G. K. Butterfield: “First, let me begin by thanking the gentleman from New Jersey for his leadership and for his willingness to lead this…”

“First, let me begin by thanking the gentleman from New Jersey for his leadership and for his willingness to lead this hour, not only tonight, but for agreeing to do it throughout this year. I thank the gentleman so very much for his leadership and for all that he does not only for the people of the State of New Jersey, but for America. Mr. Speaker, statistic: for every 100 African American women, there are only 83 African American men. This gap equals 1.5 million Black men who are essentially missing from everyday life in America. These numbers are simply staggering. The fact that Black men have long been more likely to be locked up and more likely to die is a problem. Compounded with the deep disparities that continue to impact the opportunities afforded to African American males, the gender gap leaves, as reported, many households without enough men to be fathers and husbands within the community. The statistics show that most African Americans live in places with a significant shortage of African American men while most Whites live in places with rough parity between White men and White women. The two leading causes of this gap are incarceration and early deaths, with homicide being the leading cause of death for young African American males; but Black males also die from heart disease, respiratory disease, and accidents more often than other demographic groups, including African American women.…”