Hi everyone,

As we step into Black History Month, I want to tell you the story of a soda fountain in the segregated South before 1964.

At that time, barely fifty years ago, Black customers weren’t even allowed to sit in the same seats as white customers. Thanks to heroes like Dr. King and Fannie Lou Hamer, change was slowly spreading across America. But change hadn’t yet come to many small southern towns.

Even the seats at the soda fountain were still segregated — until one worker decided he was tired of waiting for that to change. He thought that if his Black customers weren’t allowed to sit, then nobody should be, and he removed every single seat in that shop.

Until everyone could sit as equals, they’d all just have to stand.

The man who removed those seats was my Dad, and I think about what he did often. Dad believed we all have a role to play in making change for the benefit of all, and by removing those seats, he found a common-sense solution to address an injustice.

**Photo of Tammy Murphy and her father after Tammy's college graduation. Tammy is in a cap and gown holding a diploma, and her dad is beaming with pride.**

Fifty years later, we’ve come a long way from the days of segregation, but we have a long way to go still. Systemic racism lives on, and we all have a role to play in fighting back against it.

It’s why I made combating racial disparities in maternal and infant health the key issue of my time as First Lady, and it’s driving my campaign for the U.S. Senate today.

This month, let’s celebrate men and women like Dr. King, Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, and so many more, who have helped us come so far. But let’s not stop there. Let’s ask ourselves what small things we can do to make our communities fairer and safer for everyone.

For my Dad, it was removing the seats at the segregated soda fountain.

What will it be for you?

Together,
Tammy Murphy


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Tammy Murphy for Senate
PO Box 378
Maplewood, NJ 07040
United States

[email protected]

PAID FOR BY TAMMY MURPHY FOR SENATE

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