Friend,

Yesterday I joined Congressman Jamaal Bowman in a press conference announcing the introduction of his new bill, the African American History Act.

We cannot have a multiracial democracy that ensures the social, economic, and political rights of all unless we reckon with American history and how it shapes our present—particularly our country’s original sin of slavery and white supremacy.

As the GOP and right-wing media are trying to block any education about race or racism in schools, we’ve got to expand opportunities to tell the truth.

And Rep. Bowman’s African American History Act does just that, by investing $10 million over 5 years in the National Museum of African American History and Culture to support African American history education programs that are voluntarily available for students, parents, and educators.

Please add your name to join me and other progressives in co-signing the African American History Act.

In a backlash against our growing racial justice movement, Republicans across the country are claiming that even acknowledging the existence of systemic racism is itself racist—against white people.

As part of this dangerous disinformation campaign, GOP leaders in at least 22 states (including my home state of Michigan) have introduced legislation punishing teachers or schools for talking about systemic racism.

This is a huge problem for many reasons. As Kimberlé Crenshaw, one of the founding scholars behind critical race theory and the Black woman who came up with the concept of intersectionality, explains:

“We know from the history of race in America just where sanitized and whitewashed versions of our past lead—to assumptions that yawning inequalities in health, wealth and a range of other areas are simply inherent features of American life.”

Black people then get blamed for their own oppression, and people just accept the unjust status quo.

But in reality, centuries of disinvestment in Black communities and systemic racism in our institutions have led to continually widening inequities.

For example, the wealth gap between Black and white families has expanded since the civil rights movement. Black households only have a fraction of the wealth that white households have, which is crucial for surviving and thriving.

Similarly, years of systemic bias and discriminatory policy have created huge inequities in healthcare access, as we’ve seen during COVID-19 and with growing Black maternal and infant mortality rates. Today, the gap between white and Black home ownership is the widest it has been in 50 years.

We can’t sweep this under the rug. It will only get worse if we do that.

We’ve got to act, or the right-wing will continue to control the narrative and block the real democracy we need, where we all have equal rights protected by the government. It’s essential to tell the truth about what’s going on and what led us here.

Can you sign on as a supporter of Rep. Bowman’s African American History Act today?

Thank you for taking action,

Rashida