Political Quotes

“First, let me thank Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. for hosting this important Special Order. I appreciate your leadership in organizing this important discussion on the state of Black Health in America. Madam Speaker, every April, we observe National Minority Health Awareness Month. This year is particularly significant as we mark 30 years since the groundbreaking Health and Human Services Task Force on Black and Minority Health report. This report sparked the first serious discussion in Washington on addressing the deep racial health disparities that exist in this country. This year also marks 50 years since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid--programs that have kept and continue to keep Americans healthy. We are also celebrating the fifth year anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act--the most significant legislation to improve the health of all Americans in more than a generation. These legislative achievements continue moving us closer to health equity for all--however, major health disparities still exist. The zip code in which you are born still determines your likely life expectancy. Gross disparities exist from zip code to zip code--even within the same city or county. So today, I rise to join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to bring to light the state of Black health in America and call for more action to address persistent and lingering disparities in health access, treatment and care.…”