Today, Governor Dayton announced that he has proclaimed the month of February, 2011 to be Black History Month, "as a time for all in our state to honor, reflect, learn and be inspired by the history and heritage of a culture of one of our own that sacrificed, fought, and preserved in a quest towards the Minnesotan and American dream."

In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established the official observance of African American History to honor the contributions, achievements and involvement of African American people in the development of our American Democracy. Governor Dayton's proclamation notes that "Black History Month encourages all Minnesotans to come together, reflect on our collective past and reveal its impact on present conditions andas a state, we can continue to work together to guarantee equal opportunity for all citizens."

A /governor/assets/BlackHistoryMonth.pdf_tcm1055-94755.pdfcopy of the proclamation is attached. [PDF]