Nipper: “Black History Month is a time to celebrate and a time to redouble our efforts”

WASHINGTON, DC, February 3, 2015 — To mark Black History Month, the National LGBTQ Task Force released the following statement:

“Black History Month is a time to celebrate the enormous and often ignored contribution that Black people have made and are making in our nation. But in the light of the murders of young Black and Brown men, and transgender women of color, this is also a time to redouble our efforts to urgently tackle the structural issues that underlie these senseless killings. We all must do more — and Congress must act by passing meaningful legislation that tackles racial profiling by police, that restores the Voting Rights Act, that helps achieve economic justice, and fundamentally reforms our criminal justice system. And, we must continue changing the hearts and minds of people so that our society may be built on the premise of unconditional justice. We do not live in a post racial nation; racism is real and its effects are devastating. It is eating into the soul of our nation. And we can’t stop, we must not stop, until racism is history,” said Darlene Nipper, Deputy Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force.

The work to achieve racial justice and full equality for all will take center stage this week at the National LGBTQ Task Force’s 27th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. On Wednesday, February 4th, the organization is holding a daylong Racial Justice Institute focused on the intersections between race, sexuality, and gender identity. At the opening plenary session on Thursday evening, ColorofChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson and Race Forward President and Executive Director Rinku Sen will be facilitating a conversation on Ferguson, the excessive use of force by police, and the systematic targeting and killing of young Black and Brown women and men. Additionally, in its work to raise awareness about the contributions of LGBTQ Black people, the National LGBTQ Task Force, in conjunction with the International Imperial Court System, is leading an effort to create a postage stamp in honor of Bayard Rustin.

–30–
To learn more about the National LGBTQ Task Force, follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce.

Media Contacts:
Jorge Amaro
Media and Public Relations Director
(Office) 202.639.6306
(Cell) 213.842.7564
jamaro@thetaskforce.org