Thank you {everybody|everyone} for
coming. I {‘d like to| wish to| want to} {start|begin} by thanking God, my {family|household}, my {team|group}, every {organization|company} that {believed|thought} in our {movement|motion} and {endorsed|backed} this {campaign|project}, all the Ferguson frontline activists, and you, {the people|individuals} of St. Louis. Thank you. I was running … I was that {person|individual} running for my life {across|throughout} {a parking lot|a parking area|a car park}, {running from|ranging from} an abuser. I {remember|keep in mind} hearing bullets whizz {past|previous} my head and at that {moment|minute} I {wondered|questioned}, “How do I make it out of this life?” I was uninsured. I{‘ve| have actually} been that uninsured {person|individual} hoping my {healthcare provider|doctor} {wouldn’t|would not} {embarrass|humiliate} me by asking me if I had {insurance|insurance coverage}
. I {wondered|questioned}:” How will I bear it? “I was a single {parent|moms and dad}. I’ve been that single {parent|moms and dad} {struggling|having a hard time} {paycheck|income} to {paycheck|income}, sitting outside the {payday loan|payday advance loan|payday advance} {office|workplace}, {wondering|questioning},”{How much|Just how much} more will I {have to|need to} {sacrifice|compromise}?”
I was that COVID {patient|client}. I’ve been that COVID {patient|client} gasping for breath, {wondering|questioning}, “{How long|For how long|The length of time} will it be {until|up until|till} I can breathe {freely|easily} {again|once again}?”
I’m still that {same|exact same|very same} {person|individual}. I’m {proud|happy} to stand {before|prior to} you today {knowing|understanding} it was this {person|individual}, with these experiences, that moved the {voters|citizens} of St. Louis to do something {historic|historical}. St. Louis: My city, my {home|house}, my {community|neighborhood}. We {have|have actually} been {{surviving|making it through|enduring} and grinding|grinding and {surviving|making it through|enduring}} and {just|simply} {scrapping|ditching} by for so long, and now this is our {moment|minute} to {finally|lastly}, {finally|lastly} {start|begin} living and growing and {thriving|flourishing|prospering|growing}.
{So, as the {first|very first} Black {woman|lady|female}, nurse, and single {mother|mom} to have the honor to represent Missouri in the United States Congress, let me {just|simply} {say|state} this:
To the Black {women|ladies|females}.|As the {first|very first} Black {woman|lady|female}, nurse, and single {mother|mom} to have the honor to represent Missouri in the United States Congress, let me {just|simply} {say|state} this:
To the Black women{.|Ladies|Females}} The Black {girls|women|ladies}. The nurses. The single {mothers|moms}. The {essential|important|vital|necessary} {workers|employees}. This is our {moment|minute}.
{Six|6} years {ago|back|earlier}, St. Louis {captured|caught|recorded} the eyes and ears of the {entire|whole} world {during|throughout} the Ferguson Uprising. We {could|might} not stand the {injustice|oppression} any longer, so– in the {tradition|custom} of {every one|each} of our {ancestors|forefathers} who {fought for|defended} {a better|a much better} world. We {organized|arranged} for Michael Brown, Jr.
. We {organized|arranged} for 400 days, side by side, arm in arm– St. Louis strong. And now in the face of {a global|a worldwide|an international} pandemic and {relentless|ruthless|unrelenting} attacks on our right to vote, we {organized|arranged} all the {way|method} to the {ballot|tally} box. We {mailed|sent by mail} in our {ballots|tallies}, we voted absentee, we reached our {families|households}, {{friends|buddies|pals|good friends}, {neighbors|next-door neighbors}, and peers|{friends|buddies|pals|good friends}, peers, and {neighbors|next-door neighbors}|{neighbors|next-door neighbors}, {friends|buddies|pals|good friends}, and peers|{neighbors|next-door neighbors}, peers, and {friends|buddies|pals|good friends}|peers, {friends|buddies|pals|good friends}, and {neighbors|next-door neighbors}|peers, {neighbors|next-door neighbors}, and {friends|buddies|pals|good friends}}, and we {showed up|appeared}– St. Louis strong.
We {have|have actually} been {{surviving|making it through|enduring} and grinding|grinding and {surviving|making it through|enduring}} and {just|simply} {scrapping|ditching} by for so long, and now this is our {moment|minute} to {finally|lastly}, {finally|lastly} {start|begin} living and growing and {thriving|flourishing|prospering|growing}.
{For years|For many years|For several years}, we{‘ve| have actually} lived under {leadership|management} that shut us out of our own {government|federal government}. {For years|For many years|For several years}, we{‘ve| have actually} been {left out|excluded|overlooked|neglected} in the cold: {protesting|objecting|opposing} in the streets, {sleeping in|oversleeping} our {{cars|vehicles|automobiles|cars and trucks} or {tents|camping tents}|{tents|camping tents} or {cars|vehicles|automobiles|cars and trucks}}, working {three|3} part-time {jobs|tasks} {just|simply} to {pay the bills|foot the bill}. And today, today, we, {all of us|everyone|everybody}, are headed to Congress– St. Louis strong!
