When we learned that Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas had been recently threatened on the House floor to physically fight by Rep. Nancy Mace, we deemed it a minor concern compared to some of the issues facing Black elected officials, including the National Guard invasion of Washington D.C. – Mayor Muriel Bowser’s turf.
A potential clash between Mace and Crockett may be minor in scale, but carries major implications. The threat on Crockett is much like the actual things that are happening to Black women. With the cancellation of medical research at the National Institutes of Health, critical research initiatives to understand race, gender and income disparities are no longer continuing. Fundamental research that improves the conditions of people of color in America has been scrapped by the Trump administration.
Recent research tried to determine why pulse oximeters, used to find out the severity of respiratory disease, failed Black patients. It was later discovered that the device had not been properly calibrated for darker skinned Americans. In another instance, a grant that was approved to study the high maternal mortality rates among African American women was not reinstated.
We could go on listing the removal of key research programs to advance the lives of Black Americans, and gradually this situation is getting wider exposure — but hardly enough.
Yes, Rep. Crockett, we stand with you, and if you plan to take on Rep. Mace, look for us in your corner.
Leave a Reply