The yearly gathering honored members of the Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus, heard calls for unity at a "tumultuous" time, and celebrated Black contributions to the state.
But the climate in Washington soon made its way into Gov. Andy Beshear's remarks.
"We're here today at a time when our U.S. Department of Defense refuses to recognize Black History Month, but we're doing so proudly today in the Commonwealth of Kentucky," the Democrat said to applause.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Max Wise — one of two Republican lawmakers who spoke — praised colleague Gerald Neal, the longest serving African American member of the Kentucky state legislature, and urged both sides to look past disagreements and listen to one another.
"As public servants, we're called to lead by example — not just to represent that who agree with us, but to engage meaningfully with those with different perspectives," he said.
Neal tethered Black History Month to broader diversity efforts while urging listeners to push back on moves to downplay the observance.
"We think it's very important that each of us take this seriously. And when someone reacts to that and suppresses that and does not use that as an opportunity to bring us together and move forward, then I've got a problem. And you should have a problem," the Louisville Democrat said.
The governor also used his remarks to criticize efforts to link DEI — or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — programs to the recent deadly air disaster in Washington, saying, "that's not leadership."
