DNC Chair Tom Perez and Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins released the following statement on Black History Month:

“Today kicks off Black History Month, a celebration of the innumerable accomplishments and invaluable contributions of Black Americans. We honor heroes of every generation and every sector of society – from Ella Baker and Bayard Rustin, to Maya Angelou and Martin Luther King Jr., to Elijah Cummings, Katherine Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and so many others throughout our history.

“But this month is not only about celebration. It’s also about understanding and combating the prejudice and injustice that continues to this very day. The sins of slavery and Jim Crow still cast their shadows over our society. We see it in our schools and our workplaces, our hospitals and our courtrooms; we watch it in horrifying videos of arrests turned violent and traffic stops turned fatal; we taste it in the water we drink and the air we breathe.

“The gap between our nation and our founding ideals remains, and it is up to us to close it. As we celebrate Black History Month, the Democratic Party remains as committed as ever to the cause of equality, justice, and economic opportunity for all Americans – no matter the color of one’s skin.”