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Fairfax City marked the start of Black History Month with a Jan. 28 ceremony honoring African American history, labor and civic contributions.
The evening began with a catered reception at the City Hall atrium for guest of honor Rev. Jeffery Johnson, pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Fairfax. Johnson later delivered a dramatic recitation of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, first given during the Aug. 28, 1963, March on Washington.
In Council chambers, Mayor Catherine Read presented Johnson with a proclamation officially designating February 2025 as Black History Month in Fairfax City.
The proclamation highlighted historian Carter G. Woodson’s role in establishing the observance and celebrated the diversity and contributions of Black people in Fairfax, Virginia and across the nation. It also acknowledged that the country has not fully lived up to its founding ideals of equality or adequately recognized the courage, sacrifices and work of Black Americans since the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619.
City leaders further recognized the continuing effects of systemic racism, including health disparities, disproportionate representation in prisons and homeless populations, and multigenerational trauma within Black communities.
The proclamation embraced the year’s theme, “African Americans and Labor,” emphasizing how Black workers and leaders have shaped the United States. It cited figures including Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Rosa Parks, King and President Barack Obama.
It also identified historical obstacles to full employment, including exclusion from higher education, segregation in the federal workforce and military, voter disenfranchisement and discriminatory hiring practices.
Read encouraged residents to explore African American experiences through books, theater, films, documentaries and community events. She emphasized that Black history is part of American history throughout the year and urged residents to learn more about the centuries of African American labor that helped build the nation.
After receiving the proclamation, Johnson noted that Mt. Calvary Baptist Church was established in May 1870 and was approaching its 155th anniversary. He thanked Read for recognizing African American history and said Black residents’ voices and perspectives were welcomed and considered by the city administration.