Held at the NC Executive Mansion on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
Pamela Cashwell, Secretary of the NC Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources, introduces the people who have shaped NC for Black History month.
Featured speakers: Dr. Valerie Johnson, chair of the NC African American Heritage Commission; Dr. Amber M. Baker, NC Representative; Gerry McCants, chairman of the Greensboro MWBE Community Relations Steering Committee; Governor Josh Stein.
Governor Josh Stein signed the proclamation:
Whereas, Black History Month reminds us of our responsibility to honor the contributions and achievements of African Americans and their pivotal role in shaping our state and nation; and
Whereas, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, first launched “Negro History Week” in 1926, and is widely regarded as the father of Black History; and
Whereas, North Carolina is home to the largest number of four-year, degree-granting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the nation and more HBCU students than any other state; our ten HBCUs have a rich heritage steeped in tradition, activism, service, and innovation dating back to the foundation of Shaw University in 1865; and
Whereas, the labor of Black people in the military, government, and private sectors has been instrumental in shaping our society; and
Whereas, in the early twentieth century, Durham founded “Black Wall Street,” a nationally recognized business district propelled by African American businessmen including John Merrick, Dr. Aaron Moore, C.C. Spaulding, R.B. Fitzgerald, and W.G. Pearson, that provided critical support to Black entrepreneurship; and
Whereas, the percentage of Black-owned businesses in North Carolina exceeds the national average; and
Whereas, African Americans in North Carolina’s government workforce serve in vital roles across state agencies and universities in…
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