City Council celebrates Black History Month (video)

The Maricopa City Council paused in the middle of its meeting Tuesday night to kick-off Black History Month in Maricopa.

After the council completed roll call, Mayor Christian Price turned the microphone over to Vice-Mayor Marvin Brown and council member Henry Wade to honor local, state and national accomplishments by members of the African-American community.

“In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson got the idea of having a Negro History Week,” Brown said. “This went on for 50 years. In 1976, President Gerald Ford thought that something else should be done, so he expanded it to one month.”

Henry Wade then delivered the mayor’s proclamation declaring the month of February as Black History Month in the city of Maricopa.

“Whereas, the City of Maricopa continues to work toward becoming an inclusive community in which all citizens, past, present, and future, are respected and recognized for their contributions and potential contributions to our community, the state, the country, and the world,” Wade said. “Now, therefore, Christian Price, Mayor of the City of Maricopa, does hereby proclaim the month of February 2016 as Black History Month in the City of Maricopa, Arizona, and we urge all citizens to join with us in celebrating the significance of Black culture in its past, today, and going forward into the future.”

The crowd then moved from the council chambers to the City Hall lobby and had the chance to socialize and enjoy desserts before the City Council reconvened to finish their meeting.

“I love the theme for this month, and hopefully we can make it the theme for the year,” Price said. “’We can do it better together.’ I think that’s the motto of the city and each of us.”