While seemingly trivial, this is just one example of the real-world impediments that people of color across the country face because of the lack of representation in the technology industry.
Bobby Rush
The Public Record
Bobby Rush is a former U.S. Representative from Illinois, serving from January 5, 1993, to January 3, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Rush was known for his advocacy on issues related to children's safety and consumer protection. He worked closely with colleagues to strengthen agencies responsible for safeguarding children and emphasized the need for legislative changes to ensure the safety of products available to families. Rush's tenure in Congress was marked by his commitment to social justice and community empowerment, reflecting his deep roots in the civil rights movement.
This same phenomenon has been repeated in facial recognition technology that mistakenly identified 28 Members of Congress, myself included...
Madam Chairman, it should be clear that, while the issue and emergency in tech may seem like a relatively straightforward problem, its ramifications are much bigger and go much deeper than it would appear.
I look forward to working closely with you. I respect you, Mr. Chairman, and I trust you.
Last Congress, myself and Congressman Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, we founded the Blue Collar Caucus.
My primary and sole objective is exactly that, putting as many people to work in good-paying energy and manufacturing jobs as possible.
I represent a district in southern California that includes areas like Compton and Watts, where not everybody is going to college.
Bills like this are so critically necessary and important because there is a lot of folks in parts of the country, including my district, who want to have opportunities for jobs where they may not go to college.
The challenge, which is really the opportunity of our time, is ensuring that we have a diverse and trained workforce.
I really want to, once again, welcome our witnesses. You brighten up the room here.
This is not regular order, and it is not the way I would have hoped to handle this bill, given our history of working together.





