Celebrating Black History Month

Black History Month was launched exactly 80 years ago to commemorate the birthdays of two American heroes: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. But many of the most important chapters of our nation’s black history have been written right here in New York by New Yorkers. After all, this is the town where Duke Ellington made music, where Langston Hughes wrote poetry, and where Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.
Over the past year, we have said goodbye to two of our city’s legendary civil rights crusaders: Judge Constance Baker Motley, who won an incredible nine of 10 civil rights cases before the Supreme Court; and Dr. Kenneth Clark, a psychologist and educator who helped dispel age-old stereotypes and tear down the walls of segregation. Like the late Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, Judge Motley and Dr. Clark never backed down in the struggle for equality.
Together, we need to carry that same spirit and determination forward as we build a stronger, more just New York. And I’m proud to say that we are doing so. Providing all children with a quality education is this generation’s civil rights struggle, and over the last four years, we’ve begun transforming our public schools to give every child the education they need and deserve. This year, as I said in my State of the City address last week, we’ll be expanding school choices, providing more support to struggling students, and continuing to do everything possible to close the intolerable achievement gap that has existed among different races and ethnic groups for far too long.
At the same time, we’re working to keep New York a city where people of all races and income levels can live and raise families. To create jobs for all, we’re leveling the playing field for women- and minority-owned businesses who want to do business with City government agencies. In the private sector, we’re working with labor and management to open up new opportunities in the building trades for women, minorities, and our returning veterans. We’re also creating a public-private task force that will attack chronic poverty in the neighborhoods where the need is greatest. And we’re launching an effort to ensure every school student has health insurance, and bolstering our campaigns against two of the city’s biggest killers - Diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
The truth is we can achieve all of this and more - but only by sticking together. Our city’s incredible diversity has always been our greatest strength. If we stay united and continue working together, we can finally realize what our city’s legendary civil rights pioneers fought so hard for: justice, opportunity, and equality for all.