House Joint Resolution 25-1009
Page 1, Line 101Concerning recognizing February of 2025 as Black History
Page 1, Line 102Month.
Page 1, Line 1WHEREAS, Every February, the United States acknowledges and
Page 1, Line 2honors that Americans of African descent, through their contributions and sacrifices, have played an indelible role in shaping this country; and
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Page 1, Line 4WHEREAS, Even though race, and thus the designations of
Page 1, Line 5"negro", "Black", "colored", and "African American", has been
Page 1, Line 6recognized as a construct originally built to separate and disenfranchise
Page 1, Line 7people based on skin color that was associated with people originating
Page 1, Line 8from the African continent, there is a shared culture derived from that history that should be seen and elevated; and
Page 1, Line 9
Page 1, Line 10WHEREAS, In 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known as the
Page 2, Line 1"father of Black history", first set out to designate a time to promote and
Page 2, Line 2educate people about Black history and culture, as he believed that history
Page 2, Line 3created by Black people, despite attempts to limit their potential, is a critical part of American history; and
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Page 2, Line 5WHEREAS, Dr. Woodson founded the organization now known
Page 2, Line 6as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History,
Page 2, Line 7or ASALH, galvanizing fellow historians to envision a weeklong
Page 2, Line 8celebration to encourage the coordinated teaching of Black history in
Page 2, Line 9public schools because it was not woven into the fabric of the American history taught year-round; and
Page 2, Line 10
Page 2, Line 11WHEREAS, In 1926, Dr. Woodson was successful in creating
Page 2, Line 12Negro History Week, a week celebrated during the second week of
Page 2, Line 13February, as it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both of whom ensured emancipation; and
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Page 2, Line 15WHEREAS, Dr. Woodson believed that Negro History Week
Page 2, Line 16would not place limitations on but would focus and broaden the nation's
Page 2, Line 17consciousness of the importance of learning Black history and make the
Page 2, Line 18celebration of Black history in the academic field of history a serious area of study; and
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Page 2, Line 20WHEREAS, By the late 1960s, due to demonstrations concerning
Page 2, Line 21racial injustice, inequality, and poverty during the Civil Rights
Page 2, Line 22Movement, Negro History Week evolved into what is now known as Black History Month; and
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Page 2, Line 24WHEREAS, Calling upon Americans to "seize the opportunity to
Page 2, Line 25honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in
Page 2, Line 26every area of endeavor throughout our history", in 1976, President Gerald
Page 2, Line 27R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month during the nation's bicentennial; and
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Page 2, Line 29WHEREAS, The Association for the Study of African American
Page 2, Line 30Life and History celebrates its 110th anniversary this year and designated
Page 2, Line 31the 2025 Black History Month theme as "African Americans and Labor",
Page 2, Line 32focusing on the various and profound ways that work and working of all
Page 2, Line 33kinds, free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary,
Page 2, Line 34intersect with the collective experiences of Black people and the American people; and
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Page 3, Line 1WHEREAS, The labor journey of Black Americans in Colorado
Page 3, Line 2began before Colorado was ratified as a state, with enslaved persons
Page 3, Line 3brought to Colorado to support and labor for settlers, including some of
Page 3, Line 4Colorado's founders; nevertheless, many escaped and former slaves found
Page 3, Line 5their way to Colorado in pursuit of the freedom to read, build families, and develop opportunities; and
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Page 3, Line 7WHEREAS, Nat Love and James Beckwourth, often called
Page 3, Line 8"mountain men" or the pejorative to white cowhands, "cowboys",
Page 3, Line 9cultivated skills in mountaineering, fur trapping, and driving cattle in Colorado to contribute to the settling of the West; and
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Page 3, Line 11WHEREAS, Former slaves Barney Ford and Clara Brown built
Page 3, Line 12hotels, shelters, restaurants, and other businesses to support burgeoning
Page 3, Line 13mining trades in Colorado; their wealth and influence helped them shape the way Colorado would be ratified as a state in the Union; and
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Page 3, Line 15WHEREAS, A Black man, Henry O. Wagoner, brother-in-law to
Page 3, Line 16Barney Ford and mentor to the sons of Frederick Douglass, was appointed a clerk in the first Colorado state legislature; and
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Page 3, Line 18WHEREAS, Representatives John T. Gunnell and Joseph H.
