Travis County Commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 15 to approve a proclamation marking the month.
“African American history is also American history,” the proclamation reads. “And it does not diminish any of us to hear about the history of all of us.”
Gia Jones, who leads AISD's African American Heritage Celebration every year, called in to express support for the proclamation.
Commissioner Jeff Travillion, who represents much of eastern Travis County, said the proclamation follows resistance to teaching Black history from the state’s legislature, referencing efforts to remove certain books from schools, among other incidents.
“There are so many people that have come from East Austin and have done incredible things but we don’t know who they are,” Travillion said. “And there’s a push from the legislature to make sure we don’t know who those people are.”
