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Rep. Hank Johnson's Statement on Black History Month 2021

February 2, 2021

Black History Month is not only a time for celebrating the achievers, trend setters and activists that have brought us out of darkness; but this month also serves as a time for action to make sure we don't go back to those dark times and hold those accountable who want to take us back there.

While we rejoice in the fact that someone like Senator Raphael Warnock can be proud that his 82-year-old grandmother could go from picking cotton, to picking Georgia's first Black U.S. Senator, we do not lose sight of the fact that we must once again pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act so that the precious right to vote is not once again stripped away from Black communities across this nation.

This month we say thank you to the newly appointed Black police chiefs and law enforcement officers who have signed up to put their lives on the line to protect us, but we will not stop pressing our Senators until the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is passed. This is how we begin a true path to change the warrior culture of policing.

Join me this month in not only looking to the past in observing our greatness in American culture, but securing a better future where those who hurt us unjustly are held accountable. We must protect our progress for generations to come.