AJR135-ASA1,2,1714 1. Denmark Vesey—Carpenter and formerly enslaved person. Allegedly
15planned a revolt against slave owners in Charleston, South Carolina. Founder of the
16African Methodist Episcopal congregation that would become Emanuel African
17Methodist Episcopal Church.
AJR135-ASA1,2,1818 2. Nat Turner—Preacher and Leader of Nat Turner's Rebellion in 1831.
AJR135-ASA1,2,2019 3. Toussaint L'Ouverture—Haitian General and Leader of the Haitian
20Revolution.
AJR135-ASA1,2,2321 4. Alicia Garza—Co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives
22Matter Global Network, Strategy and Partnerships Director for the National
23Domestic Workers Alliance.
AJR135-ASA1,2,2524 5. Opal Tometi—Human rights advocate and strategist, Co-founder of the
25Black Lives Matter movement.
AJR135-ASA1,3,1
16. Bobby Seale—Co-founder of the Black Panther Party.
AJR135-ASA1,3,32 7. Torre Johnson Sr.—Founder of X-Men United and community and youth
3advocate.
AJR135-ASA1,3,54 8. Gab Taylor—Cofounder of Program the Parks and member of Standing Up
5for Racial Justice MKE.
AJR135-ASA1,3,76 9. Fred Hampton—American activist and Chairman of the Illinois Chapter
7of the Black Panther Party.
AJR135-ASA1,3,98 10. Venice Williams–Founder and Executive Director of Alice's Garden and
9member of Kujichagulia Producers Cooperative.
AJR135-ASA1,3,10 10Influential artists, writers, and journalists
AJR135-ASA1,3,1211 1. Nikole Hannah Jones—Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist
12and for her involvement on the 1619 Project.
AJR135-ASA1,3,1313 2. Gil Scott-Heron—Spoken word poet and musician.
AJR135-ASA1,3,1414 3. Patrisse Cullors—Black Lives Matter activist, artist, and writer.
AJR135-ASA1,3,1615 4. Bree Newsome—Filmmaker, musician, and activist who removed the
16Confederate Flag from the South Carolina state capitol on July 10, 2015.
AJR135-ASA1,3,1817 5. Angela Y. Davis—Writer, teacher, activist, and Distinguished Professor
18Emerita at the University of California–Santa Cruz.
AJR135-ASA1,3,19 19Entertainers and celebrities
AJR135-ASA1,3,2020 1. Colin Kaepernick—Civil Rights Activist and Former NFL Quarterback.
AJR135-ASA1,3,2221 2. Eddie O'Jay—Member of the Radio Hall of Fame, R&B disc jockey and
22radio personality of WOKY/Milwaukee.
AJR135-ASA1,4,223 3. Sidney Poitier—Award-winning actor who was the first Black actor to win
24the Academy Award for Best Actor. His decades-long career, starting in the 1940s,

