LRB-1783/1
CMH:cjs
2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
February 20, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives Drake, Baldeh, Myers,
Haywood, Stubbs, Moore Omokunde, Madison, Neubauer, Ohnstad,
Shelton, Snodgrass, Palmeri, Clancy, Hong, Goyke, Andraca, Sinicki,
Ratcliff, Considine, C. Anderson, J. Anderson, Bare, Vining, Riemer, Allen,
Murphy, Emerson, Joers, Subeck, Ortiz-Velez, Conley, Billings,
Shankland, Cabrera, Jacobson, Doyle, McGuire and Tusler, cosponsored by
Senators L. Johnson, Agard, Carpenter, Wirch, Larson, Spreitzer, Smith,
Hesselbein, Roys and Pfaff. Referred to Committee on Rules.
AJR11,1,1 1Relating to: proclaiming February 2023 as Black History Month.
AJR11,1,42 Whereas, Black History Month provides a deliberate opportunity to reflect on
3the common humanity underlying all people and to raise awareness and foster
4respect for the heritage and contributions of people of African descent; and
AJR11,1,105 Whereas, this year marks over 400 years since the arrival of enslaved Africans
6in Virginia. The existence of Africans in North America can be traced back to 1525,
7and through 1866 the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade is estimated to have ensnared
8more than 12 million African people, with an estimated 10 million surviving the
9unconscionable Middle Passage, landing in North America, the Caribbean, and
10South America; and
AJR11,1,1311 Whereas, Wisconsin history first references African descendants in a speech
12given in 1725 by a chief of the Illinois Indians, in which he said, “a negro belonging
13to Monsieur de Boisbriant" at Green Bay; and
AJR11,2,314 Whereas, on February 12, 1926, noted Harvard scholar and historian Dr.
15Carter G. Woodson founded “Negro History Week,” and since then the United States

1has recognized first Negro History Week and then Black History Month and
2celebrated the ethnic and racial diversity that enriches and strengthens our nation;
3and
AJR11,2,84 Whereas, both enslaved and free people of African descent have participated in
5every aspect of America's effort to secure, protect, and advance the cause of freedom
6and civil rights, and have stories that are an inspiration to all citizens, that reflect
7the triumph of the human spirit, and that offer the hopes of everyday people to rise
8above both prejudice and circumstance and to build lives of dignity; and
AJR11,2,109 Whereas, people of African descent or African Americans have made
10measurable differences in their respective industries, such as:
AJR11,2,1811 1. Elisterine Clayton — 100-year-old Milwaukee resident, who along with her
12husband Powell Clayton were a part of building the historic Halyard Park
13community. Halyard Park is one of the longest-standing African-American middle
14class residential neighborhoods within Milwaukee. Elisterine owned and operated
15a series of grocery stores in underserved communities and ensured that residents
16had access to healthy food options within their neighborhoods. She was a part of a
17pioneering group that brought Black-owned banks, medical practices, and
18businesses to the Bronzeville area.
AJR11,2,2019 2. Torre Johnson, Sr. — Founder of X-Men United. Longtime Community and
20Youth Advocate. Connected to Jeanetta Robinson and CYD.
AJR11,2,2321 3. Gab Taylor — Cofounder of Program the Parks and member of Standing Up
22for Racial Justice. Held activities and programming for youth in Sherman park since
232016 and fed hundreds of young people from Sherman Park to Moody Park.
AJR11,3,3
14. Paul Higginbotham — The first African-American judge to serve on the
2Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He was appointed to the court by Governor James Doyle
3in 2003 and subsequently elected to the court in 2005.
AJR11,3,64 5. Marcia Anderson — A retired senior officer of the United States Army
5Reserve from Beloit, Wisconsin. The first African-American woman to become a
6major general in the United States Army Reserve.
AJR11,3,107 6. Alonzo Robinson Jr. — Wisconsin's first African-American registered
8Architect and the City of Milwaukee's first Black registered Municipal Architect. On
9Tuesday, November 30, 2021, the Milwaukee Fire Department Administration
10building was renamed after Alonzo Robinson.
AJR11,3,1411 7. Dr. William Rogers — a historian and educator, who was an integral part of
12the formation of the Black Radio Network, an African studies educator, who made
13significant contributions to the study of Black life, civil rights, and social justice; now,
14therefore, be it
AJR11,3,18 15Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin
16Legislature recognizes February 2023 as Black History Month and extends
17appreciation to the above-named persons for their contributions to the state of
18Wisconsin, the country, and their fellow citizens.
AJR11,3,1919 (End)
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