Page 3, Line 19Stuart, Colorado's first and second Black representatives, served
Page 3, Line 20Arapahoe County from 1881 to 1883 and from 1895 to 1897,
Page 3, Line 21respectively; Representative Gunnell sponsored House Bill 57 in 1881,
Page 3, Line 22which concerned tenants-at-will, or monthly renters, and Representative
Page 3, Line 23Stuart worked on a bill to ensure equal access to public places, regardless of a person's race; and
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Page 3, Line 25WHEREAS, In 1910, O. T. Jackson joined the movement to
Page 3, Line 26homestead and founded Dearfield, Colorado, a community that
Page 3, Line 27exemplifies the ingenuity, industry, and work ethic of Black Coloradans;
Page 3, Line 28high agricultural demand during World War I proved a boon for the
Page 3, Line 29community, which grew squash, pumpkins, watermelon, beans, corn, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and livestock; and
Page 3, Line 30
Page 3, Line 31WHEREAS, Despite the contributions of Black Americans to the
Page 3, Line 32development of the state of Colorado, progress for Black Americans in
Page 3, Line 33Colorado stalled throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth
Page 3, Line 34centuries; Black workers in Colorado held essential but low-wage
Page 3, Line 35positions, and as of 1930, almost 90 percent of Black women in Denver
Page 3, Line 36worked in domestic service, and nearly two-thirds of Black men in Denver worked as laborers or slightly elevated porters; and
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Page 4, Line 2WHEREAS, 2025 marks the 100-year anniversary of the creation
Page 4, Line 3of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, the first Black
Page 4, Line 4union to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor, by labor
Page 4, Line 5organizer and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph; Martin Luther
Page 4, Line 6King, Jr. incorporated issues outlined by Randolph's March on
Page 4, Line 7Washington Movement, such as economic justice, into his Poor People's Campaign; and
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Page 4, Line 9WHEREAS, Black veterans returning from World War II were
Page 4, Line 10stationed in or relocated to Colorado and used their military and job
Page 4, Line 11training, as well as the educational opportunities provided by the G.I. Bill,
Page 4, Line 12to fight and ensure that the values of freedom they fought for overseas would be upheld for Black people in Colorado; and
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Page 4, Line 14WHEREAS, This generation of Black people in Colorado fought
Page 4, Line 15and accessed the middle class and spawned civil and elected leaders like
Page 4, Line 16Lieutenant Governor George Brown, Regent Rachel B. Noel, Boulder
Page 4, Line 17Mayor Penfield Tate II, Representative Arie Taylor, Secretary of State
Page 4, Line 18Victoria Buckley, and more, all of whom committed to ensure Black
Page 4, Line 19people had access to education, professional jobs, business, voting, and housing across segregated lines; and
Page 4, Line 20
Page 4, Line 21WHEREAS, Tuskegee Airmen like James Reynolds led the
Page 4, Line 22Denver branch of the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, as the group
Page 4, Line 23organized protests from sit-ins to freedom rides across the country, and
Page 4, Line 24members Wilma and Wellington Webb and Anna Jo Haynes would go on
Page 4, Line 25to end policies rooted in racism, such as redlining and school segregation; and
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Page 4, Line 27WHEREAS, In 1951, Colorado became the second state in the
Page 4, Line 28Mountain West (after New Mexico) to enact a fair employment law, and
Page 4, Line 29in 1957, the state passed a fair employment bill covering both private and
Page 4, Line 30public employers, placing enforcement under an independent agency, the
Page 4, Line 31Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission, where Mr. Reynolds would later become a commissioner; and
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Page 4, Line 33WHEREAS, Black Americans have focused on examining three
Page 4, Line 34particular eras of Black history to pursue enlightenment and true equality:
Page 4, Line 35Looking to history and beliefs in values to be freed first from bondage;
Page 4, Line 36then to be freed from overtly oppressive laws and policies designed to
Page 5, Line 1separate and disenfranchise; and now, presently, to mitigate the impact of
Page 5, Line 2such laws through examining and dismantling lingering systems; and to
Page 5, Line 3this end, Black Coloradans continue to advocate for and pioneer equity to achieve equality for all; now, therefore,
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Page 5, Line 5Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
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Page 5, Line 7(1) That the General Assembly recognizes the contributions
Page 5, Line 8Americans of African descent have made to the development of Colorado and the United States; and
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Page 5, Line 10(2) That the General Assembly recognizes February of 2025 as
Page 5, Line 11Black History Month to celebrate the rich cultural heritage, impact, and
Page 5, Line 12triumphs of, and acknowledge the adversities faced as a part of, the African diaspora in the United States and in Colorado.
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Page 5, Line 14Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent
Page 5, Line 15to History Colorado, Governor Jared Polis, and the members of Colorado's congressional delegation.