Hello,
Orientation began earlier this month for the freshman class of the 117th Congress, and some new representatives still can’t escape the pervasive racism of U.S. society even as they prepare to serve in our highest offices.
Representative-elect Mondaire Jones, who this year became one of the first two gay Black men ever elected to Congress, reported that his new colleagues repeatedly confused him with Representative-elect Jamaal Bowman, a fellow new face on Capitol Hill. And Representative-elect Cori Bush, who opted to wear a mask honoring Breonna Taylor, said she was called “Breonna” by several of her Republican colleagues -- apparently, to them, all Black women are the same, whether they’re being gunned down by police in their sleep or starting their first term in Congress.
Rep.-elect Jones told MSNBC, “We need to be bringing these diverse voices into Congress so that people can become familiar with the difference between someone like myself and Congressman Jamaal Bowman, and the difference between Cori Bush and Breonna Taylor.” We couldn’t agree more -- that’s why we put everything we had this election cycle into supporting progressive candidates of color. And our hard work paid off -- Democrats were able to keep the House, take back the White House, and continue our push for the Senate.
But the casual microaggressions that these soon-to-be-reps experienced in the heart of our government show how much progress there is still to make. The GOP members of Congress who’ve never heard of Breonna Taylor and can’t tell two Black men apart? They won their elections too. And they’ll have the power to enact discriminatory policies, dismiss racism, and affect the lives of people of color all across the country -- for the next two years or more.
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We couldn’t be more grateful for your support. The road forward is long, but we know we’ll succeed because we have you with us.
