Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of every Black man and Black boy who has been dehumanized, surveilled, and targeted by the policies drafted and debated within the walls of this very institution and institutions of power throughout our Nation. I rise today to offer my unwavering support and to thank Congresswoman Wilson for laboring in love to see the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act become a reality. It is long- overdue legislation that will push our Nation one step closer to grappling with the systemic racism and structural barriers that have robbed us of the lives of our Black husbands, our Black brothers, and our Black sons. Passage of this bill today is a testament to the longstanding calls and efforts in communities, including in my own Boston. When I was on the Boston City Council in 2014, we attempted to establish a commission like this, and that effort was vetoed. So it feels so good to see this happening on the Federal level. The passage of this bill today is a testament to the longstanding calls and efforts throughout our Nation to examine and combat the systemic inequities and disparities impacting Black boys and men from education and employment to health and to housing and to incarceration. With this bill's passage today, we declare on the floor of the House of Representatives, the people's House, that we are our brother's keeper, that Black lives matter, that Black men matter, and that our Black boys matter.”