Governor Newsom proclaims Black History Month 2025

PROCLAMATION

This month, we pay homage to the rich history and contributions of Black Americans who have shaped our state and nation in countless ways through centuries of struggle and triumph. First proposed by scholar Carter G. Woodson in 1926, Black History Month lifts up the

Black experience in a fuller telling of America’s story, and selects a theme to highlight facets of history that merit particular attention. 
 
This year’s theme, Black Americans and labor, examines the intersection of employment and work with the Black American experience. From the atrocity of slavery to the rich legacy of Black entrepreneurship, the profound impact of Black labor in building and shaping our nation cannot be overstated.
 
American and Californian history has no shortage of Black business owners, labor leaders, CEOs, workers, and more. From the first years of California’s statehood, we have been home to changemakers like Mary Ellen Pleasant, one of the first self-made Black millionaires in the country, who owned numerous businesses and used her money to help fund the Underground Railroad and other abolition work.
 
Black communities and businesses have flourished throughout California. Altadena became the special community it is, home to a thriving middle-class community of professionals familiar with shattering glass ceilings. With twice the national Black homeownership rate, Altadena is home to scores of generational wealth and wide-reaching, beloved businesses. And as Altadena recovers from the devastation of the Eaton fires, we recognize, as a state, our responsibility to help support that recovery.
 
Black Americans have always contributed to our shared communities, our state, and our nation. In every role, from labor leaders to essential workers to CEOs, Black Californians have helped make this state the fifth-largest economy in the world, a leader in workers’ rights, and a state that stands for and supports workers and work across the board.
 
During Black History Month, let us reflect on our shared history, and draw inspiration from the progress made as we continue together on the path toward equality, liberty, and opportunity for all.
 
NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim February 2025, as “Black History Month.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 3rd day of February 2025.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State