John,

Growing up, my father would always tell me, “Boy, never forget where you came from or how many people had to sacrifice to get you where you are.”

Today, I hope you’ll give me a chance to explain who some of those people are — and how their sacrifice continues to impact my life to this day.

One of those people was my grandmother — a single mother who raised my dad in Hendersonville, North Carolina, who along with her church, friends, and neighbors, helped my dad pay the $600 annual tuition for college while he shined shoes, worked construction, and washed dishes to get his education.

Then there was the group of white lawyers in New Jersey who had watched the courage of civil rights activists, and were inspired to help Black families in their own community, including mine.

When I was a baby, my parents tried to move us into a neighborhood with great public schools, but realtors wouldn’t sell us a home because of the color of our skin. When my dad showed up at one realtor’s office with a lawyer, he even had a dog sicced on him.

But my parents and those volunteer lawyers were not discouraged.

They were able to purchase that home, and in doing so, they changed the course of my entire life.

In America, courage is contagious. So I carried my dad’s words with me when over 20 years ago, I moved into the central ward of Newark to fight slumlords and help families stay in their homes.

I still live there today, and I’m the only Senator who goes home to a low-income, inner-city community — the first community that took a chance on me.

Black history is American history, but it is also the story of collective action — that when we come together in the spirit of love and courage, in service of a common purpose, there is nothing we cannot overcome.

So before I let you go, I’m humbly asking: Will you make a small contribution to our campaign today, to help me continue to pay it forward?

Thanks for allowing me to share part of my family’s story with you today.

With love and gratitude,

Cory

P.S. The size of the dog changed over the years. My dad used to insist it was the spawn from Hell, it was Cujo. My mom still tells me, “It was just Toto.”