HJR 25-1009 — Black History Month February of 2025

HOUSEFirst JOINTRegular RESOLUTIONSession 25-1009Seventy-fifth BYGeneral REPRESENTATIVE(S)Assembly BaconSTATE andOF English,COLORADO Carter,ENGROSSED Joseph,LLS Ricks,NO. Bird, Boesenecker, Brown, Caldwell, Camacho, Clifford, Duran, Espenoza, Feret, Froelich, Garcia, Gilchrist, Gonzalez R., Hamrick, Hartsook, Jackson, Lieder, Lindsay, Lindstedt, Lukens, Mabrey, Marshall, Martinez, Mauro, McCormick, Paschal, Phillips, Pugliese, Rutinel, Rydin, Sirota, Smith, Soper, Stewart K., Stewart R., Story, Suckla, Taggart, Titone, Valdez, Velasco, Willford, Winter T., Zokaie, McCluskie;

alsoR25-0819.01 SENATOR(S)June ColemanMcCabe andx4143 Exum,HJR25-1009 Amabile,HOUSE Baisley,SPONSORSHIP Ball,BaconandEnglish, Bridges,Carter,Joseph,Ricks,Bird,Boesenecker,Brown,Caldwell,Camacho, Bright,Clifford, Carson,Duran, Catlin,Espenoza, Cutter,Feret, Daugherty,Froelich, Frizell,Garcia, GonzalesGilchrist, J.,Gonzalez Hinrichsen,R., JaquezHamrick, Lewis,Hartsook,Jackson,Lieder,Lindsay,Lindstedt,Lukens,Mabrey,Marshall,Martinez,Mauro, Jodeh,McCluskie, Kipp,McCormick, Kirkmeyer,Paschal, Kolker,Phillips, Liston,Pugliese, Lundeen,Rutinel, Marchman,Rydin, MichaelsonSirota, Jenet,Smith, Mullica,Soper, PeltonStewartK.,StewartR.,Story,Suckla,Taggart,Titone,Valdez,Velasco,Willford,WinterT., B.,Zokaie PeltonSENATE R.,SPONSORSHIP Rich,Coleman Roberts,and Rodriguez,Exum, Simpson,House Snyder,Committees Sullivan,Senate Weissman,Committees WinterHOUSE F..JOINT RESOLUTION 25-1009 C ONCERNING RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY OF 2025 AS BLACK H ISTORY M ONTH .

CONCERNINGRECOGNIZINGFEBRUARYOF2025WHEREAS,EveryFebruary,theUnitedStatesacknowledgesand ASBLACKhonorsthatAmericansofAfricandescent,throughtheircontributionsand HISTORYsacrifices, MONTH.have played an indelible role in shaping this country;

and WHEREAS, EveryEven February,though race, and thus the Uniteddesignations Statesof acknowledges"negro", "Black", "colored", and honorsthatAmericans"African ofAfricanAmerican", descent,throughtheircontributionshas been recognized as a construct originally built to separate and sacrifices,disenfranchise havepeople playedbased anon indelibleskin rolecolor inthat shapingwas thisassociated country;with people originating from the African continent, there is a shared culture derived from that history that should be seen and elevated;

and WHEREAS, Even though race, and thus the designations of"negro", "Black", "colored", and "African American", has been recognized as a construct originally built to separate and disenfranchise people based on skin color that was associated with people originating from the African continent, there is a shared culture derived from that history that should be seen and elevated;

Woodson, known as the "fatherg ofBlackhistory",2 firstE setd outto2 designateS ae time3 toO promotel and educate people aboutBlackhistory and culture, as he believedthathistory created by Blackpeople, despite attempts to limittheirpotential, is a criticalShading partdenotes ofAmericanHOUSE history;amendment.

Double underlining denotes SENATE amendmHni.r Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added toFeFisting law.

Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.

