The racial wealth gap didn’t just appear out of thin air — it was legislated.

I represent the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District — a vibrant, dynamic, and diverse district, but also one of the most unequal in our country.

If you ride the #1 Bus from Cambridge to Roxbury, the average life expectancy drops by as much as 30 years and median household income drops by $50,000. Last year, the Federal Reserve of Boston published a report which found that the average wealth for a Black Boston family is $8. Yes, you read that right. That’s compared to their white counterparts’, which is $250,000.

This is not a coincidence. These disparities did not appear out of thin air. They were legislated. The racial wealth gap in the United States is the direct result of generations of precise, intentional, and discriminatory policy violence. And every inequity, every racial injustice, was codified in a budget or in law.

That’s why policy is my love language — if they can legislate hurt and harm, we can and we must legislate equity, justice, and healing.

We can and we must be just as prescriptive in reversing and mitigating the violence and inequities our communities face. That’s why I’m fighting in Congress for significant investments that break cycles of generational poverty for Black and brown people. Through the American Opportunity Accounts Act, “baby bonds” would create a federally-funded savings account for every American at birth in order to make economic opportunity a birthright for every child and help close the racial wealth gap.

Through broad-based student debt cancellation, we can provide immediate relief to millions of borrowers. We can address the generations of systemic racism that have forced Black students to borrow more than their white peers. And we can provide a massive stimulus to our economy.

The truth is, Black Americans in this country have been systematically stripped of our wealth. Historically, we have been denied opportunities to grow wealth and achieve financial prosperity. The harm was precise and intentional. And so the work of restorative justice, of racial justice, of justice for Black Americans, has to be just as precise and intentional.

I’m committed to closing the racial wealth gap and making these bold, transformative changes a reality, and I’d love to know that you’re alongside me in this movement. If you’re able, can you chip in $25 or more to help ensure we have the resources we need to continue leading on policies that will advance justice and equity for all?

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Yours in service,

Ayanna