Statement from HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge on the Commemoration of Black History Month 2024

WASHINGTON - Today, Marcia L. Fudge, the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued the following statement commemorating Black History Month 2024:

“This Black History Month, we celebrate all that Black Americans have contributed to our great nation. As the 18th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a student of history, today I honor the legacy of one of my personal heroes, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Dr. Bethune was a scholar, activist, and champion of racial and gender advancement. Despite being born Black and a woman in America at a time when both groups were denied equal protection under the law, she worked tirelessly to change our country for the better. Like Dr. Bethune, I have faith in our nation and its possibilities. We have the power to build a world that ensures the generations that follow us can look back on this period with pride.

“During my tenure at HUD, we have supported more than a quarter of a million Black homebuyers through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). HUD launched a multi-million-dollar program that provides resources to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to address housing challenges in Black and underserved communities. We have made strides to root out discrimination in housing by strengthening our enforcement capabilities and investing in local fair housing organizations.

“We must continue this work to move our nation forward if we are to ensure Black and Brown children, of the future, can live in a country that lives up to the ideals of liberty and justice for all.”

Linked is HUD’s fact sheet – compiling the ways in which the Department, under the leadership of Secretary Fudge and the Biden-Harris Administration, have delivered for Black communities.