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Dear Neighbor,

I hope you had a great July, and I want to wish you a happy Disability Pride Month! I’ve been busy at work for NY-16 as we wrap up this session in Congress and I’m excited to get back to the district for August Recess! Here’s your recap on what my office and I have been up to this month. 

But first – my team and I want to remind everyone that the deadline for the application for the benefits from the PACT Act are due August 9th. Veterans who have been exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances deserve to get their VA benefits.

I kicked off the month with Coffee with the Congressman in Wakefield, where I got to spend time with NY-16 community members and talk about the issues impacting their everyday lives. Thank you to everyone who came and shared their experiences. I had a great time and I’ll be working on how to address the issues we talked about in Congress. If you couldn’t make it, try to get to the next one! My team and I would love to hear from you. During my time in the district, I also attended the Yonkers Relieving Hunger Together Town Hall and heard from advocates fighting food insecurity in our community. It was very informative and I’m so impressed with the incredible work these folks are doing.

My team and I then checked out the Moves for Mental Health Fair in Yonkers. It’s so important that communities of color have access to mental health education and resources. We need more events like this so members of our community can be connected to the help they need. Over in Greenburgh, the Housing Authority showed me around some of their units and new construction. Quality public housing is essential to combatting the housing crisis, and it was so good to see people working on this in Westchester. 

In legislative news, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and I reintroduced our Fair College Admissions for Students Act to ban legacy admissions. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent devastating decision to overturn the use of race-conscious admissions policies, it is now more important than ever to cultivate diverse classrooms and to promote equitable pathways to higher education for Black and brown students. The 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop is coming up, and to celebrate, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and I reintroduced our resolution to recognize its cultural impact, declare August as Hip Hop Recognition Month, and November as Hip Hop History Month. Hip Hop has been a critical part of our culture for the last 50 years, and it's often underappreciated, but now it’s time to celebrate this incredible genre!

Back in NY-16, the folks at the Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle showed me around the construction site for their new Remington Clubhouse. Vibrant community spaces are vital for strong neighborhoods and it’s incredible to see projects like this in our district. Then in Mount Vernon, I joined the Hoops at Heavy kids’ basketball program for one of their practices. It was great to see the kids shooting hoops and enjoying themselves while school was out. We have to invest in youth recreation programs like this one to keep our kids happy and healthy.

The next week on the subcommittee on Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary Education, we held a hearing on education during the pandemic. I spoke out about how opening schools back up too early in the pandemic would have put more lives at risk. The pandemic deepened the already existing inequities in our education system, and now it’s our job to fix them and make sure everyone can access good quality public education. And at the Department of Education, I gave remarks about the power of diverse and inclusive classrooms. Our students come from all kinds of backgrounds, so it’s crucial that our schools are prepared to create safe and supportive learning environments. 

I recently sat down for a bipartisan conversation with Republican Congressman Chip Roy (TX-21) about the biggest issues Americans are facing today. We talked about education, the economy, and even racial inequity. He and I disagreed about a lot of things, but I’m glad we got to speak to each other. It's so important for us to have conversations across party lines so we can make real progress on the issues that matter most. You can watch our conversation here. 

My office and I would love to celebrate Black-owned Businesses in NY-16 for National Black Business Month in August. If you have a business you’d like to nominate, please submit a form here.

We also held mobile constituent services events throughout the district this month, and stay tuned - we’ll be coming to your neighborhood soon! If you need assistance with any federal agency, you can find us at one of our upcoming Mobile Constituent Services, email us at Bowman.Casework@mail.house.gov, or call our office at the numbers below.

Peace and love,

Congressman Jamaal Bowman Ed.D.