SCRANTON, Pa. — For the second year, a ceremony was held in Scranton to honor Black History Month.
Dozens gathered at City Hall on Saturday to reflect and celebrate the role Black American's have played in shaping the city, the nation's identity, and culture.
"It's amazing, you know, it's a pandemic so we all have to take calculated risks, so I'm excited that a lot of people took the time to come out and solidarity and show their support despite the pandemic, despite the cold. It's really great to see a lot of diverse faces out here today," said Glynis Johns with the Black Scranton Project.
"Today we actually have the raising of the Pan African flag. This was an event coordinated by a lot of different groups the NAACP, the blaster and project, a lot of universities, Wilkes Universities, University of Scranton, and the school that I attended the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine," said Richard Sofoluke of Scranton.
This is the second year for the flag-raising event in the Electric City that included songs and speeches with the goal of inspiring inclusivity.
"You know, it gives me a lot of hope and it honestly really empowers me, not only me speaking but also hearing, everyone else speak, and being able to see people from the elderly, to young children, people kids that are like two years old are here and they're able to witness history, and they're able to, you know have a foundation that's going to be able for them to go out into their communities when they get older and you know, the fight for a change and make the changes that they want to see for the betterment of the people that they love," said Sofuluke.
"It's fantastic. I feel like it's definitely a historical shift, and it's really great to see that our local leaders are embracing black culture and bringing it to the cultural fabric of the city," said Johns.
"We have a tremendous amount of work to do, but we continue to work with the community to listen to make sure that our communities of color, that our LGBTQ residents are heard, that really every single voice is heard here in Scranton and a day like today is emblematic of that work," said Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.
The founder of the Black Scranton Project tells Newswatch 16 the group has a lot in the works for the upcoming year.
You can check out their website and future events here.