Paying My Respects to the Victims of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church Shooting

Dear Friend,

I am writing you from Charleston, South Carolina, where I joined President Obama and Members of Congress today in paying my respects to the victims of the Charleston Church shooting. This week, we saw a number of changes in our country, the Supreme Court ruled that Memphians can keep the healthcare subsidies they receive through the Affordable Care Act and also ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in all 50 states, and Governor Haslam called for the Confederate flag to be removed from Tennessee license plates.

Confederate flag license plates shouldn’t be permitted and banning same-sex marriage was clearly a denial of equal protection, and one day laws that banned it will be viewed as anachronisms in the same way we now view interracial marriage bans before Loving v. Virginia in 1967. I am pleased that the nation is coming around and making a change on two issues I fought the good fight for in the Tennessee General Assembly almost 20 years ago—I was one of only two votes in the State Senate to stop the license plate from being added and the only vote against banning gay marriage.

Keep reading to learn more about what happened this week, and don’t forget to like my Facebook page to receive these updates, and more, as they happen.

Paying My Respects to the Victims of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church Shooting
Taking Down Confederate Symbols from Government Buildings
Making Healthcare Affordable for Memphians
Protecting the Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry
Fighting for All Americans’ Voting Rights
Reforming Our Criminal Justice System
Recognizing Talented Young Memphis Artists
Congress on Your Corner at Benjamin L. Hooks Library

Paying My Respects to the Victims of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church Shooting

I appreciate the President inviting me to join him in Charleston today and wish to express my condolences to the family and loved ones of all the victims of last week’s hateful killings at Emanuel A.M.E. Church. I’m both honored and humbled to share this somber day with the members of Emanuel AME and the entire Charleston community whose response to this tragedy has been inspiring and shows us the power of love and forgiveness.

The killings last week were a terrorist attack on all African Americans and on humanity itself. They are a wake-up call that we must be more vigilant against hate. I am proud to have authored and passed the first Congressional apology for slavery when I arrived in Washington. I hoped it would help spark a conversation about the lingering effects of slavery and Jim Crow in our society. This morning’s service and the response of the community here in Charleston, should inspire conversation and motivate elected officials to take the actions necessary to rectify the remaining consequences of America’s original sin.

Taking Down Confederate Symbols from Government Buildings

This week, South Carolina’s Governor and legislative leaders called for the Confederate Flag to be removed from the state capitol’s grounds, Governor Haslam called for the flag to be removed from state license plates, and I voted to take down the Mississippi flag, which includes the Confederate flag in its design, from the U.S. Capitol grounds. The flag represents slavery, racism, and a rejection of the United States of America—and our government shouldn’t promote it. On Tuesday night, I joined Chris Hayes on MSNBC to talk about why state governments should stop using the Confederate Flag. Watch my interview here.

Making Healthcare Affordable for Memphians

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that the subsidies provided by the Affordable Care Act through healthcare.gov are legal. I am pleased the Court has reaffirmed the law which is working and making health coverage affordable for millions of Americans, including more than 230,000 Tennesseans who are receiving an average of $213 each month through the law.

I hope that this ruling will help the nation to see that the Affordable Care Act is a federal law that is keeping Americans healthy and alive, and that it is here to stay. I also remain hopeful that the Tennessee General Assembly will finally act to expand Medicaid so that our citizens can access the same benefits of the law that residents of other states do. Read more here.

Protecting the Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry

I hope today’s Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry can put this issue to rest and that the Tennessee General Assembly does not attempt to thwart or undermine the ruling by passing legislation making it more difficult for Memphians like Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura to exercise their constitutional rights. As the Supreme Court has now said, denial of marriage rights is clearly a denial of equal protection, regardless of its effectiveness as a means to score political points at the expense of yet another minority group. As we have seen today, courage and justice always overcome cowardice and prejudice.

Fighting for All Americans’ Voting Rights

In the past, people have been beaten or even killed in the struggle to ensure the right to vote was available to all Americans. But we are still seeing efforts to curtail this constitutional right throughout the country, and it is clear that we must restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act to effectively fight discrimination. The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, which I cosponsored this week, will address this urgent need and help ensure the sacred right to vote is not denied to any American. Read more about it here.

Reforming Our Criminal Justice System

I joined Republican Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Democratic Ranking Member John Conyers in holding a roundtable discussion yesterday on how we can all work together to enact meaningful criminal justice system reforms that save taxpayers money, keep our communities safe, and provide fairness and justice for those who have already served long sentences for non-violent crimes. I have introduced a number of legislative proposals, from increasing transparency in police use of deadly force to removing conflicts of interest in prosecuting rogue officers, and giving non-violent offenders who have completed their sentences a chance to get jobs and turn their lives around.

I am also pleased to say that I have joined Congressmen Bobby Scott and Jim Sensenbrenner as an original cosponsor on the bipartisan SAFE Justice Act, a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill which includes some of my proposals, and look forward to continuing my bipartisan work on these issues and bringing real reforms to our country.

Recognizing Talented Young Memphis Artists

It was good meeting White Station High School graduate Aylen Mercado, Memphis' winner of the 2015 Congressional Art Competition this week. Aylen’s artwork shows just how talented and accomplished our city’s young artists are. I was proud to select "A Moment in the Life of a Memphis Bus Rider" – a piece that shows the daily experience of many Memphians – as this year’s winner.

Congress on Your Corner at Benjamin L. Hooks Library

If you have questions or problems with Social Security, Medicare, FHA, the VA or any other federal agencies, I hope I can help. From 10am to 1pm Friday, July 10th, staff from my Memphis office will be on hand at the Benjamin L. Hooks Public Library (3030 Poplar) to answer your questions and provide assistance dealing with federal agencies. We hope to see you there.

As always, I remain.
Most sincerely,

Steve Cohen
Member of Congress