Sometimes the smallest of acts can have the biggest of impacts. All these years later and I still think about this simple act of kindness from my now friend Nancy Pelosi.
A beautiful example of generosity, kindness and grace. These forces are more powerful than selfishness, meanness, and spite. Everyday we have a choice on how to show up. In a world with so many irrational indiscriminate acts of hate; may we choose irrational indiscriminate acts of love.
Experiences like this are personal for so many people across our country. May this man’s story of invincible, unyielding and triumphant love inspire you today.
It’s my birthday, so please forgive me as I indulge in a dad joke.
Me (a vegan): *immediately calls therapist*
Subsidizing more for ultra processed foods over healthy foods simply must stop. I refuse to give up in this fight until every American has access to affordable and healthy food options, and the farmers growing those healthy options are supported.
To the great women, who can be the hardest on themselves, who doubt themselves, harshly judge themselves or sometimes just don’t fully believe in themself — remember you are loved, you are appreciated, you are making a world of a difference even when you might not know it. Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for your perseverant love; your undefeated love; for your loving the best way you know how love; Happy Mother’s Day.
My dad loved Zig Ziglar and would listen to his tape cassettes in his car. This is a Ziglar quote he loved. Today, no matter what we face, may we be resilient, may we persevere, may we rise.
May the Fourth be with you.
I’ve seen countless heartwarming videos celebrating teachers this week, and while we continue showing them appreciation I want to be clear the best way to uplift our educators is by paying them what they deserve. That’s why I’m pushing to pass a bill called the RAISE Act—Respect, Advancement, and Increasing Support for Educators. This bill would effectively raise the compensation for educators by up to $15,000. It would also double the educator tax deduction to help offset teachers’ purchases of school supplies…create and fund a federal grant program to support and incentivize local educational agencies to increase teacher salaries…and provide labor protections to prevent the tax credit from being used unfairly in labor negotiations—plus more. A bill like this should be a no brainer. By investing in teachers, we’re investing in the future generations of this country.
I am heartbroken by the loss of my friend, Donald Payne, Jr. It was an honor to serve Newark and our nation alongside him for nearly 20 years. His dedication to serving others, his deep human decency, and his love of people is a legacy that will last well beyond his passing.
It’s simply not right how major chemical companies are actively trying to overturn the will of the people in so many local cities, towns, and states by lobbying Washington to turn a blind eye on the harms these chemicals threat to our health. Join me and others in this fight. Together we can stop the chemical companies efforts to preempt communities from doing what they know is right for the health and wellness of their towns and states.
If we lose bees, we lose humans. It’s as simple as that. And right now the leading cause for the decline in pollinator populations is the use of herbicides and pesticides. We must be vigilant in our fight to keep unnecessary chemicals out of our fields and off of our foods.
This Parkinson’s awareness month, I want to extend my gratitude to organizations like The Micheal J. Fox Foundation. I want to particularly thank the Michael J. Fox Foundation – their team, the community they created – and of course to Michael J. Fox. This foundation was a source of solace and invaluable resource for me and my family as we supported my father through Parkinson’s disease. I am inspired by the tireless effort of The Michael J. Fox Foundation in finding breakthrough treatments, solutions and important support for patients in their everyday lives.
On this Teacher Appreciation Day, let’s celebrate the folks who every day, despite challenges, frustrations, inadequate resources, personal struggles or just rough luck, continue to teach our children – they continue to zoom – for our kids and truly for all of us. Thank you teachers.
America’s federal marijuana laws simply do NOT make sense, and the enforcement of these laws are riddled with hypocrisy and injustice. We should be appalled that in this country some people, predominately and disproportionately Black and Latino citizens, are jailed, prevented from getting jobs, and/or struggle with finding housing…all because they did the same thing Senators, Congresspeople, and even Presidents have admitted to doing – even though there is no difference in usage rates between races or ethnicities. This double standard needs to end. It’s time the federal government to decriminalize cannabis and take action to right these past wrongs, which is why I’m proud that earlier this week, along with my colleagues Senators Widen and Schumer, we reintroduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.
The official week for appreciating teachers might be over—but our gratitude for our educators should never stop. Here’s to each and every teacher who has guided not only our academic growth, but also our growth in self-appreciation and esteem. Thank you.
I’ve been reflecting on my favorite stories about my mom since mother’s day this weekend, and this one will always remind me to never forget those who came before us, the price they paid and the roads they laid. So of course…if you see a turtle on top of a proud post, basking happily in the sunlight, be sure, they didn’t get there all by themselves.
We must protect the people who have called the United States home since they were children, who know no other country but ours and who are American in every way but a piece of paper. We should not rip families apart, we should not hurt our economy and the billions of dollars these people generate, we should not violate our shared values of fairness and justice. It’s time for an executive action that invests in so many of the people who continue to make this country stronger.
12 years ago today, Barack Obama became the first President in American history to publicly support gay marriage. Six years earlier, when I became Mayor of Newark, I wanted to make sure ALL of our citizens felt like they were heard and seen, so I raised the pride flag at city hall in solidarity with Newark’s LGBTQ community. It should always be as simple as “love is love.” I’m proud to be an ally and remember this day in our nation’s history — taking a consequential leap toward equality for all.
Here are to all the teachers who helped us get us where we are today. Happy teacher appreciation week!
This week, I reintroduced the bipartisan CROWN Act along with Representative Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Senator Susan Collins, and many others. Unfortunately in this country, both implicit and explicit biases against natural Black hair are deeply rooted in society and the workplace. In fact, over 20 percent of Black women age 25-34 report having been sent home from work because of their hair, and Black women are 54 percent more likely to report having to feel that they need to wear their hair straightened to a job interview. Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional. The CROWN Act aims to address these types of prejudices directly by banning discrimination based on hairstyles commonly associated with a particular race or national origin, including tightly coiled or curled hair, locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros. It’s time that the long history of implicit and explicit biases against natural hair comes to an end. Black hair is beautiful in all of its forms and styles, and we must ensure individuals are free to express their cultural identities without fear of prejudice or bias.
I’m proud to see programs like this serve people in New Jersey who need it the most. Everyone should have access to fresh and healthy food, which is why Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester and I introduced the OH SNAP Act, designed to expand GusNIP, a nutrition incentive program that has awarded grants to organizations like Virtua Health and others across the country working to provide more affordable healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables for more people.
