Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, 509.625.6226
Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 8:07 a.m.
During a small celebration on Monday, February 7, 2022, Mayor Nadine Woodward, and Councilmember Betsy Wilkerson welcomed students from Lewis and Clark High School to celebrate the rising of the Pan-African flag above City Hall in honor of Black History Month.
“Listening today as one Black student spoke about his principal was particularly poignant and moving,” Mayor Woodward said. “With his arm around his principal, the student said, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever had a Black principal.’ That moment brought into focus the tremendous value of involving youth and pausing to make sure we are modeling the behaviors we expect of our community today and our leaders of tomorrow.”
“While this isn’t the first year having the Pan-African flag above City Hall, it was important that we involved the community and make it a celebration,” says Councilwoman Betsy Wilkerson. “Involving multicultural students from Lewis and Clark High School is the perfect example of connecting our youth to this celebration. Although small, raising of the flag is a symbolic display of recognizing the importance of Black culture in Spokane. Hopefully, next year we can make the celebration larger and include students from across the City.”
During City Council’s Legislative Session, Washington State Commissioner on African American Affairs Pastor Walter Kendricks will accept a proclamation honoring Black History Month, and on February 19th, Councilmember Wilkerson will join Numerica Credit Union with the activation of complimentary Skyrides for the community.
To view the Black History Month flag celebration please visit the City Council’s Vimeo page .
About the Spokane City Council
The City Council is the legislative body of the City of Spokane, which is home to more than 220,000 people and is located in the heart of the Inland Northwest. The City’s 2,000 employees strive to deliver efficient and effective services that facilitate economic opportunity and enhance the quality of life for all our citizens. For more information, visit SpokaneCity.org/CityCouncil/ and follow us @SpokaneCityCouncil on Facebook.
