Hi, I’m Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. This month, President Trump proclaimed February as National African American History Month. It’s a time that reminds us of the sacrifices and incredible contributions made to our nation by the African American people.

Last year, I was honored to visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park with the King Family. Our future generations of Americans will continue to be inspired as they walk through the Park, enter the facilities, and ponder all that went into the inspiring story of Dr. King’s leadership and legacy.

Through the National Park Service, the Department also preserves sites that commemorate, honor and interpret the significant time period between 1939 - 1968 as part of the African American Civil Rights Network, which was signed into law by President Trump in January of 2018.

The Department of the Interior administers some of the most iconic and historically significant places that are central to the African American experience.

African Americans served as the conductors on the Underground Railroad which saw thousands on their way to freedom from slavery. They were soldiers who fought to preserve the Union during the Civil War.

They served as the Buffalo Soldiers, fighting on the frontier and patrolling Yellowstone and Yosemite Parks. They were the Tuskegee Airmen who fought tyranny in the skies over Europe during the Second World War, only to return here and fight inequality.

African Americans marched in Selma, Alabama and sang out from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial — calling on the conscience of a country to live up to its creed that all men are created equal.

So for the month of February we honor the great contributions by African Americans to our Nation. And we renew our commitment to a more just and perfect union. Thank you, and God bless America.