John,
As we get closer to the end of 2021, I am overwhelmed reflecting on this past year and everything we’ve already accomplished in our first year in office.
From introducing the Green New Deal for Cities, to introducing the Unhoused Bill of Rights and organizing a historic mobilization around the houseless crisis in our country, to securing over $1 million dollars for Head Start programs in our neighborhoods — we’ve made critical progress in centering our politics around the people we were elected to serve.
But the harsh reality we face is that there is still a lot of work ahead of us to save lives and rise up to the urgent crises we face. Too many people are still being killed by gun violence and a policing system that devalues Black and brown lives. Too many Missourians are losing their lives and their livelihoods in a climate emergency that our politicians have spent decades doing nothing about. Too many folks in St. Louis are still being evicted in the midst of an ever-changing pandemic.
We need to start preparing now for all the challenges we have ahead of us in 2022 and make sure we’re ready to continue making urgent progress to center working people in Congress. Especially now, as we enter an election year, I hope we can work together in this mission.
Almost a year ago, I came to Congress as a "politivist" — a politician and a Ferguson-made activist. Because I know that policy change only occurs when regular, everyday people work on the inside and outside of our political systems.
Everyday I go to work, I bring my lived experiences to Congress and know that millions of other folks share the same struggle:
I know I’m not the only one who understands what it’s like to sit outside a payday loan office, wondering how I’m going to make ends meet.
I know I’m not the only one who understands what it’s like to live out of a car and worry about whether my babies are warm enough at night.
I know I’m not the only one who understands what it’s like to be brutalized by police.
I know I’m not the only one who understands what it’s like to make the difficult decision to get an abortion.
When we lift up our voices and stories together — we have the power to demand the change our families need and save lives. That’s been the core of our mission in Congress this past year and we plan to do exactly that in 2022.
Thank you for all of your support.
Your Congresswoman loves you,
Cori
