On this first day of Black History Month I salute Black Americans, young and old, everyday unsung s/heroes and acknowledged leaders. The shortest month in the year is clearly not enough to celebrate the brilliance, persistence, resistance and resilience that the Black community demonstrates 365 days and has been for over 400 years. At this juncture in history, celebrating Black Americans takes on special significance. They and very specifically Black women voters have rescued our nation from the dangerous precipice where we have been teetering for the last four years. This electoral rescue has been against the backdrop of the Black community fighting injustice from the 1633 Slave revolt in Virginia to the current nationwide Black Lives Matter protests. The entire nation especially other non-Black communities of color have greatly benefited from the hard work and sacrifice of our Black Sisters and Brothers.

I take this opportunity to express my personal gratitude to the Black community in Pennsylvania and especially those in my hometown of Philadelphia. Being an immigrant, the warmth and inclusion afforded to me is a constant reminder of the humanity in this community. As a survivor of a brutal War of Liberation that created the new country of Bangladesh, as a non-Black person of color, I identify with fighting oppression as a perpetual state of disruption that the Black community is engaged in. I am deeply grateful for the grace and warmth from the Black community who have embraced me and my family. This acceptance and that of the larger community has allowed me to engage in the electoral process and put some cracks in the proverbial glass ceiling. Winning the Democratic nomination in a 6-way race for PA Auditor General in June 2020, under extremely trying circumstances and then earning over 3 million votes in the General election in November (more than Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2012) as a woman, brown immigrant with a Muslim last name, is truly a testament to PA voters who believed in me. While I did not win the race, the overwhelming support in Philadelphia of over 79%, a city with a population of 60% People of Color, with 44% being Black Philadelphians reinforced the trust placed in me.

I am committed to fight alongside the Black community to end structural racism resulting from the white supremacy that has infected all levels of government and society. The coronavirus pandemic has made the everyday realities of this structural racism abundantly clear. We are just cleaning up from the mess of the vaccine rollout in Philadelphia, where an inexperienced young white man was given precedence over an experienced physician, Dr. Ala Stanford with a trained team, Black Doctors Covid Consortium to execute the vaccination plan. We have an opportunity to act right now with the Biden-Harris administration clearly articulating the goal of dismantling systemic racism across the board. Let us roll up our collective sleeves and create a nation where #BlackLivesMatter and we #LeaveNoOneBehind!!