Opinion: Carol Moseley Braun Celebrating — and Making — Black History

Submitted by Carol Moseley Braun

Feb 23, 2024 7:00 AM Feb 23, 2024 1:51 PM

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CHICAGO – Today, Carol Moseley Braun, the former U.S. Senator from Illinois and Ambassador of the U.S. to New Zealand, published an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune about how this Black History Month, Democrats are celebrating – and making – Black history. Ambassador Mosely Braun is a history maker herself as the first Black woman and first Black Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate.

Carol Moseley Braun She highlights the progress the Biden-Harris administration has delivered for Black communities, what’s at stake in 2024, and how Democrats are continuing to make history leading up to this year’s Democratic National Convention.

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Key Excerpts:

Black history can’t be confined to just one calendar month. It’s an integral part of our national identity that deserves far more than just an annual commemoration. But every year, marking February as Black History Month feels more and more essential. In a country where extremist forces and Republican politicians are fighting to erase our history, celebrating Blackness has become a vital act of patriotism.

As we spend this month reflecting on Black America’s past — our rich history, our complex roots and the legacy we’ve built — we’re also looking ahead to the future. We’re celebrating Black advocacy and Black leadership because Black History Month isn’t just about celebrating history; it’s about making it.

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As a Black woman, I have had the eyes of history follow me every step of my career. When I served in the Illinois House of Representatives, I became the first Black assistant majority leader in state history. I later became the first Black female United States senator and the first Black Democrat in the Senate. Even in spaces designed to exclude Black women, I succeeded by leading with my values, building coalitions and never compromising on what was most important to me: delivering for my constituents and keeping my campaign promises. Education was, and is, especially important.

Since taking office, Harris has continued to serve as a critical partner for President Biden and a key leader in the administration’s work to invest in Black communities. In just three years, the Biden-Harris administration has kept its promise to deliver historic results for Black America. It has invested a record $7 billion in historically Black colleges and universities, fought to lower student loan debt for Black students, overseen record growth in Black-owned small businesses and appointed a historic number of Black judges to the federal bench, including the first Black female Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

This president, this administration and this party know that Black history is not a relic of the past but a guiding principle for the future.

We will continue to educate, mobilize and act to bring this country closer to its ideals. And this summer, Democrats will gather in my home state of Illinois for the Democratic National Convention, where we will nominate the historic Biden-Harris ticket for a second time.

There is so much at stake in this year’s presidential election, and come November, Democrats across the country, led by Black women, will once again make history when we send Biden and Harris back to the White House to continue the vital work of delivering for all Americans.

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