Barbara Lee: “First, let me thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for sharing her story about her beautiful son, Jordan, and using…”

“First, let me thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for sharing her story about her beautiful son, Jordan, and using her tragedy to ensure not only the survival, but the thriving, for African-American boys and men. Also, to Congresswoman Wilson, I have to thank Frederica for her extraordinary leadership and determination to ensure that the disparities affecting our Black men and boys are finally being heard and addressed within our Federal Government. While serving in the California Legislature, I initiated and chaired the California Commission on the Status of African-American Males. Those findings sparked a difficult but necessary discussion in our State, which is still relevant today, and were implemented as legislation and funding priorities. This commission at the national level is long overdue. All too often, Black men and boys face structural challenges that threaten their chance at a good education, harm their health, and limit their employment potential. Additionally, the low rate of high school retention among Black male students is directly related to the high rates of joblessness and incarceration in the African-American population. In this moment, the horrors of systemic racism are front and center, and the manifestations are before us each and every day. This commission brings hope.…”