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‘African American History Is American History’: Council Honors Labor Movement During Black History Month

Montgomery County Council celebrated Black History Month Tuesday with a specially created video, a proclamation and luncheon.

The theme was African Americans and Labor and the presentations and video revolved around the past and current efforts of such labor unions as Montgomery County Government Employees, American Association of University Professors and SEIU – Service Employees International Union.

“African American history is American history,” declared Council President Kate Stewart. The Black labor movement embodies economic justice and racial equality, she noted.

Referring to the federal government, Stewart said, “Now is not the time to sit by idly.” She added, “A struggle is the responsibility of every one of us.”

Council Vice President Will Jawando declared, “We are going to celebrate Black History Month in Montgomery County now and in the future.”

Jawando noted that Black labor “literally built this nation.”

Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles referred to “a deliberate effort” to erase Black history, declaring she continues to “work hard to break down barriers.”

Sayles, the first Black woman and the first of Jamaican heritage elected as a council member-at-large, said that things are still not equal. She pointed to the lack of Black people in leadership roles and problems obtaining housing.

My Cup Runneth Over Southern Cuisine, a Black-owned business in Gaithersburg, catered the luncheon.

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