Rep. Clyburn honors Black service-members in speech on House floor
FILE – Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., speaks during the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting, Feb. 4, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
(WCIV) — U.S. Rep. James Clyburn paid tribute to Black servicemembers and veterans during Black History Month, honoring their military service and calling attention to what he described as long-standing inequities in how they have been treated after returning home.
Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat and senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said Black men and women in uniform have too often gone unrecognized for their sacrifices and, in many cases, were denied benefits earned through military service while on the House floor Monday.
“To pay homage to the Black men and women in the armed forces for their sacrifices — sacrifices that have all too often gone unrecognized and underappreciated,” Clyburn said. “And to make matters worse, they have often been denied their proper and well-deserved benefits as veterans who proudly serve our nation.”
Clyburn and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, are sponsoring legislation aimed at restoring veterans’ benefits to service members who were previously denied access because of discriminatory policies.
Lawmakers and advocates have long pointed to barriers that prevented many Black veterans from fully accessing housing, education and health care benefits after their service, particularly in the decades following World War II. Those disparities, they say, have had lasting economic consequences for veterans and their families.
Since the nation’s founding, Black Americans have played a critical role in the U.S. military, the caucus said, even as systemic racism limited equal access to benefits afforded to their peers.
The Congressional Black Caucus described the recognition as part of its ongoing effort to highlight the contributions of Black servicemembers throughout U.S. history and to push for policies addressing inequities that persist to the present day.
