Recognizing the need of Congress to prevent, address, and treat obesity as a disease in the United States on this World Obesity Day, March 4, 2024.

Madam Speaker, I thank my honorable colleague from the great State of Florida (Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick).

I thank the Honorable Frederica Wilson for her outstanding work. I thank my honorable friend from the great State of New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for his consistency and caring for this truly significant cause.

Madam Speaker, tonight, as we gather to discuss what is, for me, a most important area of concern, I am reminded of how overdue and necessary the concern for Black men in this Chamber happens to be.

If it is true that Black women are the most marginalized, overlooked, and economically oppressed group in America, then it is the case that Black men are, without question, the most criminalized and misunderstood.

No other community in America has had to deal with the detrimental effects of the prison industrial complex as Black men have.

Let me remind my colleagues that one in three African-American children, boys born after the year 2001, will spend time in prison over the course of their lifetime in America.

It is still the case that 1 in 230 Black boys are detained in juvenile facilities across this country. It is still the case that 1 in 1,000 Black boys will die at the hands of the police in our country. It is still the case that one in three Black children live in poverty.

The vulnerabilities abound. The misunderstandings amalgamate. The suffering continues. There is simply no other group in America more commodified and policed than the bodies and souls of young Black men.

Yet, compared to almost any other group, Black men have been some of the most dedicated devotees to the principles of America. Black men have fought and died in every war this country has ever had. From the Revolutionary War in 1776 to the war in Afghanistan, Black men have stood up for what it means to be an American. Black men have died on the beaches of Normandy and in the killing fields of Vietnam. Black men gave their lives in Korea and in both World War I and II.

Let us not forget the recent deaths of three U.S. Army Reserve soldiers, men and women who were killed in Jordan near the Syrian border.

Most of the time, when Black men were dying for America, America was about the business of denying them both their humanity and their rights. For most of the 248 years of this country, the relationship between Black men and America has been one of unrequited love.

When Black men stood up for American independence, America persisted in keeping Black men in slavery and counted them as three-fifths of a person.

When Black men fought for the western expansion of this country, America rewarded Black men by then denying them 40 acres and a mule and access to the homestead grants.

When America went off to war in Europe to fight for liberation of England and France against the demonic assault of Hitler and the Nazis, Black men fought for the liberation of other people--and then came home to segregation, Jim Crow, and second-class citizenship.

America rebuilt Europe but did nothing for Black communities. America rebuilt Japan and left Black men and boys suffering without a national agenda. America defended South Korea but left Black men completely defenseless in the face of unregulated racial violence and Jim Crow economics.

After the Holocaust, America rightly supported the creation of Israel and a homeland for persecuted Jewish people but left the South Side of Chicago, Harlem, parts of Detroit, and all throughout the South, all the places where Black men seek refuge and live, without proper political and economic consideration.

The single greatest factor in the creation of the middle class in this country was the GI Bill, but even after Black men fought in the same war that made White men eligible for the GI Bill, Black soldiers were consistently denied and impeded from receiving what they deserved as a result of their sacrifice.

This is the unbroken chain of disappointing events. This predictable pattern of historical contradictions of unrequited devotion has peppered and persecuted the humanity of Black men unjustly.

Today, Black men and boys stand as the lone group in America still waiting for the Nation to understand their development to be an indispensable part of the future of this Nation.

As I stand here tonight, I ask my colleagues: Where is the national development plan for Black men and boys? If the Nation made a concerted effort to lock up two generations of Black men and boys in the criminal industrial complex, then surely this Nation should dedicate intentional efforts to the restoration of Black men from that kind of brokenness. It is unnatural.

I think it is about time that the Federal Government intentionally put Black men on the agenda. How is it that the Nation can have a plan for everyone else, but it is completely bereft of ideas when it comes to the restoration of Black boys?

Black children are the only people in America who live in a country that has second-class schools, first-class prisons, and third-class water infrastructure.

We need a legislative agenda that will enhance the lives and future of Black men and boys. We need to set aside resources and enact policies that will facilitate the uplifting of a community, the community of Black men.

We need to enforce an agenda that will prosecute those who use their power, status, and influence to harm and criminalize those without justification or cause and one that will recognize the dignity and safety of Black men as a national priority.

We can start by passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. We can start by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020.

