State College Mayor Ezra Nanes proclaims Black History Month, hears Racial Equity Advisory Commission plans

Mayor Ezra Nanes proclaimed February 2024 Black History Month at the State College Borough Council meeting Monday as community members accepted it in speeches.

Following the proclamation, members discussed plans for the Racial Equity Advisory Commission with chair Gary Abdullah, including events for the month’s celebration and others throughout the coming year.

“We honor local individuals and groups, our neighbors, friends, and colleagues, who have enriched all of our lives,” Nanes said. “We honor these countless people, who nevertheless persisted through unimaginable cruelty and adversity, justified by racial falsehoods.”

The theme for this year’s Black History Month is “African Americans and the arts”, which explores the impact and influence that African Americans have had on the development of art culture and expression in the United States.

After his statement, Nanes invited guests to speak in front of about 30 audience members and 30 more on Zoom on the importance of the month socially and culturally, and what it means to the community.

Elana Laing, a second-year Penn State College of Communications student, shared her passion for the month’s recognition.

“No matter what identities and walks of life we share, due to the tireless efforts of trailblazing colored and Black people in the past, and present people who are going to make an impact in the future,” Laing said. “We all have a story to tell, an art to express, and an impression to leave on those around us. …For many of us today, the proclamation is a step in that direction.”

The council then heard from Carmin Wong, a poet, playwright, and dual-title PhD student at Penn State. Wong is also a member of the Racial Equity Advisory Commission.

“Black History Month is significant for many reasons,” Wong said. “The central amplification of Black voices and Black lives, and the recognition it gives the contributions that Black folks have made in this country.”

Wong also requested that resources be available to the public in accordance with Black History Month, making the history surrounding the holiday more accessible to the community.

In a role with the Black History in Centre County Pennsylvania Project, Wong recovered lost narratives of Black Centre County residents, and digitized census records and primary materials for a previous initiative to make this information readily available.

During the following section of the council meeting, Abdullah gave a report of the previous year’s events, and spoke on the future of Black History Month’s celebration, along with beyond in 2024.

“The year’s activities laid an excellent foundation for our future new initiatives,” Abdullah said. “As we look at the immediate future, we’re still defining our role, reaching out to a variety of racial and ethnic communities in our community.”

The first initiative of the month is the African American Read-In, an event where community members will visit all of the elementary schools in the State College Area School District and read books by influential African American authors.

“[Last year] we were able to bring together the leaders from campus and community social justice groups, something that I haven’t seen in my 50+ years as a student, resident, employee or retiree here,” Abdullah said.