Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott declared February as Vermont African American Heritage Trail Month during a proclamation ceremony and signing at the Vermont State House today.
Joined by members of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, Gov. Scott said, “by issuing this proclamation, I want to encourage Vermonters to learn about the contributions and accomplishments of those on – and involved with – the Heritage Trail. The Heritage Trail would not exist without the Vermont Partnership for Fairness & Diversity, under the leadership of Curtiss Reed, Jr. and a team of volunteer researchers and Vermont agencies.”
Governor Scott added, “Vermont’s history, at its roots, is multicultural from the members of Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys with African heritage to the state’s constitution, which was the first to prohibit slavery.”
The Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity helps strengthen Vermont communities by promoting inclusive and equitable practices to eliminate prejudice and discrimination. The Vermont African American Heritage Trail is one of the many tools the group has developed to address challenges to diversity and promote inclusive communities.
The Heritage Trail launched January 15, 2013 to celebrate Vermonters of African heritage, promote cultural tourism to Vermont and educate Vermont students on the accomplishments of Vermonters of African heritage. The Heritage Trail reflects Vermont has been an inclusive destination since the 1600’s.
The Vermont Partnership in collaboration with state agencies and departments has been aggressively promoting the Heritage Trail to skiers, snowboarders, cyclists, fly fishermen and women and other outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy Vermont’s history. Speaking at the proclamation signing, Reed added, “there are a lot of reasons to come here [to Vermont] to explore our history and understand that – even given our demographics – we still have an incredible amount of history.”