Congressional Black Caucus

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Cherfilus-McCormick for yielding.

Madam Speaker, the treatment of Black men and boys in our society is not a new issue. It demands our urgent attention and decisive action. The statistics paint a grim picture.

The life expectancy of a Black man in our country remains staggering low. Black men are disproportionately affected by mass incarceration, trapped in a vicious cycle that perpetuates inequality and injustice.

Our boys are funneled into a school-to-prison pipeline at an alarming rate, their futures stolen before they can flourish.

Gun violence, health disparities, police brutality, unemployment, educational and income inequalities: These are just some of the burdens that Black men and boys disproportionately shoulder in our society.

Despite these challenges, we have shown remarkable resilience. We have risen as icons in culture, education, fashion, sports, music, and politics, proving that our potential knows no bounds. However, we cannot be complacent. We must confront the systemic injustices that continue to oppress us and work tirelessly to dismantle the chains of racism and inequality. We must invest in education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and criminal justice reform to ensure that every Black man and boy has a chance to survive and, more importantly, to thrive.

I fought tirelessly to end healthcare inequities for Black Americans, and part of that is taking care of our mental health in the same way we take care of our physical health.

I introduced the Medical Health Workforce Act to increase the number of culturally competent mental health care providers in the United States, and I will keep fighting to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health care.

It is okay to sometimes not be okay. You are not alone. Stand firm and know that if you need help, help is there for you.

Recognize that we are a people and we all have a responsibility to care for each other.

Additionally, I am an original cosponsor of the PSA Screening for HIM Act. This bill requires health insurance providers to offer screenings without any cost-sharing requirements for Black men or men with a history of prostate cancer between the ages of 55 and 69; those individuals that are at the highest risk.

Prostate cancer affects Black men in the United States at an alarming rate but it does not have to be a death sentence.

Every year, the Black community is disproportionately affected by prostate cancer. Moreover, Black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as White men, but when we are diagnosed early enough, the survival rate is 97 percent. When diagnosed early enough, 97 percent survival rate.

When the engine light in your car goes off, you pull over. You check the oil. You check the fluids.

You make sure your car is all right because you don't want your precious engine to be damaged. But when our bodies tell us something is going wrong, we ignore it, whether it is mental or physical. We have to learn to pay attention to that light that indicates something is wrong, and then we have to be bold enough and bad enough to seek help and to know that sometimes it is okay to not be okay. There is nothing wrong with it.

The stigma associated with mental health is too great, and we as a community have to build beyond it. We saw what happened with the young people after COVID. Isolation, our babies, sitting at home with nothing to do but the internet and the dangers, and what we see happen as a result of that.

You are not alone. The attack is real, and we as a community must do something about it.

The Congressional Black Caucus is doing just that.

When we stand up and we fight for our young men and boys to tell them that: You will not be a lost cause, that are not alone, that we believe in you. We know that you can be successful, and we know that you can be great. We are going to stand with you through thick and thin.

We know erasures are on pencils for a reason because sometimes we make a mistake. It is not the mistake; it is how you recover from it.

Our society must do better. We must provide better educational opportunities, better economic opportunities and higher wages so people can enjoy a greater quality of life.

Supporting Black men and boys is not just a moral imperative, it is essential for the prosperity and well-being of our entire Nation. Together, let's advocate for change and build a future where every Black man and boy could reach their full potential and their God-given talents.

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