It's the first day of Women's History Month, friend, and I can't help but think about the women who raised me.

Growing up, some of my fondest memories were visiting my grandmother, who lived just down the street. She couldn't read or write, so I remember sitting at the kitchen table writing for her as she dictated letters to her sister. She could have never imagined that I would become a congresswoman and one day run for Senate. 

I stand on the shoulders of generations of women like my grandmother – women who didn't have the opportunities I do today, but hoped and prayed that one day I would make it. 

And today I’m reflecting on my career as a social worker, law enforcement officer, Orlando’s first woman chief of police and now a U.S. congresswoman running for the U.S. Senate. 

Black women before me have won countless battles and pushed us closer to the promise of equity for all – but now, unfortunately the GOP is trying to bring us back to a time when women didn't have the freedom to make choices about their own bodies and when women like my grandmother couldn't exercise their right to vote.

The truth is, we're at a crossroads: Americans can either sit back and let the Supreme Court reverse Roe v. Wade and take back progress on crucial issues like voting rights, or we can give every ounce of energy we have to expanding our Democratic Senate majority. 

This Women's History Month, we're at a critical turning point, and so I have to ask: Will you donate $5 today to power my grassroots movement, elect another woman to the Senate, and expand our Democratic majority?

Thank you,

Congresswoman Val Demings