By John McDevitt

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Employees at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children organized a Black History Celebration Luncheon Friday.

Philadelphia’s District Attorney, Seth Williams, was the featured speaker.

“I’m going to deputize all of you,” Williams joked, taking out his District Attorney badge and waving it around.

“Public safety is everyone’s responsibility, and I take that very seriously during Black History Month. Everybody wants to talk about the past. We have to be about the future — the present, saving young lives. And I deputize everyone, everywhere I go, because public safety is everyone’s responsibility,” he added.

Organizers say that since 1984, a group of employees called the “Unity Equals One Committee” has been putting on the event to educate and celebrate the African American experience.