HomeMy WebLinkAboutR - R-2023-12 - City Council Resolution to Declare Major Jackson an Honorary Native Son 2023 - 12
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or. . southburlington
VERMONT
SOUTH BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION
TO DECLARE MAJOR JACKSON AN HONORARY NATIVE SON
WHEREAS, Major Jackson lived in South Burlington, VT, from 2002 to 2021; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson was employed at the University of Vermont as a University Distinguished
Professor and the Richard Dennis Green & Gold Professor until 2021; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson was an active South Burlington resident, neighbor, local poet, and constituent; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson was a longtime and beloved resident of Mayfair Park, a neighborhood once
restricted to whites through a deed covenant active from 1940 until 1948 when all participating justices of the
U.S. Supreme Court unanimously found that the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause prohibited
the enforcement of such restrictive housing covenants, and since 2006 struck from the South Burlington land
records; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson has always accepted an invitation to share his wisdom and words with an audience
open to dialogue and learning, including as a Visiting Poet at the South Burlington Library and Frederick H.
Tuttle Middle School; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson was appointed by Governor Jim Douglas to the Vermont Humanities Council; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson was a longtime and consequential member and chairman of the Vermont
Humanities Council; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson's personal and poetic mission is to uphold and model the values of civics, civility,
education, freedom, and equality for all; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson over the course of a generation made himself integral to the fabric of our city and
of our local culture, to which he generously brings his voice and his sublime artistry; and,
WHEREAS, Major Jackson delivers, without fail, on a mission that fuels him and has once again graced his
former hometown here, today on June 19, 2023, as South Burlington commemorates its first inaugural
Juneteenth celebration.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the South Burlington City Council, that we hereby declare Major
Jackson an honorary native son and offer him our sincere gratitude for his contributions to our residents, region,
and state.
Signe this 19`i' d f June 2023.
Helen Riehle, Chair Viler Bar ncilor
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Meaghan r Vice-Chair Andrew Chalnick, Counirr
Ti Barritt, Clerk
180 Market Street, South Burlington, Vermont 05403 1802-846-4107 I www.southburlingtonvt.gov