1paved the way for many other Black actors, and he received the Presidential Medal
2of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009. He passed away earlier this year.
AJR135-ASA1,4,53 4. Cicely Tyson—Award-winning actress whose storied career spanned seven
4decades. She was best known for her portrayal of strong Black women on television.
5She passed away last year.
AJR135-ASA1,4,86 5. Chadwick Boseman—Internationally acclaimed actor best known for his
7portrayal of T'Challa in Black Panther, as well as his portrayal of other historic Black
8figures like Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall.
AJR135-ASA1,4,119 6. Giannis Antetokounmpo—The son of Nigerian immigrants and member
10of the Milwaukee Bucks who was the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2019 and 2020
11and led the Milwaukee Bucks to their second NBA Championship in 2021.
AJR135-ASA1,4,12 12Public officials
AJR135-ASA1,4,1713 1. Colin Powell—The son of Jamaican immigrants who became the first Black
14person to be confirmed as the United States Secretary of State. Mr. Powell also
15served in many other high profile positions including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
16of Staff, National Security Advisor, and Deputy National Security Advisor. He
17passed away last year due to complications from COVID-19.
AJR135-ASA1,4,2018 2. David Crowley—Former state legislator, currently serving as the first
19Black Milwaukee County Executive, as well as the youngest individual to be elected
20to that position.
AJR135-ASA1,4,2221 3. Rev. Dr. James G. White—Activist, Artist, and former Milwaukee County
22Supervisor.
AJR135-ASA1,4,23 23First responders and law enforcement officers
AJR135-ASA1,5,3
11. Kalvin Barrett—Former Dane County deputy sheriff and the first Black
2officer with the Sun Prairie Police Department, currently serving as the first Black
3Sheriff of Dane County.
AJR135-ASA1,5,54 2. Brian Chaney Austin—19-year law enforcement veteran who is the
5current Chief of Police in the city of Monona.
AJR135-ASA1,5,106 3. Jeffrey B. Norman—Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department who has
7worked for over 25 years to maintain the integrity of the city's police force. He also
8holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of
9Wisconsin–Milwaukee, a Masters of Public Administration degree from Kaplan
10University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Marquette University Law School.
AJR135-ASA1,5,11 11Entrepreneurs and business owners
AJR135-ASA1,5,1412 1. Dana Guthrie—Managing Partner at Gateway Capital. She founded
13Alchemy Angel Investors while being employed full time at a Fortune 500 company
14and managing a multimillion-dollar, global product offering.
AJR135-ASA1,5,1715 2. Nadiyah Johnson—A Milwaukee-based entrepreneur who is the founder
16of Jet Constellations and the Milky Way Tech Hub who works to expand access for
17People of Color and women in the tech industry.
AJR135-ASA1,5,2018 3. Salone Monet—Founder and creative director of the color-inclusive nude
19shoe brand, Salone Monet. The color-inclusive line has adorned the feet of Beyoncé
20Knowles, Gabrielle Union, Keke Palmer, and a host of other influential women.
AJR135-ASA1,6,221 4. Virgil Abloh—American fashion designer and entrepreneur. He was the
22artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection beginning in 2018 and was
23given increased creative responsibilities across the LVMH brand in early 2021. Mr.
24Abloh was also the chief executive officer of the Milan-based label Off-White, a

1fashion house he founded in 2013. He was also a graduate of the University of
2Wisconsin–Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.
AJR135-ASA1,6,103 5. Gerard Randall—Executive Director of the Milwaukee Education
4Partnership, which aims to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in
5Milwaukee Public Schools, bring every student up to grade level standards, improve
6access to higher education opportunities, and advocate for public education. Mr.
7Randall is the Managing Partner of The Lazarus Group, which provides education
8and workforce development guidance, strategic planning, and support. He also
9serves as adjunct professor with the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in the
10Department of Education Policy and Community Studies.
AJR135-ASA1,6,1611 6. Gaulien “Gee” Smith—Milwaukee barber and owner of Gee's Clippers who
12opened up a vaccination clinic in his barbershop to address vaccine hesitancy and
13racial disparities in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. Because of his
14efforts, he helped expand vaccine access to many in the greater Milwaukee
15community. Gee's Clippers is the largest Black barbershop in the state and has
16served the Milwaukee community for almost 25 years; and
AJR135-ASA1,6,2217 Whereas, while acknowledging the work of these leaders, it is equally critical
18to appreciate, both past and present, the long list of contributions of our fellow
19citizens; Black History Month gives Wisconsinites an occasion to recognize the
20significant influence people of African heritage have made, and continue to make, in
21the areas of medicine, art, politics, human rights, education, sports, law
22enforcement, and economic development; now, therefore, be it
AJR135-ASA1,7,2 23Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin
24Legislature recognizes February 2022 as Black History Month and extends

1appreciation to the above-named persons for their contributions to the state of
2Wisconsin, the country, and their fellow citizens.
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