Like so many of you, we are highly disappointed in Tuesday night’s primary results.
Throughout her time in office, we worked with Rep. Bush on issues facing the Black community. Most notably, we worked alongside Rep. Bush on envisioning what true public safety looks like through her legislation, the People’s Response Act (PRA). The PRA paves the way for new public safety by centering community, mental health, and care, advancing the non-carceral paradigm for community safety that we are seeking to build. It transforms the current system of violence into one of care, and centers the well-being of individual people, rather than emboldening rogue police officers.
In the Summer of 2021, when the eviction moratorium was set to expire and Congress left for recess without extending it, Rep. Bush didn’t accept it. She stood her ground outside of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., camping out for 5 days in demand for Congress to delay the recess and expand the moratorium. President Biden then announced the extension of the moratorium in places experiencing high spread of COVID-19 cases, which was the majority of counties in the U.S. through the Fall. Without her on-the-ground efforts, fueled by people-power, the 11 million people facing eviction with the expiration could have been removed from their homes, disproportionately impacting Black people across the U.S.
It’s safe to say that there has never been a member of Congress like Rep. Cori Bush. As a BLM organizer in Ferguson to one of the most honest freedom fighters in the House of Representatives, we can now thank Rep. Bush for her service. It has made a tremendous difference and impact on Black people in her district and country, and her legacy will ripple for decades to come.
But let’s be clear about what happened on Tuesday night: Special interest groups threw their shady money into efforts that misled voters about Rep. Bush’s record. It’s no secret that when Black people become powerful and make strides toward Black liberation, white supremacists become threatened and scared.
While Rep. Bush may not be a member of the next Congress, we know her efforts toward Black liberation are far from over, and we look forward to working alongside her on whatever is next.
