Proclamation
of the City of Foster City, California
Recognizing February 2026 as "Black History Month"
WHEREAS, this month, we pay homage to the rich history and contributions of African Americans who have shaped our nation in innumerable ways. Black History Month rightfully centers the struggles and triumphs of African Americans to tell a fuller story of America and the diverse communities that built it; and WHEREAS, the 2026 theme for Black History Month, "A Century of Black History Commemorations," urges us to explore the impact and meaning of Black history and life commemorations in transforming the status of Black peoples in the modern world; and
WHEREAS, along with writing Black histories, antebellum Black scholars north of slavery started observing the milestones in the struggle of people of African descent to gain their freedom and equality; and WHEREAS, to understand the modern world, especially nations where Black peoples form a significant population, one must grapple with the impact that the public observances have had on the past and the present; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), sought to turn the commemorations more forthrightly into a far-reaching, organized, and sustained effort to transform how Black people viewed themselves and how the world viewed them; and WHEREAS, on February 10, 1976, during the United States Bicentennial, President Gerald R. Ford became the first president to issue a message recognizing Black History Month. Then in 1986, Congress passed Public Law 99-244 designating February as Black History Month. These efforts have made February the month when Black history finds its way not simply into the schools of the American nation, but also into cultural heritage sites, public squares, workplaces, houses of worship, and homes across the land and across the oceans; and WHEREAS, Black history's value is not its contribution to mainstream historical narratives, but its resonance in the lives of Black people.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ART KIESEL, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF FOSTER CITY, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL, officially recognize February 2026 as "Black History Month," honor the great and necessary work by Black Americans who have and continue to improve our country, state, and city, and encourage all residents to celebrate, learn, and respect Black heritage and culture while maintaining efforts to create a more just, peaceful, and prosperous world for all.
DI FOL IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand
and have caused the official seal of the City of Foster City to be affixed this 17th day of February, two thousand twenty-six, A.D.
ART KIESEL, MAYOR