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<p>WHEREAS: Black History Month is an annual celebration every February to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and their recognition of American History; and  </p> <p>WHEREAS: In 1915, Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), an organization dedicated towards promoting the achievement of Black Americans and other people of African descent; and </p> <p>WHEREAS: The ASALH established a week in 1926 to celebrate African American history and chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass; and </p> <p>WHEREAS: Many cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing the week, causing the movement to evolve from a week to a month in the late 1960s; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to seize the opportunity to honor the accomplishments of Black Americans; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: In Cambridge Public Schools, Black history is taught throughout the year focusing on stories of oppression, agency, and joy through the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Bayard Rustin, Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Daisy Bates, and Fannie Lou Hamer; and </p> <p>WHEREAS: Students at the King Open School have been listening to parts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech during their morning announcements; and </p> <p>WHEREAS: At the Cambridge Public Library, there is currently an exhibit dedicated to local <a href="https://www.cambridgema.gov/cpl/calendarofevents/view.aspx?guid=%7BCD771D1C-D4BB-4285-BEAC-A385F7519EFF%7D&start=20230127T090000&end=20230127T210000">Black Trailblazers</a> produced by the Cambridge Black History Project, which introduced and distributed Bookmarks dedicated to and detailing the contributions of 15 Black Trailblazers born in Cambridge<em>,</em> now, therefore, be it</p> <p>RESOLVED: That the Cambridge Public Schools goes on record recognizing Black History Month.</p>