"father of Black history", first set out to designate a time to promote and educatepeopleaboutBlackhistoryandculture,ashebelievedthathistory created by Black people, despite attempts to limit their potential, is a critical part of American history;

Woodson founded the organization now known as the Association for the Study ofAfricanof African American Life and History, or ASALH, galvanizingfellowhistorianstogalvanizing envisionaweeklongcelebrationfellow historians to envision a weeklong celebration to encourage the coordinatedteachingcoordinated ofBlackteaching of Black history in public schools because it was not woven into the fabric oftheof the American history taught year-round;

WoodsonwasWoodson was successful in creatingNegrocreating Negro History Week, aweeka week celebrated during the secondweeksecond ofFebruary,week of February, as it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both ofwhomof whom ensured emancipation;

Woodson believed that Negro History Week would not place limitations on but would focus and broaden the nation's consciousness oftheof the importance oflearningof learning Black history and make the celebrationcelebrationofBlackhistoryintheacademicfieldofhistoryaseriousarea ofBlackhistoryof inthestudy; academic field ofhistory a serious area ofstudy;

and WHEREAS,WHEREAS,Bythelate1960s,duetodemonstrationsconcerning By the late 1960s, due to demonstrations concerning racial injustic'e,injustice, inequality, and poverty during the Civil Rights Movement, Negro History Week evolved into what is now known as Black History Month;

and WHEREAS, Calling upon Americans to "seize the opportunityopportunityto to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in everyareaofendeavorthroughoutourhistory",everyareaofendeavorthroughoutourhistory",in1976,PresidentGerald in 1976, PresidentGerald R.

and WHEREAS, TheAssociationThe Association for the Study ofAfricanAmericanLifeof andAfrican HistoryAmerican celebratesLifeandHistorycelebratesits110thanniversarythisyearanddesignated itsthe2025BlackHistoryMonththemeas"AfricanAmericansandLabor", 110th anniversary this year and designated the Black History Month theme as "African Americans and Labor", focusing on the various and profound ways that work and working ofallof all kinds, free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary, intersect with the collective experiences of Black people and the American people;

and PAGE-2- 2-HOUSE1009 JOINTWHEREAS, RESOLUTIONThe 25-1009labor WHEREAS,journey ThelaborjourneyofBlackAmericansof inColoradobeganBlack Americans in Colorado began before Colorado was ratified as a state, with enslaved persons brought to Colorado to support and labor for settlers, including some ofColorado'sof founders;Colorado'sfounders;nevertheless,manyescapedandformerslavesfound their way to Colorado in pursuit of the freedom to read, build families, and develop opportunities;

nevertheless,and manyWHEREAS, escapedNat Love and formerJames slavesBeckwourth, foundoften theircalled way"mountain men" or the pejorative to Coloradowhite inpursuitcowhands, ofthe"cowboys", freedomcultivated toskills read,in buildmountaineering, families,fur trapping, and developdriving opportunities;cattle in Colorado to contribute to the settling of the West;

and WHEREAS,NatLoveWHEREAS, andJamesBeckwourth,Former oftencalledslaves "mountainBarney men"Ford orthepejorativetoand whiteClara cowhands,Brown "cowboys",built cultivatedhotels, skillsshelters, inrestaurants, mountaineering, furtrapping, and drivingother cattleinColoradotobusinesses contribute to thesupport settlingburgeoning ofthemining West;trades in Colorado;

andtheir WHEREAS,wealthandinfluencehelped FormerslavesBarneyFordandClaraBrownbuilthotels,themshape shelters,the restaurants,way andColorado otherwould businessesbe toratified supportrgeoni11:gas mininga tradesstate in Colorado;the Union;

theirwealthand andinfluenceWHEREAS, helpedthemA shapetheBlack wayman, ColoradoHenry wouldO. be ratified as a state in the Union;

andWagoner, WHEREAS,brother-in-law Ato BlackBarneyFordandmentortothesonsofFrederickDouglass,wasappointed man,a Henryclerk 0.in the first Colorado state legislature;

Wagoner, brother-in-law to BarneyFordandmentortothe sons ofFrederickDouglass, was appointed a clerk in the first Colorado state legislature;

Representative Gunnell sponsored House Bill 57 in 1881, which concerned tenants-at-will, or monthlymonthlyrenters, renters, and Representative StuartStuartworkedonabilltoensureequalaccesstopublicplaces,regardless workedof on a bill to ensure equal access to public places, regardlessf a person's race;

and WHEREAS, In 1910, 0.O.

