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New Castle County Council unanimously adopts Black History Month resolution after extended remarks on education and civil rights
Summary
On Feb. 11, 2025, the New Castle County Council unanimously approved Resolution 25-036 honoring Black History Month 2025 following extended remarks from Councilman Hollins and Councilman Street that tied the observance to concerns about changes in national discourse and persistent local education inequities.
Councilman Hollins moved and the council voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 25-036 honoring Black History Month 2025.
The resolution passed Feb. 11 during a New Castle County Council meeting after an extended discussion in which Councilman Hollins and Councilman Street emphasized the ongoing importance of teaching and preserving Black history and raised concerns about threats to civil-rights gains.
Councilman Hollins, the resolution sponsor, framed the measure as part remembrance and part response to recent national discourse. "Every February, we come together to commemorate Black History Month," he said, adding that the resolution reflects "the struggles and challenge we face today." Hollins also said national leadership had contributed to the urgency behind the resolution: "The president of The United States Of America is attempting to dismantle the foundations of black history and diminish the inherent value of people of color, women, and transgender Americans as well," he said.
Councilman Street recalled long-term work on desegregation and criticized persistent local educational disparities. "I became the student advocate in 1974," Street said, and later added, "today's school system in New Castle County is... segregated today as it was when the school desegregation order was put in place." He also stated the county's educational performance in a national context: "We're 46 in the nation in education." Street said those facts shaped his support for the resolution.
Other council members associated themselves with the resolution on the record and thanked Hollins and Street for their years of service; there were no public comments during the item. The clerk called the roll and reported 13 yes votes; the resolution was approved.
The resolution is symbolic and does not appropriate funding. Council members who spoke tied the measure to broader policy conversations about school performance, equity, and the preservation of historical narratives.
