"As we celebrate the start of Black History Month, we reflect on the accomplishments of our day: an African-American President in the White House, African-American businesses are helping to lead our economic recovery, and African-Americans continue to make indelible contributions to our national culture.
"The African-American community keeps growing. As of 2008, the Census Bureau reports that there were an estimated 41.1 million African-Americans in the United States, with 3.5 million in New York – more than any other State. And I believe that that count is in fact, too low. In this year’s Census we are going to work to make sure that every African-American’s voice is heard alongside the voices of every New Yorker. An accurate Census count could mean more dollars for education, affordable housing, and other building blocks of a better future.
"As we work to build that future, we must remember to honor our past. This year, one of our community’s greatest leaders – and one of my closest mentors – passed away. His name was Percy Sutton. As the son of a former slave and the CEO of a major media company, Percy understood the full scope of the African-American experience and the great arch of our history. He once said: ‘If you could pray for only one thing, let it be for an idea.’
"The greatest moments in our community’s history, from the Emancipation Proclamation to the Civil Rights Movement to the election of the first African-American President, were born of an idea – an idea that things could be different. They were born of an idea that things could be better. They were born of an idea that we could attain the highest principles laid out in our nation’s Constitution.
"This month, as we face a great economic crisis and continuing inequality in our society, let us resolve to honor our past by searching for the new ideas that will address our most pressing problems. And once found, let us commit ourselves fully to achieving their promise."
