Dear John,

Today, I want to tell you a story that I think everyone who calls Michigan home should hear at least once.

Pictured: Sgt. Hiram White of the 25th U.S. Colored Infantry

Hiram White enlisted in the Union army on February 1, 1864. He served with Company G of the 25th United States Colored Infantry, defending a pair of forts in Florida. And after the war, he eventually settled in the Upper Peninsula — in Kenton, Michigan — and became a barber.

When he passed away in 1917, he was laid to rest in Kenton without a headstone. But every year, the American Legion would put a flag on his grave in recognition of his sacrifice and service to our nation.

For more than a hundred years, the good people of Kenton carried on the tradition of placing flowers on Sgt. White's unmarked grave, the tradition passing from parents, to children, to grandchildren – because here in Michigan, we don't forget.

We remember the sacrifices and the suffering that preceded Emancipation for our Black compatriots.

We honor those who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, and we teach our children to recognize the importance of service above self.

And more than a hundred years later, the Houghton County Veterans Service Office was able to get Sgt. White a headstone — because we don't forget.

When I see our member of Congress excuse people who wave the Confederate Flag in the U.S. Capitol, I know Rep. Jack Bergman has forgotten.

When I see his office ignoring calls from veterans who need help accessing services, I know Rep. Jack Bergman has forgotten.

When I see him politicizing our military and prioritizing culture wars over caring for our men and women in uniform, I know Rep. Jack Bergman has forgotten.

Hiram White now has a headstone because concerned citizens stood up and demanded justice. They researched, they organized, and they pushed the VA to give the Sergeant the recognition he had earned more than 150 years prior.

This fall, we have the opportunity to demand justice in our own way — by electing a Representative who will never forget what it means to be a Michigander.

If that's something you can get behind, I hope you'll make a contribution to my campaign today and help me send Jack Bergman back to his home in Louisiana.

Tuebor,

Callie Barr
Candidate for Congress in Michigan's First District