WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement commemorating Black History Month:

“Midway through Black History Month, we want to pause and celebrate the brilliance, creativity, strength, and sacrifice of the Black community—and to share our excitement about an event highlighting the cost of our criminal justice system to this community.

“We remember giants like Ida B. Wells and Shirley Chisholm who worked to rebuild our world to be more free and more just. And we are made hopeful by today’s leaders like Corey Wiggins with the NAACP who is advocating for a more just society for Black Mississippians and Marliene Bastien with Family Action Network Movement who is empowering Haitian women and their families in South Florida. Along with countless others, they are building a brighter future for all Americans. We stand with them.

“FWD.us fights every day to eliminate the policy barriers in our immigration and criminal justice systems that have locked people out of the American dream. On February 28, FWD.us is partnering with the Atlantic to host And Justice for All, a gathering of policymakers, experts, and the formerly imprisoned to consider what should happen next. How could recent reforms affect the lives of prisoners, their families, and their communities? And what is left to be done?

“For too long, these failed systems have disproportionately harmed Black people. The modern explosion in mass incarceration is a new system—one that demands a true and urgent transformation—that continues past injustices.

“As we celebrate the past throughout this Black History Month, we also look to the work ahead and to the next generation of leaders who will guide us to a more just, stronger, and prosperous America.”