Friend,

This week, as we kick off Black History Month, I am thinking of the amazing Black women and men who changed the course of American history and inspire us daily.

I am thinking of Gwinnett’s own Beauty Baldwin, who was the first black woman to be a school superintendent right here in Georgia.

I am thinking of my friend Nicole Love Hendrickson, who is the first black woman to be Chair of the Gwinnett County Commission.

I am thinking of Hank Aaron — a proud Georgian — who showed the world the meaning of Black excellence when he broke Babe Ruth’s home run record.

I am thinking of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an Atlanta preacher who shared his dream with the world and in the process changed it forever.

I am thinking of my colleague Senator Raphael Warnock, who preached from the same pulpit as Dr. King and who now follows in his footsteps as an advocate for change.

And I am thinking of our beloved Georgia friend, mentor, and colleague John Lewis, who would have turned 82 this month.

During Black History Month, we reflect on the achievements of the Black community, but we also recommit ourselves to forming a more perfect union: one where everyone has the opportunity and access to the American Dream, and one where we recognize and recommit ourselves to address the effects that structural racism has and has had on the Black community.

Yours in hope and faith,

Carolyn