I call on every Member of the United States Senate to stop playing with the future of Black men because Black men are not pawns to be played with on the battlefield of identity politics but are, rather, the children of God, just like everyone else in this country.

Thankfully, because of President Biden's stewardship of the economy, Black unemployment is the lowest it has ever been, but more needs to be done.

Madam Speaker, one out of three Black families still has negative wealth--or no money, meaning they are in debt, living paycheck to paycheck. One out of every four Black children born in 1990 will experience the incarceration of their fathers in their lifetimes. One out of every six Black boys is suspended from school. It is still the case that one in nine Black children will enter the foster care system and have to live with the devastation that comes along with that.

This should not be done at the expense of any other community but should happen in concert with how we address the needs of the disinherited and marginalized amongst us.

We have already seen what Black men can do when the game is fair and the rules are made public. Black men can excel at sports, not merely because we are physically gifted but, rather, because the game cannot be rigged. When the rules are clear and everyone has the opportunity to play by the same standards, we can win. When the playing field is even and nobody gets to tilt the game in their favor, Black men can thrive.

Madam Speaker, I say to my friends today that we need Black men to

thrive in America. We need all the genius and creativity that Black men have to offer.

This Nation would be unlivable without the genius of Frederick Douglass and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

What would America be without the literary power of James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison?

This Nation would be an incomplete project without what Black men have given to this country. Let us recommit ourselves to the expanding future of Black men and boys. In doing so, let us reaffirm our commitment to one another.

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.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject matter of the Special Order hour.

Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to co-anchor the CBC's Special Order hour with Member Jonathan Jackson from the great Chicago, Illinois.

For the next 60 minutes, we have the chance to speak directly to the American people on issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, the constituents we represent, and all Americans--the health and well-being of Americans, American Black men and boys.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), my honorable colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wilson).

Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. I yield now to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Davis for his words. I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative McBath for her remarks.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson), my honorable colleague.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), my honorable colleague.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).

Madam Speaker, today I rise to discuss a pressing issue that has long lingered in the shadows of society, which is the reality of health disparities that disproportionately impact Black men and boys in the United States.

It is of grave concern that requires our collective attention, empathy, and most importantly, action.

The staggering health disparities faced by Black men and boys in the United States demands concrete legislative action.

As Members of Congress, it is our duty to fight tirelessly to end these disparities through comprehensive and long-term policies that address the root causes of these injustices.

We cannot ignore the profound and harsh truth that health and well- being of Black men and boys are in jeopardy. We see this truth manifest in the life expectancy gap that persists between Black and White men in America.

Studies have shown that Black men are more likely to experience significantly shorter lifespans than their White counterparts. This is both at birth and at the age of 65.

According to the CDC, for White men, life expectancy at birth is about 6 years longer than at 65. However, for Black men, that gap is over 9 years, showing that Black men are more likely to die prematurely. This is not merely a statistical anomaly but a symptom of a system that does not address the root causes of these disparities.

Such studies have shown that the burden of chronic disease, such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, disproportionately affect Black men and boys. This is not a result of a mere circumstance but, rather, a consequence of systemic issues, including limited access to quality healthcare, economic disparities, and racism.

Furthermore, diseases like obesity impact Black men and boys at alarming rates. Obesity-related health disparities are felt most acutely by underserved populations, including populations and communities of color, low-income communities, and those who live in rural areas.

That why I introduced H. Res. 1047, a resolution alongside my CBC colleague, Gwen Moore, recognizing the urgent need to prevent and treat obesity as a disease to reduce the risk of related diseases and comorbidities amongst the Black community.

We must acknowledge that healthcare is a fundamental human right, not a privilege dictated by one's racial or ethnic background. To bridge the gap in life expectancy and to address the prevalence of chronic diseases, we must prioritize this issue and allocate resources for preventive care and community health programs in underserved areas.

The mental health crisis amongst Black men and boys is also of major concern. The stigma surrounding mental health in the Black community often prevents individuals from seeking the health they desperately need.

As a result, Black men and boys are more likely to suffer in silence, leading to higher rates of untreated mental health issues and, tragically, a greater risk of suicide.

We must champion comprehensive legislation, expanding access to mental health services by allocating funds for mental health awareness campaigns, destigmatization initiatives, and community-based mental health clinics. We can create an environment where Black men and boys feel comfortable seeking help when they need it.

