Woodbridge proclaims February 2024 Black History Month, raises Pan-African flag and outlines month-long events

Mayor John McCormick opened the meeting by reading a formal proclamation recognizing February 2024 as National Black History Month in Woodbridge Township, tying the year’s theme to “African Americans in the arts.”

Council President Kyle Anderson described the month’s origin and urged that ‘‘Black history is American history,’’ noting that local boards and commissions now include broader representation. Human Rights Commission chair Glenn Morgan told attendees: “Black history, it's American history, and we need all need to know about it.”

Morgan and township staff highlighted a new exhibit at the main library developed by Woodbridge librarians in collaboration with local artists and preservation groups, funded by the Arts Institute of Middlesex County. The Human Rights Commission said the library display (and the exhibit that was at town hall last year) will rotate through local high schools and be displayed outside the municipal building during the month.

Reverend Donna Stewart, president of the Perth Amboy area branch of the NAACP, congratulated Council President Anderson and invited the council to the branch’s Freedom Fund Banquet; the NAACP also offered support and partnership on equity issues raised during the meeting.

The township and the Human Rights Commission urged residents to attend scheduled events, including a community program hosted by the Independent Club of Colonial at the Acacia Center on Feb. 24, and to visit library displays and online HRC resources for more information.