Jackson joined the movement to homestead and founded Dearfield, Colorado, a community that exemplifiesexemplifiestheingenuity,industry, the ingenuity, industry, and workworkethicof ethicfBlackBlackColoradans; Coloradans;

and PAGE 3-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 25-1009 WHEREAS, Despite the contributions of Black Americans to the development oftheof the state of Colorado, progress for Black Americans in Colorado stalled throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries;

Black workers in Colorado held essential but low-wage positions, and as of 1930, almost 90 percent ofBlackof Black women in Denver worked in domestic service, and nearly two-thirds of Black men in -3- 1009 Denver worked as laborers or slightly elevated porters;

and WHEREAS, 2025 marks the 100-year anniversaryanniversaryof ofthethe creation of the BrotherhoodofSleepingBrotherhood CarPortersof andMaids,Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, the first BlackunionBlack union to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor, by labor organizer and civil rights activist A.

·PhilipPhilip Randolph;

incorporated issues outlined by Randolph's March on WashingtonMovement,Washington Movement, such as economicjustice,economic justice, into his PoorPeople'sPoor People's Campaign;

and WHEREAS, Black veterans returning from World War II were stationed in or relocated to Colorado and used their military and job training,training,aswellastheeducationalopportunitiesprovidedbytheG.I.Bill, aswellastheto educationalopportunitiesprovidedbythefight G.I.and ensure that the values of freedom they fought for overseas would be upheld for Black people in Colorado;

Bill,and toWHEREAS, fightThis andgeneration ensureof thatBlack people in Colorado fought and accessed the valuesmiddle ofclass freedomand theyspawned foughtcivil forand overseaselected wouldleaders belike upheldLieutenant forGovernor BlackGeorge peopleBrown, inRegent Colorado;Rachel B.

and WHEREAS, This generation ofBlackpeople in Colorado fought and accessed the middle class and spawned civil and elected leaders like Lieutenant Governor George Brown, Regent Rachel B.

and WHEREAS, Tuskegee Airmen like James Reynolds led the DenverDenverbranchoftheCongressofRacialEquality,orCORE,asthegroup branch of the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, as the group organized protests from sit-ins to freedom rides across the country, and membersmembersWilmaandWellingtonWebbandAnnaJoHayneswouldgoon Wilmaandtoendpoliciesrootedinracism,suchasredliningandschoolsegregation; Wellington Webb andAnnaJo Haynes would go on to endpoliciesrootedinracism, such as redlining andschool segregation;

and PAGE 4-HOUSEJOINT RESOLUTION 25-1009 WHEREAS, In 1951, Colorado became the second state in the Mountain West (afterNew(after New Mexico) to enact a fair employment law, and inin1957,thestatepassedafairemploymentbillcoveringbothprivateand 1957,publicemployers,placingenforcementunderanindependentagency,the the statepassed a fair employmentbill coveringbothprivate and public employers, placing enforcementunder an independentagency, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission, where Mr.

and WHEREAS, Black Americans have focused on examining three particularerasparticularerasofBlackhistorytopursueenlightenmentandtrueequality: ofBlackhistorytopursue enlightenmentandtrue equality:

then to be freed from overtly oppressive laws and policies designed to separate-4- 1009 separateanddisenfranchise;andnow,presently,tomitigatetheimpactof such laws through examining and disenfranchise;dismantling lingering systems;

andnow, presently, to mitigate the impactf such laws through examining and dismantling lingering systems;

now, therefore, BeBeItResolvedbytheHouseofRepresentativesoftheSeventy-fifth ItGeneralAssemblyoftheStateofColorado,theSenateconcurringherein: Resolved by the House ofRepresentatives ofthe Seventy-fifth GeneralAssembly oftheState ofColorado, the Senate concurringherein:

(1) That the General Assembly recognizes the contributions AmericansAmericansofAfricandescenthavemadetothedevelopmentofColorado ofAfricandescenthavemadetothe developmentofColorado and the United States;