Hillary Clinton Statement on Endorsement of Congressional Black Caucus PAC

Hillary Clinton released the following statement after earning the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. The CBC PAC is the political arm of the Congressional Black Caucus, and works to increase the number of African Americans in the United States Congress:

I'm honored to have earned the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, which has been fighting for enduring progress for almost 50 years. The CBC PAC knows we need to elect a President who can take on all parts of the job and build on the progress we've made under President Obama—not let it get ripped away.

In America today, nearly one in three African-American men faces the prospect of prison in their lifetimes. African-American women working full time on average earn 60 cents for every dollar a white man earns. African Americans are nearly three times more likely to be denied a mortgage as whites. And African-American children are 500 percent more likely to die from asthma than white kids.

As the "conscience of Congress", the CBC and its members fight for progress every day for African Americans and for all hardworking people in this country. They are working to give 35 million working people a raise by increasing the minimum wage, and to protect all Americans' sacred and hard-won right to vote. They are working tirelessly to help get more African-American candidates elected and, thanks to their efforts, more African Americans are serving in the United States Congress today than ever before.

I have been proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with my close friends in the CBC in these fights. As a Senator from New York, I partnered with CBC members on bills to ban racial profiling, prosecute hate crimes, and promote equal pay for women. As Secretary of State, I created the Global Diaspora Forum, which helps Americans of African descent build partnerships with the countries their ancestors came from.

The stakes in this election couldn't be higher. African Americans can't wait for solutions—they need results now. We need a President who can stand up to the Republicans and win. I'll take on the gun lobby to address the epidemic of gun violence. I'll take on the Republicans who are disenfranchising voters and rolling back voting rights. And I pledge a new and comprehensive commitment to equity and opportunity for communities of color. That means reforming our criminal justice system and rebuilding the bonds of trust between our communities and our law enforcement officials. But it also means making major new investments to create jobs, to make it easier to start and grow a small business, to end redlining in housing, and to build reliable public transit systems.