State of Montana Newsroom
Montana Recognizes Black History Month
HELENA, Mont. – Earlier this month, Gov. Gianforte proclaimed February 2022 Black History Month in Montana to reflect on and celebrate the achievements of Black Montanans as well as their contributions.
In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford established Black History Month, and every subsequent U.S. President has recognized it.
The governor’s proclamation can be viewed here and below.
WHEREAS, each February Americans come together to celebrate Black Americans’ contributions to our Nation’s and State’s culture, economy, religious life, and history; and
WHEREAS, Black history in Montana dates back to 1805 when York, a Black slave, entered Montana as a part of the Lewis and Clark expedition; and
WHEREAS, Black Montanans have helped shape our state’s treasured history, including Samuel Lewis, a barber and residential developer in the mid to late 1800s and whose Bozeman home is part of the National Register of Historic Places; Sarah Gammon Bickford, owner of the Virginia City Water Company from 1900 to 1931; Taylor Gordon, a White Sulphur Springs native, singer, and author of Born to Be, his 1929 best-selling memoir; Octavia Bridgwater, one of only several hundred Black nurses permitted to serve in the Army Nurse Corps in 1942; and Geraldine Travis, who in 1974 became the first Black Montanan elected to the Montana Legislature; among others; and
WHEREAS, Montana joins our Nation in recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans who are part of the fabric of our Nation;
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