LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement in commemoration of the beginning of Black History Month: 

One hundred years ago, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month, to celebrate the contributions and achievements of Black Americans. Dr. Woodson made the astute observation that “those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”

Black history is an indispensable part of the American story. From the resilience of enslaved Africans who were first brought here in 1619 to the valor of Black troops who served in every U.S. military conflict since the American revolution, brilliance of inventors like Dr. Charles Drew and courage of civil rights champions like Rosa Parks, Dr. King, Fannie Lou Hamer and John Lewis, Black Americans have shaped us into the nation we are today. 

Ensuring that the full story of America is told is now more important than ever, with Donald Trump and his sycophants banning books about Black people from classrooms and libraries, sanitizing history at National Parks and Smithsonian museums and repeatedly glorifying the racist traitors who fought for the Confederacy. This erasure of history paired with the Trump administration’s elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is part of a concerted attack on the livelihoods of Black Americans.

House Democrats will push back aggressively against efforts to turn back the clock on progress and whitewash American history. We remain inspired by the examples of those who got into Good Trouble and committed to pushing forward our country’s long, necessary and majestic march towards a more perfect union. Together, we shall overcome.