Friend,

I'd like to tell you about Dr. Mae Carol Jemison.

Dr. Jemison is one of the few people to experience a most extraordinary phenomenon: to see the world exactly as it is – to gaze upon Earth amongst the stars and galaxy that envelop us. And back in 1992, when Dr. Jemison blasted off aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, she became the first Black woman to travel into space. 

Prior to making history, Dr. Jemison treated refugees during her service as a doctor with the Peace Corps. She was a dancer, having studied at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. From the time she was a girl, she reached for the stars in every proverbial manner – inspired by watching Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek.

Decades ago, Dr. Mae Carol Jemison carved an inspiring path that allowed us to put faith in the sentiment: The sky's the limit.

But for far too many Black Americans, there are deeply entrenched institutional limits to success. Limits to pay equity. Limits to work and education. Limits to good health. Limits to justice.

As we celebrate Black History Month, I want to challenge those limits. First, put them all out in the open. We must shine a bright light that our leaders and fellow Americans alike cannot turn away from. If the protests from last summer proved anything, it's that we have the power to create that light. Then we must use it to look forward and upward – much like Dr. Jemison – not backward. 

The greats of our past were working to create a better future, and I'm blessed to have walked along the trails they blazed. As a Black girl who grew up poor in the South during the sixties, a daughter of a maid and a janitor, I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me, those who looked forward and fought with every ounce of heart in them.

It's our duty to blaze a path, too. To create a better future. Think of what it means for little Black boys and girls to know a Black woman can be one of the most powerful women in the world, like Kamala Harris is today. Think of how we could redefine our nation, for the better, if reparations were given for the enslavement of Black Americans – something I'm pushing a study for in Congress right now.

The possibilities are there, friend – the path toward equality is still being paved. Each of us has a role to play in what comes next, in leveraging both the struggles and inspiration of our past to move forward and upward. 

Wishing you a celebratory and uplifting Black History Month.

Congresswoman Val Demings