Despite a state of emergency forcing county closures due to a severe winter onslaught, Multnomah County pressed on with a scheduled proclamation recognizing February as Black History and Black Futures Month. Commissioners Vince Jones-Dixon and Shannon Singleton, along with Health Department Director Rachael Banks, co-sponsored the proclamation which occurred on Thursday, Feb. 13, an occasion typically marked by county office buzz, but this time hallmarked by snow-covered silence.
During the event, TK Kapurura of the Multnomah County Department of County Human Services detailed the significance of the month-long observance. "Black American African ancestors forced to endure the brutal experience [of slavery]," Kapurura, hailing from Zimbabwe, noted in a statement obtained by Multnomah County News, honoring those who fought for the civil rights enjoyed across a spectrum of communities today. Canada Taylor Parker, a veteran of the County and now a workforce trauma support coordinator, underlined the interconnectedness of Black history and futures through her groundbreaking work in suicide prevention aimed at the Black community.
"I was the first person to do my job," Taylor Parker explained to Multnomah County News, adding, "The first person on my team who was hired as a KSA specifically in Black suicide prevention." She highlighted the impact of her work and its growing recognition, marking a historic move and changing landscape in the field. "We are making history right now. We are changing the world," she emphasized.
Lanel Jackson of the Multnomah County Library concluded the presentation by reading the proclamation and reiterating the deep roots of Black history, which begin in Africa and stretch through the ages of stolen African men, women, and children who brought innumerable skills and strengths. “Black history is American history,” the proclamation states, as published by Multnomah County News, committing to the eradication of systemic barriers and renewing the fight against racism, according to excerpts read by Jackson.
Board members, including Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, Commissioners Meghan Moyer, Julia Brim-Edwards, and Vince Jones-Dixon, shared sentiments on the importance of this observance. Brim-Edwards warned against the dangers of forgetting the past, stating, “That’s why it’s imperative that we take action today to proclaim Black History and Futures Month in Multnomah County," a sentiment underscored by Singleton who credited her trajectory to Black activists and electeds. "My path here was blueprinted by Black electeds, like Gladys McCoy and Loretta Smith," Singleton told Multnomah County News, evoking the legendary Shirley Chisholm in her remarks.
