Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Minority Health Awareness Month. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Congressman Clyburn and Congresswoman McClellan, for holding this Special Order hour to bring attention to our country's health disparities. As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, I am familiar with the adverse statistics that face Black and Brown communities. Black women are three times more likely to die due to pregnancy- related causes than White women. Black people are about twice as likely to die from diabetes than White people. On the South Side of Chicago, which I represent, Black people are expected to die 11 years earlier than White people living on the North Side, and sometimes it is higher than that. Let us not forget gun violence, a public health crisis and emergency in our country. Black people die from gun violence at 2.7 times the rate of White people. While guns have been the leading cause of death for all children and teenagers since 2020, guns have been the leading cause of death for Black children since 2006. These statistics are horrifying, but we cannot forget the faces and stories behind the numbers. When I was first elected to Congress, a constituent called me and said her friend's daughter-in-law died in child labor. That baby had to grow up without a mother. It is because of her and her baby that I continue to fight for Black mothers and maternal health.…”