Yesterday was Valentine's Day, February is Black History Month, so I'd like to share this love letter to Black History.

I’m sure you’ve seen that Ron Desantis is attacking Afridcan American Studies as an attack on Black history as a whole – but he’s not the first one. In the 1920’s, segregationists in the south were outraged by books that could be seen as “anti-Klan,” and they were banned.

A century later, we’re still seeing the same old Jim Crow mindset.

As Ibram X Kendi writes in The Atlantic, “Those who are attacking what they call “critical race theory” characterize these omissions – that end up pacifying poeple – as “education.” And they classify anti-racist books and African American studies as “inddoctrination.”

I am so proud to have leaned about Black hisotry firsthand by witnessing it in my mother, the first Carribean born woman to serve on New York’s City Council. She taught me the importance of never forgetting your past or your people and that we need to work together to advocate for a better future.

She taught me about the amazing Blact activists that shaped New York today and the brave immigrants who came here to make Brooklyn their home. She made me proud of who I am and where I came from. And that’s why teaching Black history is so important.

As the only Black woman represnting New York in Washington, I don’t take this lightly. As First Vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I know that it’s not just our history that’s under attack – it’s our future as the culture of white supremacy makes it harder for Black folks to vote or buy homes or run for office.

So as a love letter to Black history, I’m aksing you to make a split donation to Milk River PAC, which supports Black women across the country running for office, and my re-election campaign so I can continue serving New York.

Thank you so much,

– Yvette