TN HJR0811

Commemorates the 100th anniversary of Black History Month in February 2026, which originated in 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week before expanding to a monthlong observance in 1976

Recognizes notable African American Tennesseans including Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown, former Speaker Pro Tempore Lois M. DeBerry, and Leader Karen D. Camper (first African American to lead a major political party caucus in the Tennessee General Assembly in 2019)

Honors Tennessee's six Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Tennessee State University, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, and Knoxville College

Acknowledges the Highlander Folk School in New Market as a training ground for Civil Rights leaders including Rosa Parks, John Lewis, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and recognizes author Alex Haley of Henning

Encourages communities, schools, and cultural institutions to commemorate the centennial through educational programming and directs copies be sent to the National Civil Rights Museum, Beck Cultural Exchange Center, and other institutions