Brooklyn, NY – “Today marks the beginning of Black History Month. This month is a time for us to step back and pan the legacy of black people in America as well as that which we share with our brothers and sisters in every corner of the globe. This is a time for us to remember and reflect. To revive and restore. This month we celebrate the indelible contributions that black Americans made to our nation, building it economically, culturally and politically, and the black communities ongoing efforts which continue to shape our nation’s future.

In a time when challenges to our community loom large, let us take this opportunity to increase our inspiration, to cherish and celebrate the good that work that we have done and recommit to keeping that fight strong and alive into the future. We stand on the shoulders of giants, the MLK’s, the Marcus Garvey’s, Harriet Tubman’s and W.E.B Du Bois’s – it is our responsibility to keep their legacy alive and to learn from black history so that we may create a black future.

Black history is American history, history that continues to be made.”