Today is the first day of Black History Month, and I've been reflecting a lot on the Black Americans who came before me – the ones who fearlessly broke down barriers and made it possible for me to become the first Black woman ever to be elected to statewide office in New York.
Black political leaders like Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm, and Fannie Lou Hamer. Black scientists like Benjamin Banneker and Mae Jemison. Black artists like Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, and Audre Lorde. Black activists and civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and John Lewis.
Black legal minds like Thurgood Marshall, whose leadership in Brown v. Board of Education inspired me to go to Howard University School of Law and become an advocate for justice.
It was at Howard that I learned how the law can be the most powerful and effective tool in our continued quest for progress, equality, and justice.
My work has always been about standing up, fighting back, and challenging power. It's about never accepting the word "no" and building on the work of the giants whose shoulders I stand upon.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to do this work. I’m grateful for the Black Americans throughout history who made this opportunity possible. And of course, I am grateful for all of you, who fuel our progress forward.
Thank you so much,
Tish
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