Department of Auditor General, Pennsylvania Treasury to Celebrate Black History Month
Department of Auditor General, Pennsylvania Treasury to Celebrate Black History Month
HARRISBURG (Feb. 23, 2018) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale and State Treasurer Joe Torsella will honor and recognize the contributions of the African American community during their 22nd annual Black History Month celebration.
The public is invited to attend the presentation, scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, in Harrisburg University’s 14th floor auditorium, 326 Market St., Harrisburg.
This year’s keynote speaker is Barbara Barksdale, also known as the “Cemetery Lady.” Barksdale led the restoration of Swatara Township’s historic Midland Cemetery, the final resting place for Buffalo Soldiers, Tuskegee Airmen and Herbert “Rap” Dixon of the Negro Leagues, the first African American to hit a home run in Yankee Stadium.
She also founded the Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds Project and chairs the International Council on Monuments and Sites Committee, which evaluates places worldwide for designation as World Heritage Sites. Her dedication to the preservation of African American history is perhaps best exemplified by her work as a reenactor, a role she will inhabit during Tuesday’s presentation.
“It’s an honor to have Barbara Barksdale lead this month’s celebration,” Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said. “She is highly respected for her work here in Central Pennsylvania. Now more than ever, it’s important to lift up voices that once were stifled. Barbara shows us history is a living, breathing reminder of past struggles that led us to where we are today.”
“It is an honor to recognize the significant contributions that African American men and women have made, and continue to make, throughout our communities,” Treasurer Joe Torsella said. “We should embrace the message of these champions, and use it as a way to connect and inspire us each and every day.”
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