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Friends,
The history of Black communities in Massachusetts isn’t always told or celebrated.
It was here, in this great Commonwealth, that the first branch of the NAACP was charted. Where Martin and Coretta fell in love; where Melnea Cass organized Black women to claim their right to fully participate in our democracy; where Mel King broke barriers in pursuit of justice; where Frederick Douglass mobilized the abolitionist movement; and where Phyllis Wheatley became the first Black woman to publish a book of poetry.
This month is a celebration of those who came before us – the justice seekers, the freedom riders, the change makers, and the table shakers. This month is for every loved one that packed a brown bag lunch, sang a freedom song, vaselined an elbow, risked their lives, and dared to be themselves.
But this month is also for those who come after us. I often say, we must be better ancestors than descendents. It is our duty to future generations to break ceilings, push boundaries, and make Black history – which is American history. And movements don’t move themselves – we must move them.
With that in mind, the best way to celebrate Black history is in how we show up each and every day. Black history is being made right now, if only we take a moment to see it; if only we have the courage to be it
Black history is made every day by Black entrepreneurs, Black mothers and grandmothers, Black restaurant owners, queer Black activists who are on the frontlines fighting to protect queer youth, Black fathers who are growing old with dignity, Black musicians, Black educators, and Black caregivers – the list is endless, it is revolutionary, it is joyful, and in so many ways it is uniquely Massachusetts. [[link removed]]
Black history matters, Black lives matter, and Black futures matter.
We can celebrate Black History Month not with T-shirts or hashtags, but by enacting policies and budgets that save Black lives and allow us to thrive.
That’s why we must elect leaders – up and down the ballot – who are committed to doing just that. Leaders who will fight to preserve the teaching of Black history in classrooms, close the racial wealth gap, advance reproductive justice, and center our joy, dignity, and humanity. From town and city councils, to school committees and city halls, all the way to the halls of Congress and the White House — Democrats who show up for Black liberation will chart the path toward a more just and equitable world.
While we mark Black History this month, I’m grateful for the history we are making together every day. And I’m grateful to have people like you in this fight with me.
In service,
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
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