County Council declares February as Black History Month

The Pierce County Council, at its Feb. 9 meeting, proclaimed February “Black History Month” via the unanimous passage of Proposal No. R2021-10.

“If one thing this last year has shown us is that in pandemics, they show us our weaknesses, they show us our inequities, they show our health disparities, and they impact us on a daily basis,” said Councilmember Marty Campbell, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic and noting society should not just be looking at history, but also the present in terms of fighting bigotry and injustice.

Council Chair Derek Young agreed, stating it was important to acknowledge and recognize black history, referring to Pierce County trailblazer and icon Harold Moss.

In 1970, Moss became the first Black man on the Tacoma City Council. He became the first Black mayor of Tacoma in 1994 and the first Black member of the Pierce County Council in 1996, where he served as chair from 2002-04.

In other business, the council passed a slew of legislation, including:

• Proposal No. 2020-140, granting the renewal of an existing nonexclusive franchise to McChord Pipeline Company, for location of petroleum products lines on certain county-owned rights-of-way.

• Proposal No. 2020-141s, vacating portions of the Buckley Tapps Highway East right-of-way in the Lake Tapps area.

• Proposal No. 2020-142, creating the Minter Bay Shellfish Protection District in Henderson Bay, west of Purdy in the Gig Harbor area.

• Proposal No. 2021-2, ratifying a memorandum of understanding with the Teamsters Local Union No. 117 General Unit and Pierce County Sheriff Unit that extends the 2018-19 labor agreements through Dec. 31, 2021.

• Proposal No. 2021-3, ratifying a memorandum of understanding with the Communications Workers of America Local Union 37083 that extends the 2020 labor agreement through Dec. 31, 2021.

• Proposal No. 2021-4, authorizing the submittal of grant applications to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office for funding assistance through the Salmon Recovery Funding Board/Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Funds Grant Program.