Whereas Black History Month is a historic tradition beginning in 1926 to honor and celebrate the aspirations and accomplishments of Black individuals, both past and contemporary; Whereas our Nation has been enriched by the countless contributions of generations of LGBTQI+ Black individuals, most of whom have never been seen or recognized; Whereas untold LGBTQI+ Black individuals have experienced the compounding impacts of racism and anti-LGBTQI+ bias and hatred, but nonetheless continued to fight for justice and equity; Whereas it is critically important to reflect upon and celebrate the unique contributions that Black LGBTQI+ leaders have made throughout the history of our Nation; Whereas Alvin Ailey was a famed dancer and choreographer, who moved audiences with his thrillingly theatrical dance moves for decades; Whereas James Baldwin was a powerful novelist, playwright, and social critic, who educated and prodded our Nation’s conscience with his words; Whereas Glenn Burke, a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics, was the league’s first openly gay player and delighted the world by inventing the high-five; Whereas Patrisse Cullors and Alicia Garza, two of the three founders of Black Lives Matter, inspired a civil rights movement grounded in justice and equality; Whereas Andrea Jenkins is the first openly transgender woman to be elected to public office in the State of Minnesota and the first Black transgender woman elected to public office in the Nation; Whereas Martin Jenkins made history in 2020 as the first openly gay California Supreme Court Justice and just the third Black man to serve on the State’s highest court; Whereas Marsha P. Johnson was a transgender rights activist and drag performer who fought anti-LGBTQI+ police raids and helped lead the Stonewall Uprising in June 1969; Whereas Barbara Jordan was a lawyer, civil rights leader, and the first African American elected to the House of Representatives from Texas