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Jevon Byrd’s remarks interrupt Black History Month proclamation at Olympia City Council meeting
Summary
At the Feb. 3 Olympia City Council meeting, guest speaker Jevon Byrd gave an impassioned critique of systemic racism during a Black History Month proclamation; Mayor Dante Payne interrupted the remarks, called them disrespectful and recessed the meeting. Council members later apologized to each other and reaffirmed the proclamation.
Jevon Byrd, invited as an event coordinator for a Black History Month proclamation at the Olympia City Council’s Feb. 3 meeting, delivered an impassioned critique of systemic racism that the mayor interrupted and stopped, prompting a brief recess.
Byrd, whom Mayor Dante Payne introduced as the Hawk Foundation’s event coordinator, said during his remarks that he had to "remind myself to control the boiling in my blood" and accused "white liberals" of offering "fake smiles and gestures of reconciliation" that fall short of justice. "You thought inviting me here today, did you think that inviting me here today, you taught a big ***** a lesson? You thought I'd come back humbled?" Byrd said in a passage the mayor cut off.
The interruption prompted an immediate response from Mayor Payne, who told Byrd he would have to stop the remarks and later apologized to the chamber for the lack of decorum. "I am sorry that that moment happened," Payne said after the recess, calling the disruption "not representative of what Black History Month is about" and emphasizing the council’s commitment to honoring the month.
Council members offered public remarks after the interruption. Council Member Clark Gilman highlighted local recognition of Black leaders and a portrait installation for Maxine Mims, while Council Member Green, speaking as an ally, thanked Mayor Payne for his leadership and extended support. "You are so out front about who you are and your history," Green said, adding that the month should be educational and less stressful going forward.
Mayor Payne used the post-recess time to reaffirm the city’s commitment to Black History Month programming and to announce an all-day event on Feb. 20, hosted by the Hawk Foundation in partnership with the Olympia School District and featuring author Joy DeGru as a speaker. Payne asked the public to attend and said the forthcoming event would not be "like what just happened here."
The council did not take disciplinary action at the meeting and proceeded with the rest of its agenda after the recess. The episode left members emphasizing both the importance of the month and expectations for decorum when remarks are delivered in the chambers.
