 Happy Black History Month, John. Protecting our past is essential to safeguarding our future. I believe that deeply — not just as a member of Congress, but as someone who grew up watching history being made in my own family.
My mom, Barbara, became the first Black woman to serve on the Akron City Council. I saw up close what it meant to challenge expectations, open doors, and fight for a community that hadn’t always been represented. Years later, I followed in her footsteps — becoming the first Black woman under 30 elected to the Ohio legislature, and eventually the first Black person ever elected to represent Ohio’s 13th Congressional District. Those “firsts” didn’t happen by accident. They happened because people refused to let their stories be erased or ignored, and because history was told honestly — even when it made people uncomfortable. That’s why what we’re seeing right now is so concerning. The current administration has ordered reviews of African American exhibits at institutions like the National Museum of African American History and Culture, claiming they want a more “positive” version of America’s story. Rewriting or softening history doesn’t make our country stronger. It makes it easier to forget how progress actually happens — and easier for injustice to repeat itself. Black history is American history. It tells the truth about struggle and resilience, about barriers broken and rights earned. When that history is erased or sanitized, it becomes harder to recognize injustice in the present and easier to accept it as normal. I’ve seen what happens when history is honored instead of hidden. Watching my mom break barriers gave me the strength to do the same — and I know future generations are counting on us to protect those stories, not bury them. In Congress, I will fight every day to protect our history and defend our rights — unlike the GOP and the current administration, who are trying to rewrite the past to justify rolling back progress. Telling the full story of who we are makes us stronger and better prepared to build a future that works for everyone. This Black History Month, let’s recommit to truth — because protecting our past is how we safeguard our future. Thank you for standing with me. Emilia Sykes |
