Folks,

This Black History Month, I have been reflecting on how we can continue to uplift and amplify Black voices, achievements, stories, and communities year-round.

As the first Black woman to represent Alabama in Congress , I stand on the shoulders of so many trailblazers, visionaries, activists, and Civil Rights leaders who paved the path before me.

I’m a 3rd-generation Selmian, so I know firsthand that Black history is Alabama’s history — a history I want to honor and preserve.

That’s why I want to take some time to shine a spotlight on the contributions of Black Alabamians:

*
Judge
Oscar
W.
Adams,
Jr.
—
the
first
African-American
elected
to
a
statewide
office
in
Alabama
and
the
first
African-American
Alabama
Supreme
Court
Justice
*
*
Dr.
Mae
Jemison
—
Decatur-native,
NASA
astronaut,
and
first
African-American
woman
in
space
*
*
Amelia
Boynton
Robinson
—
one
of
the
brave
Foot
Soldiers
of
the
Civil
Rights
Movement
who
crossed
the
Edmund
Pettus
Bridge
on
Bloody
Sunday
*
*
Michael
A.
Figures
—
one
of
the
first
African-Americans
to
earn
a
Juris
Doctorate
from
the
University
of
Alabama,
who
went
on
to
become
the
first
Black
state
representative
of
Mobile
County
and
the
President
Pro-Tempore
of
the
Alabama
Senate.
*
*
Percy
Lavon
Julian
—
Montgomery-native
and
chemist
who
obtained
over
130
patents,
innovated
the
production
of
life-saving
medicine,
and
became
the
first
Black
chemist
nominated
to
the
National
Academy
of
Sciences
*
*
Thelma
Glass
—
a
professor
of
geography
at
Alabama
State
University,
who
helped
organize
the
Montgomery
Bus
Boycott
as
secretary
of
the
Women’s
Political
Council

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the amazing legacy of these and so many other known and unknown history-makers.

The accomplishments of these trailblazers serve as a reminder of the lasting impact Black Alabamians have had on our state, and I’m grateful to be able to follow in their footsteps.

Thank you,

Terri Sewell

(P.S. There is unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement, and as the representative of Alabama’s Black Belt, I’m determined to carry the baton and continue the fight for progress. Will you join me and chip in $15 or more to support my campaign? [[link removed]] )

unsubscribe: [link removed]