Congressional Black Caucus

Floor Speech

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Ms. WILSON of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I am honored to be here on the floor of the U.S. Capitol to kick off this Special Order hour on Black men and boys.

I am Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, chair of the U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys and the Congresswoman representing Florida's 24th District, but you can call me Frederica ``Prevention'' Wilson because that is what I do.

I believe, as Frederick Douglass said: ``It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.'' Thus, as a woman and even during Women's History Month, I want to take a moment to talk about our fathers, our brothers, our uncles, and our sons. We have wasted far too much time allowing conditions to fester that work to break Black men and extinguish the lives of Black boys before they become men.

I refuse to allow Black men to be among the highest mortality rates, who, on average, are dying before they can collect their Social Security checks. I refuse to let this happen on my watch. I have to speak up.

As Members of Congress, we have to speak up. So, those of us who are here tonight are here to speak up for Black men and boys.

This is such an important topic near and dear to my heart because of what we are doing, committing to make 2024 the year of Black men and boys.

Let me take a moment to thank my fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys for being here tonight because we have so much work to do.

Developing strong Black men is my life's work. Thirty years ago, I started the 5000 Role Models of Excellence, a mentoring organization committed to supporting all boys, but particularly Black boys.

The 5000 Role Models of Excellence had an event just last month where we continued our work to improve the relationship between Black boys and our Miami-area police because we all know of the tension that exists between the police and Black men. We all know that, no matter how many laws we pass, they can only work when we change the tenor, hearts, and compassion of both sides because the tension has always existed long before we have all been alive. Since slavery, it has existed.

Oftentimes, I ask people to raise their hand if they want to change places with a Black boy in America, and no one ever raises their hand. Why? Because we all know and see the issues they face.

That is why I am so grateful to be standing on the floor of the House, talking to the people of the United States about how to break those tensions between our youth and the police. The relationship with police is one of the many issues that uniquely affect Black men, and it is something all of us, whether that be the White House, Members of Congress, or leaders in our community, must never stop addressing.

At the start of my career as an elementary school teacher, I remember watching how my fellow teachers treated Black boys. I vividly remember that if a Black boy accidentally knocked a book off the desk, the teacher would be livid, scold him for knocking down the book, and punish him with detention. If anyone else other than a Black boy knocked a book off the teacher's desk, the teacher's response was completely different. They would say: ``It is okay. I am sure you didn't see it.'' Afterward, class would proceed. It was crazy.

Then, Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander came to my school at the behest of President Bush to declare that the 5000 Role Models of Excellence was a model for the Nation. It was a great day in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. They labeled it a break the mold program.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, President Clinton honored the program as part of America's Promise Alliance, and all the living Presidents were there. We were declared a teaching example for the Nation, and I went on to record commercials for HBO, explaining the importance of Black men becoming mentors for Black boys. The commercials were shown all over the world.

The 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project is a program that we must all remember. We are all over Florida; in Detroit, Michigan; headed to The Bahamas; Birmingham, Alabama; and Los Angeles, California.

To date, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence has funded full college scholarships for nearly 2,000 young men and has uplifted many Black men who are now doctors, Capitol Police officers, lawyers, city commissioners, county commissioners, college presidents, members of our Federal agencies, and the leaders of today and tomorrow, and we have receipts.

This is what I want for all Black men and boys: to level the playing field and open the doors of opportunities for them.

I invite Members of Congress, other politicians, universities, school systems, philanthropists, artists, entertainers, and cities to start their own chapters of 5000 Role Models because I have a dream.

I have a dream, just like Martin Luther King, Jr., had a dream. I have a dream that we can end mass incarceration. I have a dream that we can end gun violence. The list goes on and on. In my mind, I don't see an issue more important than this one because we can uplift Black men and boys and put them on a path to success. We can change the course of this country.

I believe that if the Black voters of this country, especially the men, knew that there is a Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, we would not be talking about their vote.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I met with the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, including Councilwoman Kristen Clarke, who serves as United States Assistant Attorney General, Reverend Al Sharpton, and our new Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost, who all eagerly put forth ideas, bringing the weight of their essential work to this issue of Black men and boys.

One thing was clear in that meeting. It is long overdue for us to address the disparities affecting Black men and boys. The crime bill, welfare reform, it is long overdue. Education, college scholarships, access to jobs and housing, and the number one issue is prevention. We must remember, prevention.

My name is Congresswoman Frederica ``Prevention'' Wilson, and I approve this message. I thank all who have joined us this evening, and we look forward to them working with us and the Congressional Black Caucus to uplift Black men and boys.

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