Friends,

Happy Black History Month! All month long, we celebrate the enormous contributions of Black Americans to our history, government, businesses, and culture.

Join me in honoring some of the incredible Black Virginians that have made our Commonwealth and our nation great: Mildred Loving’s commitment to love led to the end of interracial marriage bans forever. Farmville native Barbara Johns organized a courageous student strike that would eventually become part of Brown v. Board, dismantling segregation in schools. Missy Elliott, Ella Fitzgerald, and Pharrell Williams have indelibly changed our culture through their sensational musical contributions. Last month, we celebrated another broken barrier, too: for the first time, we have a Black Speaker of the House of Delegates: Representative Don Scott.

At a time when simply teaching Black history in schools is often demonized, sterilized, or discouraged, it bears repeating: Black history is American history, and American history cannot be told accurately without honoring the generations of contributions by Black Americans. 

I remain committed to honoring these contributions. I’m proud that Virginia will soon be represented in statue in the Capitol by Barbara Johns, a visionary activist for equality. I’ve successfully pushed to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. I’ll keep speaking out against the suppression of Black history when it proliferates.

Black History Month is a time to look back and honor our past, but it’s also a time to look forward and keep fighting to equalize opportunity. In the Senate, I’m working to close the racial wealth gap by supporting first-time, first-gen homebuyers (predominantly people of color) and investing in Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs). This week, I’m fighting to expand the Child Tax Credit so middle class and low-income families can get a break on their taxes. I still want to see us pass meaningful police reform and voting rights legislation that better protects the fundamental rights of Black Americans.

Happy Black History Month, Virginia! I look forward to celebrating and honoring Black history and culture all month long. If you want to get in touch with me about an issue that is important to you, I encourage you to reach out to me using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Threads. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,