Press Release

January 31, 2013
Black History Month February 2013
Statement by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin

Black History Month is a time to honor the achievements and sacrifices of African Americans throughout our nation’s history.  It also is a time to celebrate America’s rich diversity, which has become one of our country’s greatest strengths.

In 1926, noting the lack of attention to the accomplishments of African Americans, Dr. Carter G. Woodson helped establish Black History Month as a way to recognize and honor the painful history as well as the many achievements of African Americans.  Today, American students study and learn about some of our nation’s most iconic heroes such as the W.E.B Dubois, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks. As Marylanders, we take special pride in the accomplishments of Harriet Ross Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Thurgood Marshall, all Marylanders who shaped our history.

Black History Month has become more than a time to remember and honor the successes of the African-American community. It also has become a time to hear new voices and different perspectives and to rededicate ourselves to the Americans ideals of freedom, equality and justice.

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