My message today is to every Black, Brown, immigrant, queer, and trans {person|individual}, and to {every person|everyone} locked out of {opportunities|chances} to {thrive|flourish|prosper|grow} {because|since|due to the fact that} of {oppressive|overbearing} systems; I’m here to serve you. To {every person|everyone} who {knows|understands} what it{‘s like| resembles} to {give|provide|offer} {a loved|a liked|an enjoyed} one that “{just|simply} make it home {safely|securely}, {baby|infant|child}” talk: I’m here to serve you.
To every {parent|moms and dad} {facing|dealing with} {a choice|an option} {between|in between} putting food on the table and keeping {a roof|a roofing system|a roofing} over their head: I’m here to serve you.
To every {precious|valuable} {child|kid} in our {failing|stopping working} foster system: I’m here to serve you.
To every {teacher|instructor} doing the {impossible|difficult} to teach through this pandemic: I’m here to serve you. To every {student|trainee} {struggling|having a hard time} to the {finish line|goal}: I’m here to serve you.
To every {differently|in a different way} abled {person|individual} {denied|rejected} {equal|equivalent} {access|gain access to}: I’m here to serve you.To {every person|everyone} living unhoused on the streets: I’m here to serve you.To every {family|household} that’s lost {someone|somebody} to {gun|weapon} violence: I’m here to serve you.To {every person|everyone} who’s lost {a job|a task}, or {a home|a house}, or {healthcare|health care}, or hope: I’m here to serve you.
To the Black {women|ladies|females}. The Black {girls|women|ladies}. The nurses. The single {mothers|moms}. The {essential|important|vital|necessary} {workers|employees}. This is our {moment|minute}.
It is {the greatest|the best} honor of my life to accept the {responsibility|obligation|duty} to serve {every single|every|each and every single} {person|individual} {across|throughout} Missouri’s First Congressional District, as your first-ever Black Congresswoman-elect.
This is our {moment|minute}. And we’re going all the {way|method} to Congress– St.Louis strong.
Tonight, we {the people|individuals} are {victorious|triumphant}. We, we {the people|individuals}, are going to Congress. {Because|Since|Due to the fact that} we {the people|individuals} {have|have actually} {committed|dedicated|devoted} to a vision of America that works for {all of us|everyone|everybody}. {An America that {treats|deals with} {every person|everyone} with {respect|regard}, that {recognizes|acknowledges} {healthcare|health care} as a human right.|An America that {treats|deals with} every {person|individual} with {respect|regard}, that {recognizes|acknowledges} {healthcare|health care} as a human.} That {believes|thinks} {every person|everyone} {deserves|is worthy of|should have} food to {eat|consume}, {a home|a house} to {live in|reside in}, and a dignified life. Our America will be led not by the small-mindedness of {a powerful|an effective} {few|couple of}, {but|however} the {imagination|creativity} of a mass {movement|motion} that {includes|consists of} {all of us|everyone|everybody}. That is the America we are {fighting for|defending}.
{Everything|Whatever} I do {begins|starts} with those who have the least, who{‘ve| have actually} suffered the worst, and who have {the greatest|the best} to {offer|provide|use}. Why? {Because|Since|Due to the fact that} I myself {have|have actually} lived {paycheck|income} to {paycheck|income}. I {struggled|had a hard time} {for years|for many years|for several years} under the {burden|concern|problem} of {student|trainee} {debt|financial obligation}. I{‘ve| have actually} been {evicted|forced out|kicked out} by {landlords|property owners|property managers|proprietors}. I{‘ve| have actually} {worried about|stressed over|fretted about} how I was going to put food on the table for my {two|2} kids. I{‘ve| have actually} been {underinsured and uninsured|uninsured and underinsured}. And {for every|for each|for every single} {one of|among} those stories that I can {tell|inform} you about my life, I {know|understand} there are thousands more in our {community|neighborhood}. And those are the stories that I am {carrying|bring} with me and will {uplift|boost} in {the People|individuals}’s {House|Home} as your congresswoman.
It is my {job|task} now to serve you– not {just|simply} lead, not {just|simply} {demand|require}, {but|however} serve you.
This {moment|minute} is brought to us by us– by our {movement|motion} for social, {racial and {economic|financial}|{economic|financial} and racial} justice. Now, our {movement|motion} is going to Congress. And we will {meet|satisfy|fulfill} the {challenges|difficulties|obstacles} of this {moment|minute} as {a movement|a motion}– side by side, arm in arm, and with our fists in the air– {ready|prepared|all set} to serve each other {until|up until|till} {every single|every|each and every single} {one of|among} us is {free|totally free|complimentary}.