John,

This weekend, a GOP presidential candidate called Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley -- my sister in service -- a leader of the modern KKK.

This disturbing remark invoking a group responsible for anti-Black massacres is an unacceptable smear against a leader for racial justice, alongside whom I am proud to serve.

Let’s be clear: Ayanna and I are the first Black women elected to Congress from our states. Since Congress was founded, 1,700 members of Congress have enslaved Black people -- that’s more than the number of Black people who’ve ever served in Congress.

Our country was founded on anti-Blackness and white supremacy, which is still entrenched today. 10 out of the first 12 US presidents all enslaved Black people, and one even traded and sold Black people from the Oval Office.

Our work to eradicate white supremacy is ongoing.

Over the past few days, we’ve mourned deadly anti-Black attacks after a year of rising hate crimes against Black people, enabled by racist and hate-filled rhetoric and policies.

We just marked the 68th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder, and we’re still under the threat of white supremacist violence today.

We also marked the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where civil rights movement heroes marched for equal jobs, fair wages, and freedom from white supremacy. Amidst hate and dehumanization, we're still fighting for those ideals today. And we'll keep legislating to make them a reality.

As Black women in Congress, Ayanna and I have faced a particular type of hate: misogynoir.

But our very existence is a celebration of life and resistance to oppression. We continue to lead with love as we work to prevent hateful violence, advance justice, and create a society that values people’s lives and well-being.

Will you chip in today to support Ayanna Pressley’s campaign and mine as we carry forward the legacy of movements for Black liberation and Black lives?

I’ve worked with my sister in service Ayanna Pressley on legislation like the Abortion Justice Act, which removes systemic barriers to abortion care that disproportionately harm Black women.

Together, we’ve introduced bills for housing justice, like the Housing Emergencies Lifeline Program (HELP) Act, to support low-income renters. After centuries of disparities and dehumanization, the racial wealth gap is widening and the unhoused crisis is getting worse, with Black renters disproportionately vulnerable to eviction.

Ayanna and I have championed bills like the People’s Response Act to transform our systems of public safety and institute systems of care rather than criminalization.

And Ayanna co-sponsored my Reparations Now Resolution, which affirms that the U.S. federal government has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved people in this country.

As Black women progressives in Congress, Ayanna and I carry in our hearts the Black women activists and leaders who sparked movements before us -- including those who championed the Equal Rights Amendment, which is still an essential tool to achieve health equity and eliminate the racial and gender wealth gap.

Together, Ayanna and I are leading the push to make the Equal Rights Amendment an official part of the Constitution, and we’re advocating to cancel student debt, which disproportionately burdens Black borrowers -- especially Black women.

We know that each issue is intersectional, and we understand how urgently our communities need change.

Will you join me and Ayanna Pressley in the urgent push to dismantle white supremacy and advance racial justice? Please donate $5 today to help us stand strong against anti-Black hate.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately, split evenly between Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley:

We are not giving up or turning back. May we never forget Harriet Tubman’s prophetic orders when she urged us:

“If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there's shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.”

Keep going. We’ll get to freedom together.

Thank you,

Cori