U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria represents Virginia's Second Congressional District. Prior to her election in 2018, Rep. Luria served two decades in the Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander. Rep. Luria served at sea on six ships as a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer, deployed to the Middle East and Western Pacific, and culminated her Navy career by commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors. Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and a member the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Rep. Luria was one of the first women in the Navy's nuclear power program and among the first women to serve the entirety of her career in combatant ships. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she is the committee's Vice Chair, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, where she serves as Chair of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and the House Committee on Homeland Security. Of all members in the House Democratic Caucus, she served the longest on active duty, having completed 20 years of active military service with the U.S. Navy. Rep. Luria graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and received a master's in engineering management from Old Dominion University.
The long American story of racism, discrimination, and Jim Crow laws is shameful. Though some important reforms have been made, there is still much more work to be done to address institutional racism that still exists.
George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were senselessly murdered because of shortcomings in the American criminal justice system. Unfortunately, their stories are common to Black Americans as many in their community lose their lives or experience discrimination and police brutality simply because of the color of their skin. Only by enacting corrective policies can we begin to revitalize the vital role that police play in keeping our communities safe.
We have a lot of work to do as a nation to identify and erase systemic racism so all Americans will be equal, regardless of the color of their skin. The pleas of the protestors for equity, respect, and justice cannot fall on deaf ears. Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked tirelessly to advocate for all—especially Black communities that are forgotten about all too often.
We must holistically address systemic racism in our country. The Black community has faced unfair obstacles for years in areas such as health care, education, voting rights, criminal justice, and much more. During my time in Congress, I have supported several bills aimed at working towards racial equality.
Most recently, I supported H.R. 7120 George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which aims to ensure better and more just policing while also stopping the senseless deaths of Black Americans. Additionally, I supported H.R. 4179, No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act which ends the use and presentation of Confederate symbols on any federal public land or property, a step towards reconciling our history as a nation.
As we look to our healthcare system, the Black community clearly is not given the same level of care. In 2017, 10.6 percent of Black Americans were uninsured compared with 5.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites—an unacceptable disparity. I supported H.R. 6142, Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, which aims to fix the staggering disparity of maternal mortality between Black mothers and white mothers. It is unacceptable that black women are dying at a significantly higher rater then other because they are not given the proper treatment and care while giving birth. I also supported H.R. 1185, the FAMILY Act which ensures every individual has access to family and medical leave insurance benefit payment for a specific period of time, in order to allow people to utilize leave insurance if needed.
We know that young Black students are often not given equal access and resources to a quality education. The color of your skin, where you grew up, or financial barriers should not be a barrier in receiving a high-quality education. That is why I supported H.R. 4674, College Affordability Act, which increases Pell Grants, incentives states to fund public universities and colleges, and addresses the student loan crisis. Additionally, I secured $10 million for Historic Preservation Grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) like Hampton University and Norfolk State University. We also must work to get good teachers into areas that have struggling school systems, which is why I supported H.R. 5350, Diversify Act, which increases the TEACH program which gives grants to college students who teach in low income areas after graduating.
Combating the systemic racism in our country will not be easy, but rest assured that I am working every day in Congress to advocate for the Black community.