Rotary Members Celebrate Black History Month
Yakima Rotary observes Black History Month
Black History Month is celebrated at the Downtown Yakima Rotary meeting today.
Rotary member and "Opportunities Industrialization Center" C.E.O. Steve Mitchell gave a presentation on the civil rights movement in the United States.
Mitchell says the movement has seen much success in 60 years with the election of Barack Obama as President. But he believes progress has been tainted by those who have stirred up old racial beliefs since President Obama took office.
"As we've seen in his presidency, I guess the rising up of attitudes and believes that we saw 40 or 50 years ago, and it just tells us that commitment to justice is never finished," says Mitchell.
The annual observance of February as Black History Month in the U.S. and Canada began in 1976.