Seth Moulton is a father, a husband, a Marine, and a Democrat with a mission to bring a new generation of leaders to Congress.He was first challenged to serve our country by the pastor of his college church, Reverend Peter Gomes, who told him that it’s not enough simply to salute the flag—everyone should find a way to serve. As a result, Seth joined the United States Marine Corps in 2001, days after graduating from college and months before the attacks on 9/11. As the leader of an infantry platoon, he was among the first Americans to reach Baghdad in 2003. He served four tours in Iraq, a war he disagreed with and spoke out against—but he was proud to go, so no one had to go in his place.
There is systemic racism in our country, and one of the most important things I’ve learned over the last few months is how prevalent it is right here at home. That’s a difficult lesson to learn.
We’re still feeling the repercussions of the past, and we need to address them. We need to have a conversation in this country that should have happened decades ago. I am a co-sponsor of HR40, which would create a commission to examine reparations. I’ve also introduced the GI Bill Restoration Act, which seeks to right historical wrongs by extending housing and education GI benefits to certain direct descendants of Black WWII veterans, who were denied them.
I also believe we need to rethink the way we police in this country. We should be diverting funds from police departments to social services; from policing crime to preventing crime; for providing more mental health support to people in our communities before they get caught up in the criminal justice system.