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Austin proclaims Black History Month centennial; NAACP leader urges continued civic vigilance
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Summary
Mayor Pro Tem Chitovella read a proclamation marking 100 years of Black History Month in Austin and NAACP Austin president Nelson Linder urged residents to use history as fuel for civic participation and to guard voting and civil-rights protections.
Mayor Pro Tem Chitovella opened the Feb. 26 ceremony by proclaiming the Black History Month Centennial Celebration Day, citing local leaders from Reconstruction through the modern era and urging continued work on equity in the city.
“In Austin, Black history is Austin history,” Chitovella said as he read the proclamation recognizing the centennial and the city’s cultural-heritage efforts.
Nelson Linder, president of the Austin chapter of the NAACP, recounted the chapter’s founding in 1919, named city civil-rights figures and called on attendees to remain active: “We have to understand the seriousness of this time…we can make it happen,” he said, adding that residents should use archival resources such as the Austin History Center to learn local history.
Councilmember Natasha Harper Madison, who represents District 1, said she often is asked to carry the city’s Black-focused events and urged that responsibility be shared: “Black people stuff is not just a Black council member stuff,” she said, calling for broader ownership of equitable policy and commemoration.
The proclamation cites historian Carter G. Woodson’s founding of the observance and notes Austin’s cultural-heritage district and local historically Black institutions. The city did not record a formal vote on the proclamation; it was presented and honored during the ceremony.
The event combined historical recognition with calls for civic engagement and education; organizers and speakers encouraged residents to attend upcoming local history events and to support organizations that preserve and teach the city’s Black history.