We cannot turn a blind eye to these horrific disparities any longer. It is our moral imperative to confront the root causes of this crisis and work collectively toward a more equitable and just healthcare system.

We must advocate for policies that address socioeconomic inequalities, improve access to education, increase employment opportunities, and eliminate the racial biases that exists within the healthcare system.

All these things are possible if Members of Congress commit to changing the trajectory of our Black men and our boys.

I have been fortunate to raise a Black boy, and I pray every day that he can actually live beyond the odds. That is going to take more than prayer. That will take actions from all of our colleagues to make sure that all of our children have the same opportunities, regardless of their race, where they live, and where they are from.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to start supporting, allocating funds, and taking affirmative steps to change the trajectory of our Black men and boys, starting with health inequalities, specifically mental health and obesity treatments and comorbidities.

Madam Speaker, you have heard from my distinguished colleagues on Black men and boys, all issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, our constituents, Congress, and all Americans tonight.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Cherfilus- McCormick and Representative Jonathan Jackson for presiding over this critical hour this evening.

I thank my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, but in particular, our chairwoman, Frederica Wilson. As a proud commissioner and a founding member, I am always grateful for the opportunity to speak in support of the vital work that this commission is undertaking.

Just last week, President Biden stood in this very Chamber, and he spoke of the transformational moment that happened 59 years ago in Selma, Alabama, as brave, nonviolent activists marched for justice and equality. We remembered our late friend and former colleague John Lewis, whose presence and influence this legislative body just really, really misses every single day.

The world has changed for Black men and boys in America since John Lewis was beaten and bloodied on a bridge in Selma, Alabama, but it is no secret that Black men and boys continue to face unjust hurdles in this country.

The reality is that life expectancy for Black men is among the lowest in the country. Most Black men do not live long enough to even collect Social Security. Black men are incarcerated at the highest rates, and Black men suffer disproportionately from income and education inequality, unemployment, health disparities, police violence, and gun violence.

I know these realities all too well. My son, Jordan Davis, was a victim of a culture of implicit bias and racism, a culture that teaches to shoot first and ask questions later, a culture that claimed the life of my son before he was even 18 years of age.

I think about the trajectory of my son's life and what his future was supposed to look like. I dreamed of watching him graduate from high school, going on to college, and starting a family of his own. Jordan should be living out his life and shaping his own legacy right now. I should never have had to bury my son.

I never should have had to bury my child and carry out a legacy in his name that works to save as many lives as I possibly can, but that is why I am here as a Congresswoman--to fight for the rights of young boys that look just like my son Jordan, to provide policy solutions that will keep them safe and allow them to grow into adulthood, to prevent mothers from having to answer the same phone call that I did when I was told that my son would never ever come home again. That is why I am a founding member of this commission.

Since its inception, the commission has searched for ways to address these inequities, from education to employment, housing to healthcare, justice to civil rights. I am very proud of the work that we are doing, lifting up the stories of Black men and boys who desperately need our support.

In particular, I am heartened by the progress that we are making on gun violence prevention and accomplishments that I helped to pass such as the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first comprehensive gun violence prevention package passed in almost 30 years in this country.

That package included aspects of my Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, and it also includes $750 million in crisis prevention funding over 5 years and $250 million for community violence intervention funding to give our communities the resources that they have been crying out for.

Millions of dollars have already been provided to nonprofits and community groups to keep our neighbors safe and whole, but we need to continue to do so very much more.

Last fall, I was honored to speak from the White House Press Briefing Room the day after President Biden announced the creation of the first- ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which is overseen by Vice President Harris. This is a direct result of our sustained advocacy to President Biden and members of this administration. I am very pleased that I was able to advise President Biden and his administration on two close allies to help lead this office: Rob Wilcox with Everytown for Gun Safety and Greg Jackson with Community Justice Action Fund.

I have held many roles in my life. I am the daughter of civil rights leaders. I have been a flight attendant. I am a wife and a mother. At this moment, I am still a mother who is deeply concerned about the future generations of Black men and boys, and this cause, I will say, belongs to all of us.

