As the nation kicks off February in recognition of the historical journey of Black Americans – from enslavement to Emancipation, from Reconstruction to Civil Rights – Oregon's State Senate Democratic leadership unveiled its Caucus Agenda for the 2022 Legislative Session, and the battle for "America’s promise of equity and dignity for all" moves forward.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner stated that, "the pandemic continues to show us the important work we must do, watching out for those struggling around the state." He went on to say, "Oregon Senate Democrats are committed to making sure every community in the state gets the support they need during these challenging times." Adding to this focus on public health and the economy, Senator Kate Lieber emphasized the point that, "Our decisions reflect our values, and this session our focus is on uplifting historically underserved communities and building an economy that works for all Oregonians."

Not surprisingly, with our country having suffered through two years of a coronavirus pandemic, in which Black Americans have suffered disproportionately from COVID-19, the words of the Democratic Senate leadership are timely and encouraging. They are clearly relevant to a celebration and a journey in which Black Oregonians, and other communities of color, are working to enact policies that will push our state and our country toward a future grounded in justice, equity and dignity for all. High among these policy priorities are full access to equitable, affordable health care, full access to the ballot box, improved housing and job opportunities, immigration reform, criminal justice reform, climate change, and more.

In carefully examining the highly appropriate theme of Black Health and Wellness, while there is much to be celebrated, it is important to remember the underlying history of inhumanity and injustice; the impacts of which are yet present and must not be ignored or forgotten. Any attempt to whitewash this facet of American history, such as the current efforts by extremists to deny the teaching of history through a lens of racial equity, only serves to impede our path to a more perfect union.

The theme of Black Health and Wellness highlights how some of the nation’s most important medical and scientific innovations are owed directly to Black people. We must honor and celebrate those who, during and after slavery, were used as human guinea pigs without their knowledge or consent. We must remember the "medical hell" of experimental surgeries, exclusively on enslaved Black women by J. Marion Sims to help develop the field of gynecology. We must never forget the legacy of Henrietta Lacks, whose cancer cells were used without her informed consent, to conduct cancer research and to develop the polio vaccine. And we must sadly memorialize one of the worst horrors of modern medical research: the infamous Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in Black males.

Once again, we are reminded in President Biden's words, that by "facing those tragedies openly and honestly, and working together as one people to deliver on America’s promise of equity and dignity for all, we become a stronger nation." 

Thankfully all has not been all negative in the American history of segregated health care in the African American community. Many Black pioneers, clinicians, researchers, and advocates championed health and wellness and advanced medicine in America and beyond. In our celebration of Black History Month, it is important to remember that as early as 1721, during a smallpox outbreak in Boston, a slave called Onesimus by his owner was instrumental in teaching others the African roots of inoculation in America. He is often referred to as the enslaved man who saved colonial Boston from smallpox. How wonderful it is that we can celebrate in 2022 how, in 1893, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful open heart surgery. And how that during World War II, Dr. Charles Drew developed the method for preserving blood plasma that has saved millions of lives. Most recently, in 2020 we honored present-day innovator Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, who led the team of scientists who developed the vaccine to immunize Americans against COVID-19. 

So, this Black History Month, let’s celebrate together the resilience, achievements, and contributions of Black Americans from slavery to freedom, while remaining grounded by the work that still lies ahead: America's Promise of Equity and Dignity for All. 

Thank you!

Rosa Colquitt, PhD
Democratic Party of Oregon Vice Chair
Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon Black Caucus

The Democratic Party of Oregon is powered by supporters like you. If you're able, please donate to help Keep Oregon Blue in 2022!

Paid for by the Democratic Party of Oregon | Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee | www.dpo.org

Democratic Party of Oregon
232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
United States

This email was sent to newsletter@newslettercollector.com 

Reaching and communicating with Oregon Democrats and our supporters is critical for the Democratic Party of Oregon as we work to keep electing Democrats up and down the ballot.

If you'd like to only receive our most important messages, please click here. We hope you'll stay, but if you wish to no longer receive our messages, you can unsubscribe, but it will be much more difficult for us to reach you with important information on how to stay involved and elect Democrats.