County Board Adopts Resolutions Celebrating Black Icons

Milwaukee – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted three resolutions sponsored by Supervisor Felesia A. Martin at its Wednesday, February 24 meeting celebrating the lives of baseball great Henry “Hank” Aaron, Congressman John Lewis and Reverend C.T. Vivian.

“As we conclude Black History Month, I wanted to give special recognition to three Black icons who we lost over the last year,” said Supervisor Martin. “Black history truly is U.S. history, and I thought it would be most appropriate to put these historic figures forward in memoriam as each of them have played pivotal roles in civil rights, social justice, racial justice and voting rights.”

Each resolution passed unanimously (16-0) and was cosponsored by Supervisors Ryan Clancy, Joseph J. Czarnezki, Russell Antonio Goodwin, Sr., Jason Haas, Willie Johnson, Jr., Patti Logsdon, Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, Shawn Rolland, John Weishan, Jr., Steven Shea, Liz Sumner, Sequanna Taylor, and Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson.

Henry “Hank” Aaron was a baseball Hall of Famer who played for the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, and overcame racist hate mail and death threats as he broke the home run record held at the time by Babe Ruth. He passed away in January 2021. February 4 was declared Hank Aaron Day in Milwaukee County.

John Lewis was a Congressman and civil rights leader who represented Georgia’s fifth congressional district and led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s 1964 “Mississippi Freedom Summer” to register southern Black voters. He passed away in July 2020. February 21 was declared John Lewis Day in Milwaukee County.

C.T. Vivian was a civil rights leader who worked across southern cities as an organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, leading numerous civil rights campaigns including as one of the “Freedom Riders” protesting segregated interstate busing. He passed away in July 2020. July 30 was declared C.T. Vivian Day in Milwaukee County.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.