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A resolution recognizing February 2025 as Black History Month in Nashville and Davidson County.
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WHEREAS, Black History Month is celebrated each February and recognizes the legacy of Black Americans whose power to lead, to overcome, and to expand the meaning and practice of American democracy has helped our Nation become a more fair and just society; and
WHEREAS, the United States was established upon the profound but simple idea that all people are created equal and should be treated equally throughout their lives. However, this is not an idea that America has always lived up to; and
WHEREAS, in 1925, an African-American scholar, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, launched an effort to focus awareness on the contributions of African Americans to American society that, in 1976, became Black History Month, a month-long celebration in February of the countless contributions of African Americans to this country; and
WHEREAS, this month, we celebrate and recognize Black leaders, inventors, artists, musicians, educators, entrepreneurs, professionals, workers, organizers, activists, and creators on a national level including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Barack Obama, George Washington Carver, Fannie Lou Hamer, Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisholm, Jackie Robinson, Billie Holiday, and many more; and
WHEREAS, we also celebrate those locally who have contributed to the rich history of our community in Nashville and Davidson County; and
WHEREAS, Nashville is home to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities ("HBCUs") -- American Baptist College, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College, and Tennessee State University. Nashville was also home to a fifth HBCU, the former Central Tennessee College later known as Walden University; and
WHEREAS, in 1873, a performance of the Fisk Jubilee Singers in Great Britain led Queen Victoria to proclaim Nashville as "Music City", which became Nashville's unofficial moniker; and
WHEREAS, in 1905, the prestigious McKissa...
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