Menlo Park celebrates Black History Month

Published on February 18, 2025

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At the Feb. 11 City Council meeting, Mayor Drew Combs proclaimed and celebrated February as Black History Month in the City of Menlo Park, honoring the cultural significance and impactful history of Black and African Americans and recognizing that our society’s rich diversity is one of our greatest strengths.

As we rejoice in the victories won by Black and African Americans throughout our history who believed in the idea of a just and fair America, we remember that, throughout that history, our collective success as a people has been driven by bold individuals who were willing to speak out and change the status quo.

We must recommit ourselves to a fair and inclusive democracy in which all persons are respected, valued equally and able to exist in their communities without the fear of persecution, discrimination and prejudice.

This year’s theme, Black Americans and Labor, focuses on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds – free and unfree, skilled and unskilled, vocational and voluntary – intersect with the collective experiences of Black people. Our observation of Black History Month this year seeks to highlight the innumerable contributions of Black business owners, laborers, CEO’s, entrepreneurs, craftspeople, artisans and more.

On Feb. 8, the City of Menlo Park held its third annual Black Liberation Month Celebration at the Belle Haven Community Campus, which included cultural entertainment, live music and dance performances, spoken word presentations, youth presentations and more and celebrated local business owners as well as those working in Belle Haven and neighboring communities.

We thank all attendees who joined us and to all of the community members who were part of the event including Nancy Cato, Konstance Kirkendoll, Mark Montgomery French, Jamey Williams, Pam Jones, Juanita Croft, Eastside High School BSU, Chillin da Conscious Poet, Step It Up youth performers, Onye and Phyllis Cooksey.

See the celebration in action:

Library Services Manager Natalya Jones welcomes community members

Library Services Manager Natalya Jones welcomes community members

(JPEG, 2MB)
Community art project lead by Nancy Cato

Community art project lead by Nancy Cato

(JPEG, 6MB)
Mayor Combs connects with community members

Mayor Combs connects with community members

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BHCC Supervisor Rondell Howard and his son

BHCC Supervisor Rondell Howard and his son

(JPEG, 5MB)
Jaliyah Minor shares leaders in the labor movement

Jaliyah Minor shares leaders in the labor movement

(JPEG, 3MB)
Staff served food made by Nutrition Coordinator Tony Ng

Staff served food made by Nutrition Coordinator Tony Ng

(JPEG, 4MB)
Konstance Kirkendoll shares recent achievements of Black Americans

Konstance Kirkendoll shares recent achievements of Black Americans

(JPEG, 4MB)
Jamey Williams, rap/spoken word performer

Jamey Williams, rap/spoken word performer

(JPEG, 3MB)



Throughout February, the City is hosting several other programs in celebration of Black History Month, including a Black History trivia night on Feb. 28. More information is available on the City-wide Calendar menlopark.gov/calendar.

View the full official proclamation here.
(PDF, 638KB)
May we all take time this month to honor the culture, history and contributions of Black and African Americans in our City, community, state, nation and the world.

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