Philomath committee updates Women’s History Month proclamation, adds language to highlight education

The Philomath Inclusivity Committee on Feb. 25 reviewed and revised its Women’s History Month proclamation and accompanying social media post, agreeing to highlight education and the informal passing of knowledge in the text. The committee decided to update the proclamation date to 2025 and to circulate a corrected social-media graphic before the next council meeting.

During discussion, the facilitator proposed adding a 'whereas' sentence to capture teaching and intergenerational knowledge transfer. As drafted in the meeting, the committee agreed to include wording that reads in substance: 'Whereas women of Philomath have been facilitating and passing down knowledge formally and informally throughout generations.' Members debated tense, capitalization and whether to explicitly mention formal education; they concluded the language as revised achieved the intended emphasis while remaining concise.

Committee members also reviewed the draft social-media post and agreed to swap the banner artwork so the post and the city banner are consistent. Members confirmed the city's website hosts the current graphics and asked staff to locate and submit the correct file. The facilitator said staff would have Crystal correct the banner graphic and circulate the final post for approval.

On logistics, the committee asked that the proclamation be presented at the March city council meeting; Councilor Andrade agreed to read the proclamation when the item is on the council agenda. The committee also requested a recording of the recent Black History Month presentation be posted to the city's YouTube channel and to add a feedback mechanism for future events to capture attendee impressions.

The committee deferred final sign-off on the social post and related graphics until materials are circulated to members and to the city attorney if needed.