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Polk County proclaims February 2025 Black History Month; local leaders urge continued community focus
Summary
Polk County supervisors read and approved a Black History Month proclamation and heard brief remarks from Wilkie House, Jordan House Museum and Sixth Avenue Corridor leaders highlighting local history, youth programming and business diversity.
Polk County supervisors read a proclamation designating February 2025 as Black History Month and invited local leaders to speak about the county’s African American history and ongoing community programs.
The proclamation notes the 1915 founding of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the 1976 expansion of Black History Week into Black History Month, and it names Fort Des Moines and the Jordan House among local sites tied to Polk County’s Black history.
Wesley Caldwell, interim executive director of the Wilkie House, told the board the organization has served Polk County youth for more than a century and described the center as “a pillar in the Polk County area.” Caldwell said the Wilkie House aims “to develop character and esteem in young people through promotion of academics, socials and skill building, health and recreation,” and asked the board to include the Wilkie House when county history is presented.
Gail Brubaker, executive director of the West Des Moines Historical Society, which operates the Jordan House Museum, thanked the board and said, “Black history is American history.” She urged continued attention to pre–Civil War local history and the Jordan family’s role as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Jasmine Brooks, executive director of the Sixth Avenue Corridor, said the district’s vibrancy depends on local entrepreneurs and multilingual families, noting “over 30 languages being spoken” in the neighborhood elementary school. Brooks characterized the proclamation as “more than just recognition” and “a call to action to continue striving toward a future where equity and opportunity intersect.”
The board closed the public portion of the proclamation segment by inviting those present to receive certificates and take a group photo.
The proclamation and speakers’ remarks were entered into the meeting record; no separate formal vote on the proclamation was recorded in the transcript excerpt.