Just last week, as distinguished guests arrived to hear the President's address, I was heartbroken and disheartened to hear firsthand from a young Black man being discriminated against in his school over his locs. For those of you who don't know what locs are, that is hair. He has not been allowed to learn alongside his peers in the classroom and is instead being separated and held for in-school suspension.

Even with the progress that we have made, our young Black boys face increasing hate on the streets and in our communities every single day. Places

that should foster learning and help them to flourish are attempting to break down their souls and tell them that they are not worthy of their own bright futures.

This is absolutely unacceptable. We must work harder than ever before to speak in one voice and demand the change that is so desperately needed in this country.

I am grateful to my colleagues in this Congress. I am so grateful to the Congressional Black Caucus and the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys to stand in the gap as elected lawmakers and loving parents and aunts and uncles of young Black men.

One thing I do know: There is nothing more powerful than a Black mother on a mission. As a Black mother, I will never falter in our work.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I thank my colleague, Representative Frederica Wilson from the great State of Florida, for conceptualizing, dreaming up, thinking up, and putting into play not only the opportunity for a discussion, but the tremendous work and the great record she has achieved on behalf of African-American boys and men as she continues to represent her entire district.

I trust that those who are watching are in good health and good spirits because our country is facing one of its most difficult periods in the history of America. There is tremendous friction, anxieties, different approaches to doing things, and I think about that every day as I try and represent the 759,000 individuals who live in the very diverse area called the Seventh Congressional District of Illinois.

Some of the wealthiest people in America live along the Gold Coast, the Magnificent Mile. Some of the most disadvantaged individuals live on the south and west sides of Chicago, areas that were devastated during the period of movement action, especially after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As an elected official, I try to balance the concerns of all these different individuals, all of their hopes, their aspirations, recognizing their issues, their problems, and their concerns. While I represent every aspect of the district--Chinatown; what used to be called Jewtown; Little Italy, an Italian community; Ukrainian Village, a Ukrainian community; a large African-American community; suburban areas--lots of issues, lots of problems, tremendous needs, lots of hopes and aspirations.

African-American males are at the forefront of these issues and these problems for many various reasons that I won't even attempt to really characterize or go into. Oftentimes,

when you look at quality of life and those things that are indicators of quality of life, the most disproportionate number of individuals incarcerated, African-American males; the individuals who drop out of school without graduating, African-American males; the unemployed. We brag about less than 4 percent unemployment in our country, but the highest level of unemployment is African-American males.

Something has to be done beyond the average, beyond the norm. We need programs, but we really need to keep working on reducing poverty. Many of these individuals live in poverty-stricken areas, poverty-stricken homes, single-parent homes, areas where the schools are not as good as they might be in other areas.

Therefore, we need special consideration, special treatment. We need to make sure that low-income families can get a real child tax credit like we enacted for the year 2021 where individuals who earned $75,000 or less were able to achieve for their children under 6 $300 a month. That helped a great deal. Of course, if they were 6 and over, under 17, it was $250. That helped a great deal.

What can we do that relates to the needs of African-American men and boys? We can enact a serious child tax credit. We have institutions called PBIs as well as historically Black colleges and universities. I attended one. I credit it with saving my life, my being, or putting me in a position.

However, we can also do some things ourselves. Put more focus on reading. I think if a child, a young person learns to read and likes it, they then can fly as high as their understanding and imagination will take them. One of the reasons that I stand here tonight as a Member of the House of Representatives is because I learned to read when I was a little boy, and I loved it.

The more I read, the more I wanted to read.

The more I learned, the more I wanted to learn.

Of course, my father used to tell us, the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.

Education is the cornerstone, the key, and that is one of the reasons that I just love Representative Frederica Wilson, because she has been an outstanding educator and has taken what she knew, brought it here to us in the House of Representatives, brought it from Florida to Washington, and now people all over the country are trying to emulate her 5000 Role Models of Excellence for African-American males; boys who were put into special programs and special activities. I commend her for that.

The last thing that I will say is in order to deal effectively with the problems associated with being an African-American male, I have been told that where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. Meaning, that if there is righteousness where we make decisions here in Washington, D.C., our activities will follow that righteousness. We will come up with the laws, appropriate the money, and make sure that every individual in our country has the opportunity to grow, develop, to become whatever their manhood/ womanhood, hardworking ambition combines to make them. That is the promise of America.