Melbourne, Australia—Michael Ramos, current chairperson of the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus, remarked on the topic of Black History Month – an executive designation by President Ford in 1975, and then further expanded into law by Congress in 1986. Michael is an Illinois UOCAVA voter and a resident of Australia.
“Every year, Americans worldwide recognize and honor the contributions of African Americans. We should never stop teaching children about the achievements of these titans of American history, including W.E.B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, Jackie Robinson, Colin Powell, Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, the 96 Black Medal of Honor recipients, and, of course, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The list of notable Black Americans goes on and on and on, and rightly so.
I’m proud to teach my own children about Black History Month as they’re not regularly exposed to U.S. months of federal recognition. So for this year, in addition to highlighting past Black heroes to my kids, I’m also teaching them about some notable Black Americans making history right now – like James Smith with the Black Deported Veterans of America and his monumental efforts advocating for legislation to halt the deportations of non-citizen veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. And there’s former Vice President Kamala Harris and the struggles she faced while earning her place in the highest levels of government. And Ta-Nehisi Coates, a best-selling author, activist, intellectual, and one of the writers of Captain America. And Victor Glover – the accomplished pilot of the forthcoming NASA Artemis II mission around the Moon who’s also a Navy combat veteran. All of these Black Americans have changed the game, and we should all be aware of their contributions to American history.
Unlike President Trump and MAGA Republicans, I unapologetically celebrate Black History Month and don’t consider it ‘another DEI initiative.’ This February and every February going forward, I call upon all VMF Caucus members and all Americans to do your homework and learn something new about these incredible fellow citizens of ours. If you’ve never taken the time to read Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, please dedicate some time to reading it. If you’ve never heard a speech by Army veteran and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, set some time aside and watch his inspiring Ted Talk.
VMF is proudly diverse in its membership, and I’m grateful to be volunteering alongside these individuals dedicated to helping elect Democrats. As we continue the work this Get-Out-The-Vote season, just remember to spare some time to acknowledge Black History Month throughout February; our country is factually better because of Black Americans,” said Chair Ramos.
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U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The VMF Caucus has over 1,400 members in dozens of countries and proudly consists of veterans, service members, military family members, Department of Defense civilians, other national security professionals, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes.
For questions pertaining to this statement, please reach out to [email protected].