County Executive to Issue Official Proclamation
FREDERICK, Md. – County Executive Jessica Fitzwater will hold a special ceremony titled “Black History in the Making” in honor of Black History Month, this Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 10 a.m. at Winchester Hall.
The ceremony will include remarks from County Council Vice President Kavonte Duckett, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Michael Hughes, as well as a presentation from AARCH Society President Protean Gambril, who will share a preview of AARCH Society’s forthcoming Heritage Center, the long-awaited museum in downtown Frederick, dedicated to telling the history of Black residents in Frederick County.
The event will also include the recitation of Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb” by the most recent graduates of the Udada Legacy program. Udada Legacy is a local program designed for young Black women, between the ages of 11 to 13, that formally recognizes and celebrates their transition to womanhood. The program is meant to foster confidence, resilience, cultural and physiological awareness, and sisterhood.
Local Creative Entrepreneur Asa Weeks will perform two original songs, “Chaos Before Eternity” and “Summertime,” which express themes about perseverance and the experience of being a first-generation American whose roots are in the African nation of Liberia.
The ceremony will conclude with the reading of the Black History Month Proclamation by County Executive Fitzwater.
Members of the public are invited to attend this celebratory event, though seating is limited.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on FCG TV cable channels 19 and 1085, and live-streamed from the County’s website, FrederickCountyMD.gov/FGCtv. Anyone needing auxiliary aids or services for effective communication should contact Frederick County Government’s ADA Coordinator at ADA@FrederickCountyMD.gov, or by calling 301-600-1110.
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