4/14/2021
My Friend & POTUS, JRB,
It looks like you’ll have a busy day again today. I am curious about your trip to Section 60 of Arlington Cemetery. I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what that’s all about.
It looks like you got the Congressional Black Caucus excited about your projects yesterday. Chairwoman Rep. Joyce Beatty called the meeting “very productive” & seems excited about continuing to advance the “Our Power/Our Message” campaign in celebration of the CBC’s 50th anniversary. You need to watch the video that CBC have made to celebrate Black History Month where each of the 55 members of the CBC talk about the Black Legacy. My favorites bits included Rep. Sanford Bishop’s poem which included the lines, “yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, today a gift we call the present…” & Rep Barbara Lee’s story about her first political campaign to change the racist rules at her high school so she could become a cheerleader. I am interested in learning more about Rep. Barbara Lee’s Bill HR 40 regarding reparations.
I noticed that you stumbled over your remarks about the death of Rep. Alcee Hastings & said, we’re “losing a piece of something.” When I looked up his obits & learned about his checkered past, I understood why you weren’t sure what to say.
I was surprised to see that this was the first visit of the CBC to the WH in 4 years. I hope you invite them again soon, to make up for lost time.
Speaking of lost time, why haven’t you signed the Presidential Determination regarding refugees? You said you were going to admit 125,000 each year, but at the current pace you will admit only 4510. There are lots of folks fleeing Myanmar right now, in addition to all of the folks from Syria, Afghanistan & South Sudan, to just name a few inhabitable hot spots. What’s the hold-up?
I look forward to reading about the “Way Forward in Afghanistan” that you will presenting today. I hope to hear about how women’s rights will be protected by the new regime there.
BYBS,
