John,
Tonight I had the honor of delivering a response to President Joe Biden’s joint address to Congress on behalf of the Working Families Party. In a few moments, I will ask you to make a split contribution between my campaign and WFP today, so we can deliver jobs and care to the American people and make sure everyone who calls this country home can thrive. But first, I wanted to share some of my thoughts from tonight with you.
Let's rewind. 2020 was a year of unprecedented crisis in America. A global pandemic, an unprecedented economic collapse, a crisis of police killings of Black people, a climate crisis, and a crisis of democracy.
But people stepped up to care for each other. We had neighbors delivering supplies to people in need. Essential workers risking their lives to take care of others. We had millions of Americans of every race rise up in grief to march against the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and so many others.
And it was those working people — Black, white, Latino, Asian, and indigenous — who defeated Trump and elected President Biden and a Democratic Congress to put an end to those crises.
President Joe Biden has taken important steps. He's ramped up vaccinations and passed a relief bill that provided cash relief and extended unemployment insurance, put money in the pockets of families with kids, and got aid to cities and states. For many families, that will keep them above water, at least for a little while.
But here's the thing. People are still hurting. And just because we got rid of Trump doesn't mean those crises are gone.
The economic devastation in communities like mine is real. There are eight million fewer jobs than a year ago. More than ten million families are behind on rent. Last month as many as 11 million kids in America didn't get enough to eat.
The climate crisis hasn't gone anywhere. Police violence didn't stop. And democracy is still under attack — just look at the voter suppression bills Republicans are trying to get away with in Georgia and other states.
Going back to a pre-Trump "normal" just isn't good enough. Our society is still profoundly unequal and unjust. But in this historic moment, we have the opportunity to transform our nation into the one we deserve.
And so the question for this administration and this Congress is not whether we can heal from one awful year. It's whether we can rebuild — whether we can reconstruct — our country on new foundations. The question is whether we can make a nation that cares for all of its people.
In every generation, ordinary people have come together to do extraordinary things. They all believed that people could organize and stand up for what they believe to make our nation better, fairer, stronger, and more just. I do too.
That's why we're fighting for Green New Deals for public schools, housing, and cities, a stop to militarized policing that harms and kills in our communities, a $15 minimum wage, the PRO Act, and Medicare for All. And we're calling for an end to what may be the biggest legislative roadblock to progress — the filibuster.
If you want to help ensure that our elected leaders meet this moment of crisis, if you want to be a part of this growing multiracial movement, and if you want to stand together and fight for an America where we all can thrive and be free — then join us by making a split contribution between my campaign and the Working Families Party today.
Contribute $3 »
Peace and love,
Representative Jamaal Bowman, NY-16
P.S. If you missed it, you can watch the video of my response to President Biden's address in full by clicking here.
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Paid for by Working Families Party National PAC (77 Sands St. #6, Brooklyn, NY, 11201).
