Lancaster County to present Black History Month proclamation at gala

Lancaster County commissioners will present a Black History Month proclamation at the Black Excellence Gala on Friday, the commissioners' office said. The county said it is shifting some proclamations from meetings to community events.

Lancaster County plans to present a Black History Month proclamation at Lancaster's third-annual Black Excellence Gala, organized by the African American Cultural Alliance of Lancaster. This departs from the county's usual practice of issuing Black History Month recognitions at the first voting session in February. Wednesday's commissioners meeting ended without the proclamation, and a county spokesperson said it will be presented at the Friday gala. Officials said the commissioners have been seeking opportunities to present proclamations at community events rather than at meetings. Key facts: - The county plans to present the proclamation at Lancaster's third-annual Black Excellence Gala, organized by the African American Cultural Alliance of Lancaster. - Michael Fitzpatrick, spokesman for the commissioners' office, wrote that the proclamation will be presented at Friday's gala and that commissioners have sought to present proclamations at community events since last year. - Wednesday's commissioners meeting ended without the proclamation being presented. - Commissioner Alice Yoder said the county did not receive language for the proclamation from the Lancaster branch of the NAACP until Thursday evening and that Fitzpatrick was still finalizing its text. - Commissioners Ray D'Agostino and Josh Parsons felt there was not enough time to create and post a final version for their Tuesday work session, Yoder said. - Blanding Watson, president of the Lancaster NAACP chapter, said he learned of the county's decision to present the proclamation from a reporter. Summary: The county is moving a formal recognition into a community setting, reflecting the commissioners' stated effort to present proclamations at events. The proclamation presentation is scheduled for the upcoming gala on Friday; broader local responses or follow-up were not described.