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Dear neighbor, 

I’m sharing an overview of all that we accomplished in February as we celebrated and uplifted Black History Month while still fighting for the important issues that affect our communities. 

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To kick off Black History Month, my brother Senator Cory Booker joined me to introduce the African American History Act in the Senate. In December, I introduced the same bill in the House to invest $10 million over five years in the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to support African American history education programs that are voluntarily available for students, parents, and educators. This bill is critical and I was proud to show its advancements while meeting with Black Student Union students in New Haven and during our Black History Month Town hall with local leaders. I also realized how important it was after attending a Lakeland Board of Education meeting where neighbors joined together to show that our schools are centers of acceptance, truth and love. 

Our youth are yearning for inclusivity in the classroom well beyond their high school graduation date. In fact every student should have equal access to achieve a higher education as a pipeline to upward mobility. That is why Senator Jeff Merkley and I introduced the Fair College Admissions for Students Act to reform the legacy and donor admissions practices at universities across the country to create equity for every student applying for college. 

My work always centers youth as an educator, so does anything else that may harshly impact our communities. At the beginning of February, COVID-19 cases were still high and I made sure to get PPE and testing kits delivered to the Bronx in an effort to mediate and stop the spread of COVID. At the same time COVID numbers were rising, temperatures dropped and people’s Con Edison bills spiked. As Senator Schumer and I continued calling on ConEd to stop price gouging I also led a webinar on heating and cooling resources. You should not have to foot the entire bill of increased oil prices when a corporation has the means to do so. 

In lighter news, I was happy to support Co-Op City’s HUD loan refinance application for $120 million in capital repairs. They received approval on the application just last week which will help make the community more sustainable and comfortable for all residents. I was also appointed to the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men & Boys with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. I’m excited to examine and advance issues that affect Black men and boys in NY-16 and across the country.

Every chance to understand your concerns and find solutions is invaluable for me, thank you to all the neighbors who joined me in Yonkers for coffee to do just that. My team closed x cases last month and I’ve received hundreds of emails and calls from you and your neighbors about issues you may need help with or deeply care about.  In our district one issue is on the forefront of everyone’s mind: gun violence and Ukraine. As I visited schools and PTA associations in the Bronx, Mount Vernon and Yonkers, parents and students cried out for an end to gun violence -  and I’m working with other elected officials to join President Biden in fulfilling that wish. The conflict overseas must also end. My heart goes out to everyone in Ukraine and those who have sought refuge elsewhere. Putin must be held accountable and I support the most peaceful plan to reach that end. As we look towards a future without conflict and full of resolution, please continue to interact with me and my office as we work to serve you.  Stay up-to-date by signing up for our newsletter and following us on social media as well by visiting bowman.house.gov.

Peace and love, 

Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16)