First Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED
LLS NO. R25-0819.01 June McCabe x4143
HJR25-1009
House Committees Senate Committees
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 25-1009
C
ONCERNING RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY OF 2025 AS BLACK HISTORY101
M
ONTH.102
WHEREAS, Every February, the United States acknowledges and1
honors that Americans of African descent, through their contributions and2
sacrifices, have played an indelible role in shaping this country; and3
WHEREAS, Even though race, and thus the designations of4
"negro", "Black", "colored", and "African American", has been5
recognized as a construct originally built to separate and disenfranchise6
people based on skin color that was associated with people originating7
from the African continent, there is a shared culture derived from that8
history that should be seen and elevated; and9
WHEREAS, In 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known as the10
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Bacon and English, Carter, Joseph, Ricks
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Coleman and Exum,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing 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 and1
educate people about Black history and culture, as he believed that history2
created by Black people, despite attempts to limit their potential, is a3
critical part of American history; and4
WHEREAS, Dr. Woodson founded the organization now known5
as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History,6
or ASALH, galvanizing fellow historians to envision a weeklong7
celebration to encourage the coordinated teaching of Black history in8
public schools because it was not woven into the fabric of the American9
history taught year-round; and10
WHEREAS, In 1926, Dr. Woodson was successful in creating11
Negro History Week, a week celebrated during the second week of12
February, as it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and13
Frederick Douglass, both of whom ensured emancipation; and14
WHEREAS, Dr. Woodson believed that Negro History Week15
would not place limitations on but would focus and broaden the nation's16
consciousness of the importance of learning Black history and make the17
celebration of Black history in the academic field of history a serious area18
of study; and19
WHEREAS, By the late 1960s, due to demonstrations concerning20
racial injustice, inequality, and poverty during the Civil Rights21
Movement, Negro History Week evolved into what is now known as22
Black History Month; and23
WHEREAS, Calling upon Americans to "seize the opportunity to24
honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in25
every area of endeavor throughout our history", in 1976, President Gerald26
R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month during the nation's27
bicentennial; and28
WHEREAS, The Association for the Study of African American29
Life and History celebrates its 110th anniversary this year and designated30
the 2025 Black History Month theme as "African Americans and Labor",31
focusing on the various and profound ways that work and working of all32
kinds, free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary,33
intersect with the collective experiences of Black people and the34
American people; and35
HJR25-1009
-2- WHEREAS, The labor journey of Black Americans in Colorado1
began before Colorado was ratified as a state, with enslaved persons2
brought to Colorado to support and labor for settlers, including some of3
Colorado's founders; nevertheless, many escaped and former slaves found4
their way to Colorado in pursuit of the freedom to read, build families,5
and develop opportunities; and6
WHEREAS, Nat Love and James Beckwourth, often called7
"mountain men" or the pejorative to white cowhands, "cowboys",8
cultivated skills in mountaineering, fur trapping, and driving cattle in9
Colorado to contribute to the settling of the West; and10
WHEREAS, Former slaves Barney Ford and Clara Brown built11
hotels, shelters, restaurants, and other businesses to support burgeoning12
mining trades in Colorado; their wealth and influence helped them shape13
the way Colorado would be ratified as a state in the Union; and14
WHEREAS, A Black man, Henry O. Wagoner, brother-in-law to15
Barney Ford and mentor to the sons of Frederick Douglass, was appointed16
a clerk in the first Colorado state legislature; and17
WHEREAS, Representatives John T. Gunnell and Joseph H.18
Stuart, Colorado's first and second Black representatives, served19
Arapahoe County from 1881 to 1883 and from 1895 to 1897,20
respectively; Representative Gunnell sponsored House Bill 57 in 1881,21
which concerned tenants-at-will, or monthly renters, and Representative22
Stuart worked on a bill to ensure equal access to public places, regardless23
of a person's race; and24
WHEREAS, In 1910, O. T. Jackson joined the movement to25
homestead and founded Dearfield, Colorado, a community that26
exemplifies the ingenuity, industry, and work ethic of Black Coloradans;27
high agricultural demand during World War I proved a boon for the28
community, which grew squash, pumpkins, watermelon, beans, corn,29
potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and livestock; and30
WHEREAS, Despite the contributions of Black Americans to the31
development of the state of Colorado, progress for Black Americans in32
Colorado stalled throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth33
centuries; Black workers in Colorado held essential but low-wage34
positions, and as of 1930, almost 90 percent of Black women in Denver35
worked in domestic service, and nearly two-thirds of Black men in36
HJR25-1009
-3- Denver worked as laborers or slightly elevated porters; and1
WHEREAS, 2025 marks the 100-year anniversary of the creation2
of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, the first Black3
union to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor, by labor4
organizer and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph; Martin Luther5
King, Jr. incorporated issues outlined by Randolph's March on6
Washington Movement, such as economic justice, into his Poor People's7
Campaign; and8
WHEREAS, Black veterans returning from World War II were9
stationed in or relocated to Colorado and used their military and job10
training, as well as the educational opportunities provided by the G.I. Bill,11
to fight and ensure that the values of freedom they fought for overseas12
would be upheld for Black people in Colorado; and13
WHEREAS, This generation of Black people in Colorado fought14
and accessed the middle class and spawned civil and elected leaders like15
Lieutenant Governor George Brown, Regent Rachel B. Noel, Boulder16
Mayor Penfield Tate II, Representative Arie Taylor, Secretary of State17
Victoria Buckley, and more, all of whom committed to ensure Black18
people had access to education, professional jobs, business, voting, and19
housing across segregated lines; and20
WHEREAS, Tuskegee Airmen like James Reynolds led the21
Denver branch of the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE, as the group22
organized protests from sit-ins to freedom rides across the country, and23
members Wilma and Wellington Webb and Anna Jo Haynes would go on24
to end policies rooted in racism, such as redlining and school segregation;25
and26
WHEREAS, In 1951, Colorado became the second state in the27
Mountain West (after New Mexico) to enact a fair employment law, and28
in 1957, the state passed a fair employment bill covering both private and29
public employers, placing enforcement under an independent agency, the30
Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission, where Mr. Reynolds would31
later become a commissioner; and32
WHEREAS, Black Americans have focused on examining three33
particular eras of Black history to pursue enlightenment and true equality:34
Looking to history and beliefs in values to be freed first from bondage;35
then to be freed from overtly oppressive laws and policies designed to36
HJR25-1009
-4- separate and disenfranchise; and now, presently, to mitigate the impact of1
such laws through examining and dismantling lingering systems; and to2
this end, Black Coloradans continue to advocate for and pioneer equity3
to achieve equality for all; now, therefore,4
Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth5
General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:6
(1) That the General Assembly recognizes the contributions7
Americans of African descent have made to the development of Colorado8
and the United States; and9
(2) That the General Assembly recognizes February of 2025 as10
Black History Month to celebrate the rich cultural heritage, impact, and11
triumphs of, and acknowledge the adversities faced as a part of, the12
African diaspora in the United States and in Colorado.13
Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent14
to History Colorado, Governor Jared Polis, and the members of15
Colorado's congressional delegation.16
HJR25-1009
-5-