Friend,

It is a time of profound upheaval and moral reckoning for our country.

At the core of all this is an inspiring activation of Americans of all races coming together to call for long overdue systemic change, spurred by the disturbing and unjust murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.

People are speaking out and standing up not only for George Floyd, but for Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Tony McDade. Sandra Bland. Eric Garner. Trayvon Martin. Mike Brown. Tamir Rice. Freddie Gray. Philando Castile. Alton Sterling. Terence Crutcher. Oscar Grant. And countless more people whose names we don't know.

Persistent, unchecked bias in policing and a complete lack of accountability is wreaking havoc on the Black community. It has been for decades upon decades.

The truth is there's no one policy change that will fix this issue immediately. We need a comprehensive set of reforms that will improve police training and practices, and ensure greater accountability and transparency.

That's why I'm teaming up with Kamala Harris and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to draft legislation to reform policing in our country.

We'll have more details to announce in the days ahead, but people across this country are rightfully angry because time and again, their voices have gone unheard. Their desperate calls for change have been dismissed. Their heartbreak and trauma have been bottled up. And the list of Black and brown lives cut short has only grown. I know, I feel it too.

Our outrage must lead to real change.

I'm working tirelessly for that here in Washington — and I thank you for all that you are doing to rise to this momentous occasion and fight for justice, together.

Cory

P.S. I wrote this op-ed for the Stanford student newspaper back in 1992 after the Rodney King verdict. Unfortunately, the words I wrote about racial injustice back then still ring true today.