WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump marked African American History Month by pledging Tuesday to make real the vision of “every American patriot” who fought and sacrificed for freedom.
Trump celebrated the annual observance at a White House reception under the theme of “African Americans in Times of War.”
The president saluted black Americans who have served in the military since the Revolution for giving “their hearts, their sweat, their blood and their very lives to defend the United States, its flag and its highest ideals.”
He said they helped defend for all Americans the dream of a colorblind society that inspired such civil rights pioneers as Frederick Douglass, Harriett Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.
“It is the dream of a nation where every citizen, regardless of color, religion or background, can grow up to succeed and to thrive,” said Trump, who was joined by first lady Melania Trump as he addressed an East Room gathering, where several Cabinet secretaries mingled with invited guests. “A nation where every family is safe, where every community can prosper and where all Americans can stand tall and proud and free.”