A small crowd surrounded the flagpole in front of One Government Center to celebrate the contributions Black people have made historically, locally and nationally.
Lucas County commissioners, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, and members of the Community Solidarity Response Network of Toledo, or CSRNT, and the city’s NAACP branch stood together to celebrate the first day of Black History Month with a Pan-African flag raising ceremony Thursday.
Multiple community leaders took to a podium to reiterate the importance of having the flag raised in Lucas County and what it symbolizes.
“For African-Americans, the Pan-African flag stands for independence, liberty, and as an anti-racism symbol,” said Michael Alexander, first vice president of Toledo’s NAACP branch. “The Toledo branch of the NAACP stands proudly under a banner that symbolizes both the progress we have made and the challenges we still face in our pursuit of justice.”
The flag will be raised in front of the center for all of February in honor of Black History Month, said Willie Perryman, Jr., program specialist for the Lucas County Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.