Portland Courant

The text of this year's proclamation, authored by the City African-American Network, is as follows:

Whereas, the City of Portland takes pride in joining Americans throughout the country in recognizing February 2023 as Black History Month; and 

Whereas, Black History Month recognizes and pays tribute to the contributions that African Americans have made to American history in their struggles for freedom and equality and deepens our understanding of just how intertwined our histories are; and  

Whereas, the theme for 2023, “Black Resistance,” allows us a moment of contemplation and reflection on African American’s fight against historic and ongoing oppression in all its forms, including physical, mental, academic, professional, legal, political, and social; and 

Whereas, Blacks have found ways to operate outside of the system and foster hope within our own communities to promote and empower Black people to persevere in spite of the intensity of White supremacy that we endure daily; and  

Whereas, we give respect and honor to those on whose backs were built the foundations of today’s Civil Rights movements at the cost of their blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifice, sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally, recognizing the frequency of comparison to the Black experience that many movements have relied upon and included in their narratives; and  

Whereas, the Black voice refuses to be silenced. As a people we will continue to rise, evolve, and elevate to higher heights and levels with no regard for the literal and figurative hurdles that have been set before us for generations. Our truth and voices cannot be muted; our voices are powerful, influential, and encouraging, and our truth writes the real narrative of the Black experience; and  

Whereas, we recognize that many tools and weapons of oppression are designed to be self-inflicting and, unfortunately, were successfully distributed by the beneficiaries of Black self-destruction, from the time of the creation of animosity between the House and Field Negros to the drugs and guns epidemic that currently plagues our communities and neighborhoods and is exploited for profit; and  

Whereas, the Black community still experiences the trauma from a healthcare system that was developed on the premise that the Negro is less human than the White man; that mental health concerns in the Black community were something to either be hidden or accepted; that emotional fatigue is communicated as weakness in relation to the idea of the strong Black man and Resilient Black woman; and that the pursuit of spiritual health has been characterized as cartoonish, outdated, and irrelevant; and 

Whereas, we are a resilient people refusing to be victims and downtrodden; standing strong, uniting, and rejecting the systemic belief that we are less than and undeserving of humane treatment that includes being treated with respect and dignity as the minimum; and 

Whereas, we rebel against extralegal violence, systemic racism, discrimination, suppression, oppression, and any treatment against the Black diaspora that neither honors us as a people nor empowers us to embrace our truth, build ourselves up, and have allies that reject the racist foundation that our nation was built upon and continues to perpetuate; and 

Whereas, the attacks on the Black Family have been intended to harm the African-American community, in many instances they have created deeper, more determined roots from which a foundation of incredible strength, resilience, beauty, creativity, love, and unity has grown, supporting growth in the areas of education, science, medicine, arts, sports, finance, and politics; and 

Whereas, there are few, if any, things more beautiful than the loving touch of a strong Black mother, the kind encouraging words of a strong Black father, the genuine respect and consideration of a strong understanding child; and African Americans are prepared to go to battle for what should be rightfully ours; this preparedness is a part of our narrative and has cultivated our courage, drive, and resilience in the face of adversity and inequality, all of which is the Identity of the Black family; and 

Whereas, Black resilience, brilliance, innovation, and power can be seen woven throughout our existence and will continue to rewrite the narrative of the Black family and continue to break barriers, challenge the status quo, and create opportunities for our contributions to be highlighted and embraced; and 

Whereas, we as a people are saying no more of the same! Our humanity matters; our struggle matters; our triumphs matter; our lives matter; and our Black experience matters. Today we celebrate our Blackness without reservation or hesitation, but with pride and honor; and 

Now, therefore, be it resolved, I Ted Wheeler, Mayor of City of Portland, Oregon, the “City of Roses,” do hereby proclaim February 2023 

Black History Month 

In Portland and encourage all residents to observe this month.  

Original source can be found here.