Press

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement today in recognition of Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement on the passing of civil rights leader and a founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth.

In recognition of the official end of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which has prohibited gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans from serving their country openly in the U.S. military, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement.

"Today we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who championed civil rights and was a 'drum major' for justice; who stated that 'nonviolence is the only path to freedom' and lived that philosophy; who showed us that the way to a better future is to bring people, without regard to their skin color, into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible; and who forged a path toward a country where people are judged on the content of their character."

Chairman Tim Kaine commends outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her historic service to the American people as Speaker over the last four years, fighting to "to increase the minimum wage, expand college aid, enhance and improve services for veterans and boost fuel efficiency standards. Her leadership in passing the Recovery Act, Affordable Care Act, Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, expansion of health care for children, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Wall Street reform and other key legislation ensure that her term as Speaker will be remembered as a time when the foundation was established for an era of greater progress, security, justice, fairness and prosperity for the American people."

A majority of service members believe that those who are willing to offer their service should be able to do so without regard to their sexual orientation. And across the country, a majority of Americans believe the time has come to end ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’

As a long-time civil rights lawyer, I know that some discriminatory government policies had an adverse effect on the hopes, dreams and business prospects for many African American and other minority entrepreneurs. That is why I am so proud that Congress this week took an important step toward righting a long-standing wrong against African American farmers who experienced documented discrimination at the hands of the USDA