Bloomberg Campaign Press Release - Mike Bloomberg 2020 Launches Mike for Black America Alongside Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Black Mayors From Across America

Mike for Black America is a national outreach effort to rally support for Mike Bloomberg 2020 among Black voters

Bloomberg's Greenwood Initiative addresses systemic bias and outlines plan to provide economic justice to Black America

HOUSTON — This evening, Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg will launch Mike for Black America, a national movement to engage Black voters across the country on the issues they care about and share Mike's vision for addressing systemic bias and promoting economic justice for Black America. This effort will be unveiled at the historic Buffalo Soldiers National Museum with a dozen Black mayors from across the country who have endorsed Mike for president, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner who announced his support for Mike earlier today.

In his remarks, Mike will say, "I'm taking the fight to Donald Trump all over America – including right here in Texas because I believe this is the year we can turn Texas blue. And turning Texas blue starts with uniting Black, Brown, and White voters across the state. So tonight, we are launching what we call "Mike for Black America!"

With Mike in Houston tonight are the following current and former mayors:

• Mayor Steve Benjamin of Columbia, South Carolina
• Mayor Percy Bland of Meridian, Mississippi
• Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, District of Columbia
• Mayor Aja Brown of Compton, California
• Mayor Byron Nolen of Inkster, Michigan
• Mayor Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, Louisiana
• Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston, Texas
• Mayor Victoria Woodards of Tacoma, Washington
• Former Mayor William Bell of Birmingham, Alabama
• Former Mayor Doug Palmer of Trenton, New Jersey
• Former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
• Former Mayor Karen Weaver of Flint, Michigan

The Mike for Black America National Leadership Council will be Co-Chaired by Congressman Greg Meeks, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. They will advise on policy and national outreach strategy.

Since the launch of the campaign, including in the weeks of planning and community-building for this launch, Mike Bloomberg has proactively reached out to the Black community around the country. On Tuesday, Mike met with more than 20 African American faith leaders from around the country. This past Saturday, Mike spoke at the Alabama Democratic Conference and hosted a rally at Alabama State University, a historically Black university. Last week, Mike spoke in Detroit to nearly 80 Black pastors about economic empowerment, the Greenwood Initiative, and the power of the faith community.

Mike was last in Houston on January 29 when he spoke at the The Future of Black America Symposium with nearly 800 attendees.

Mike's efforts to engage Black voters has followed the announcement of the Greenwood Initiative which will address systemic discrimination and promote economic justice for Black America. His plan lays out a realistic path to create 1 million new Black homeowners and 100,000 new Black-owned businesses over the next decade. His plan also includes a $70 billion investment in America's 100 most disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Mike's commitment to the Black community began long before announcing his Greenwood Initiative. As Mayor of New York City, Mike had a proven track record of working to advance minority-owned businesses and broaden access to city contracts for women- and minority-owned businesses. He launched the nation's most ambitious plan to expand affordable housing, took on the National Rifle Association (NRA) to promote gun safety policies, created alternatives to incarceration, and restructured the juvenile justice system.

Learn more about Mike's Greenwood Initiative here. Learn more about Mike for Black America here.