Huntington Mayor Steve Willams will be proclaiming Feb. 5, 2016 as “Dr. Carter G. Woodson Day” during a ceremony at 4 p.m. in the third floor atrium of Drinko Library on the Marshall University campus.

Communications director, Bryan Chambers said he hopes the ceremony will help members of the community better appreciate and celebrate Huntington’s rich African American history.

“It’s an opportunity for the community to learn about the cultural footprint that Dr. Woodson left on Huntington and his significance in the modern black history movement a century ago,” Chambers said.

Dr. Alan Gould, executive director of the John Deaver Drinko Academy said the event will commemorate the numerous accomplishments Woodson,

a former Huntington resident and the father of African American History contributed to the African American community in writing inclusive American

history.

Gould and Burnis Morris, the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall and a Drinko Fellow, organized

the event.

Statements for the program will be made on behalf of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins at the event by selected

members of their staffs.

Other local and state public officials are also expected to participate.

Rebecca Turnbull can be contacted at [email protected].