John – I want to share some of my lived experiences and how they have shaped my decision to run for TX-32. This email is different from what I usually send, but you deserve to know why I am driven to run for Congress — however, if you want to go ahead and make a donation to my campaign, you can do so now.
Growing up, I watched with pride as my father put on his Air Force uniform each day. Living on military bases around the world — from Albuquerque to Okinawa (and a hardship tour in Hawaii) — I grew up surrounded by people of all racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. My parents always modeled inclusion and celebrated the diversity around us.
But there came a point where I learned the power of being a Black man — the good and the bad.
I still have a visceral reaction thinking about the dehumanizing moment I was first called a racial slur as a third-grade kid trying to join a pickup baseball game. A moment that made clear I’d always have to work harder, be better, and never quit. That determination led me to follow my father’s example of military service, and I earned a congressional appointment to the United States Air Force Academy – the first in my family to go to college.
Service before self is an ethos I internalized during my time at the Academy — knowing that with a mindset of serving the greater good, we can create a better world.
My record of service did not end as an Air Force officer. I answered another call to serve in medicine. It is there I learned another disheartening reality about representation. Few Black professors, few Black doctors, and few Black medical students. Even today, there are fewer Black men entering medical school than in the 1970s.
A mentor told me, “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.” Well, I followed a path to be seen – by those inspired to choose a career in medicine and by my patients. Yet, there were times patients asked me to clear their food trays, empty the trash, or flat out refused to accept my care – even though I was their doctor. At times I felt insulted and angry, but I knew my presence represented something bigger than myself. So, I committed myself to excellence and service.
I chose to work in safety-net hospitals so I would have a career serving the underserved. The majority of my patients were from communities of color, and I lost count of the number of times Black patients told me I was the first Black doctor they ever had.
Since moving to Dallas in 2010, I’ve served on the frontlines of our healthcare crisis as a trauma surgeon at Parkland Hospital and on the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Working to increase diverse representation in medicine while addressing the persistent racial disparities in access to affordable healthcare inspired much of my work. And there is much more work to do. My wife and I are raising our daughter here, and I have a unique perspective on the issues our community is facing – as a husband, father, doctor, and a Black man.
Ours is a majority-minority district, and for those who feel excluded from the political process, diverse representation is crucial to ensure the values, experiences, and needs of all are honored. Once elected, I will be that type of leader and fight for you as hard as I’d fight for my own family. I will fight for TX-32.
But I can only do that with your support. I said it once at the debate, and I'll say it again: your endorsement is the only way we can win this race.
Will you make a donation of $5 to help me go to Washington and represent you? Any contribution will help me reach my end-of-month goal of $75,000 and win my primary in March >>
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Onward,
Brian
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