kyle’s African-American community and those across this nation and its history.

SIGNED AND ENTERED THIS 2nd DAY OF FEBRARY, 2021.

Travis Mitchell, Mayor
Rick Koch, Mayor Pro Tem, Council District 5
Dex Ellison, Council District 1 
Yvonne Flores-Cale, Council District 2
Robert Rizo, Council District 3
Ashlee Bradshaw, Council District 4
Michael Tobias, Council District 6