Dear John,

February is Black History Month, and traditionally, this has been a time to celebrate the great achievements of Black Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, Julian Bond, Katherine Johnson, and countless others who led the fight for civil rights or made notable contributions to society.

But this year, we must do more than celebrate the memory of these great Americans, we must honor their legacy by continuing the fight for racial justice and economic equality.

Millions of Americans took to the streets in the wake of George Floyd's murder to demand justice for Black lives in what is now being credited as the largest movement in American history. Many people who are not Black joined this movement and, sometimes for the first time, had tough conversations with friends, family members, and colleagues about systemic racism.

Now, as we celebrate Black History Month a few months later, we must continue to have these tough conversations and support organizations and institutions which are committed to achieving racial and economic equality.

I am proud to serve as co-chair of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. We re-launched this caucus two years ago to support historically Black colleges and universities, such as Howard and Delaware State University. In the past two years, we've secured permanent federal funding for HBCUs, launched new ROTC programs for aspiring pilots, and passed legislation to deepen the federal government's collaboration with these institutions.

The work must continue. I urge you all to take action this month in whatever way you can and to continue the fight for racial justice -- not just during Black History Month, but every month of the year!

Thank you,

Chris