On February 1, 1960, four young men studying at the historically black college North Carolina A&T took their seat at Woolworth’s whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro.

By taking their seats at the counter, Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil ignited a nationwide movement for justice and changed history.

Furious white patrons spat on, cursed at, and threw food at these four young men. Yet the Greensboro Four returned to that Woolworth’s counter, day after day, with an implacable insistence that their rights — as defined by the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision years earlier — finally be respected.

This Black History Month, I will be reintroducing the African American History Act in the Senate to strengthen teaching of the richness and complexity of Black history, from the heroism of the Greensboro Four to the contributions of countless others to the fabric of our nation. Will you sign on as a citizen cosponsor of this legislation?

The sit-in movement’s direct confrontation of racism and white supremacy across the South spread to 55 cities in 13 states in the span of just one month. By that summer, Woolworth in Greensboro was serving their Black employees, who were able to eat at the restaurant where they worked for the very first time.

This is why we celebrate Black History Month, John.

To ensure that no matter how the forces of ignorance, prejudice, and bigotry may strive to erase our history — and they are trying very hard right now — that we continue to learn from our history, celebrate it in the present, and preserve it for future generations.

As our children face attacks on their right to receive instruction on these foundational lessons of American history and the heroism of the students who came before them, I’m fighting to preserve this history and ensure it is passed down to the next generation. And I hope you will join me.

If you agree that Black History like the heroism of the Greensboro Four should always be a part of American education, then please add your name as a citizen cosponsor of the African American History Act that I will be introducing in the Senate this month.

The story of Black people in America is inextricably linked to the story of America. The fullness of this story must be told, not only so we can reckon with some of the dark chapters of our past, but so we can celebrate what people have overcome and recognize that the greatness of our country lies in its ability to reinvent itself and achieve greater levels of equality and justice.

Our legislation will invest in initiatives to make African American history education programs more accessible to the public, help educators incorporate these programs into their curriculum, and develop additional resources focused on Black History for students and families to engage with.

Thanks for raising your voice in support of these efforts today — and happy Black History Month!

With love and gratitude,

Cory