Colorado Democrats Commemorate Black History Month
Denver, CO - The Colorado Democratic Party released the following joint statement to commemorate Black History Month from Chair Morgan Carroll, Executive Director Halisi Vinson, and Chair of the African American Initiative of the Colorado Democrats Shenika Carter:
“This month, we take the time to celebrate Black excellence and Black achievement that have been so crucial to the growth of the United States of America. While we celebrate the excellence and achievement of Black leaders like Congressman John Lewis, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, Dr. King, Katherine Johnson, and too many others to name, we in Colorado can take special pride for the Black pioneers who journeyed west in search of freedom, dignity, and fair treatment. From the trailblazers like Barney Ford and Julia Greeley, to the bravery of the western Buffalo Soldiers, to modern day pioneers like Wellington and Wilma Webb, we have much to celebrate in Colorado this Black History Month.
“While we take the time to celebrate Black excellence and achievement, we must also recognize the systemic and rampant racism that endures in our country’s politics and in our society. Last summer's peaceful protests declaring Black Lives Matter were not just in response to the killings of Elijah McClain, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others to name at the hands of corrupt law enforcement. Today’s Black communities are still grappling with the consequences of Jim Crow. We still see racial-based inequity in every aspect of people’s lives, from job opportunities and housing to criminal justice and health care. While we have made progress, the harsh reality remains that being Black in America means that the American Dream has still been deferred for too many.
“We affirm on this day as Democrats to continue to build on the excellent work achieved by Black elected officials, community leaders, and grassroots activists here in Colorado and across the country to move us closer to our nation’s founding principles of equality, liberty, and justice for all. While the struggle continues, the dream isn’t dead. We saw that with the election of Barack Obama as our first Black President. We saw that days ago with the swearing-in of Kamala Harris as our first Black woman Vice President. And we saw that with Amanda Gorman, a young Black woman named National Youth Poet Laureate who wisely proclaimed at the 2021 Inauguration that ‘being American is more than a pride we inherit, it's the past we step into and how we repair it’.
###