by Charlotte Clymer •
WASHINGTON -- Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, marked the beginning of Black History Month. Throughout the month, HRC will shine a spotlight on the long history of Black leadership in the LGBTQ movement and the ways in which Black LGBTQ and allied trailblazers have been, and continue to be, at the center of the fight for equality across movements. HRC will also highlight the barriers and challenges that remain.
“As we mark Black History Month and celebrate the barriers that have been broken by Black LGBTQ trailblazers in the struggle for equality, we must also confront the barriers that remain, and work to lift up the voices of Black and LGBTQ advocates challenging systems of power and oppression every day,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.“Throughout this month, we must not only celebrate our heroes but reflect on how we can bring long-marginalized voices within our movement to the forefront and accelerate the pace of progress toward an America where everyone within the LGBTQ community is equal.”
During Black History Month, HRC will lift up the history of Black leadership within the LGBTQ community, and spotlight a new generation of Black leaders who are fighting the violence and discrimination of white supremacy and other forms of hatred.
Several recent events -- including the attack on Jussie Smollett and a brutal attack on Candice Elease Pinky, a Black transgender woman in Houston who was chased down and shot five times in broad daylight -- have sparked a timely national dialogue about the epidemic of hate violence that disproportionately targets Black LGBTQ people. Last year alone, at least 26 transgender people, mostly transgender women of color, were brutally murdered.
HRC will amplify the work of the countless civil rights organizations and advocates that are on the front lines fighting against racial, social and economic injustices in America. They are leading our movement forward to restore civil rights protections through key measures like the Voting Rights Act.
This Black History Month, HRC further deepens our commitment to those in the LGBTQ community who are still too often at its margins as they advance their work in moving equality forward.
Follow HRC’s Black History Month content across our social media platforms and on our blog here.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
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