EMILYs List Statement on Black History Month

For Immediate Release:
February 1, 2019

EMILYs List Statement on Black History Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In recognition of Black History Month, Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“African American women have long been the bedrock of the Democratic Party, and of progress in this country. This month, we celebrate the trailblazers who paved the way, like Shirley Chisholm and Carol Moseley Braun, as well as the new generation of leaders fighting to change the face of power today.

“The 116th Congress is the most diverse in history, and EMILYs List is proud to have been a part of the fight to bring new voices to the table and elect a Congress that is one step closer to being truly representative of the people it serves. With an administration that continues to embrace white nationalism and undermine the civil rights of people of color, it’s more important now than ever before that we have leaders in office like Lauren Underwood, Ayanna Pressley, and Lucy McBath, among others, to stand up and fight back against injustice.”

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million dollars and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 40,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state and national offices.