Here's what I have to say about a system of structural racism that mass incarcerates millions, lets children go hungry, makes seniors go without care they need, and forces redlined communities to live in buildings and go to schools that are falling apart:
And the Republican-negotiated, bipartisan infrastructure package does not go far enough to address all of that. Not even close.
We're fighting for our lives, our homes, and our families. Just this past weekend, a giant fire erupted in the Gulf of Mexico after a pipeline leak (see picture below). The catastrophe is staring us right in the face.
Now isn’t the time to negotiate or compromise. Now is the moment to go big or go home.
We need an infrastructure package that truly addresses and repairs the impacts of environmental racism. We need a package that meets the needs of communities like mine, in neighborhoods in the Bronx, Yonkers, Mount Vernon and more — communities that have been neglected for decades by design. We need broadband access, child care, support for seniors and those with disabilities, low-income housing retrofits, and modernized schools so kids can learn in sustainable, healthy environments.
We've got to go big, and take it to another level. We've got to deliver and get this done for our communities. So why on earth are we wasting time trying to compromise with Republicans?
President Biden ran on a platform on climate justice and on racial justice. He had progressives across the country organizing in support of him — not only to help him get the White House, but also to help Democrats win the Senate. And this is where we are.
Look. If we do not fight for our communities and put them in the center of the work we do — if we continue to prioritize the myth of "bipartisanship" over the people we were elected to fight for and represent in Washington — we will lose elections. If we want to maintain control and the opportunity to do great work beyond 2022, Democrats need to deliver in this very moment.
Now as we look toward the reconciliation process around this infrastructure package in the Senate, I'm committed to pushing as hard as I can for climate and racial justice. My priorities are with getting communities like mine back on our feet — not with compromising with Republicans.
That's why you can count on me to always hold folks like Senator Joe Manchin and President Biden accountable to making sure that this bill passes — as we intended, without compromise.
Enough is enough. If you're with me, can I count on you to chip in $3 and support my leadership in Congress as I continue this fight?
Thank you,
Jamaal Bowman
PAID FOR BY BOWMAN FOR CONGRESS
To contribute via check, please address to: Bowman for Congress, 81 Pondfield Rd, Suite D 351 Bronxville, NY, 10708
