Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) released the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address:

Our nation’s greatness rests firmly on the pledge that all Americans have an equal opportunity to achieve their dreams.  Tonight, President Obama proposed turning that pledge into a promise.

The President unveiled his vision to strengthen the working and middle classes by making homeownership more affordable, advocating for paid family leave, and ensuring a college education is more accessible for qualified students.

Our economy has grown tremendously since the depths of the financial crisis. The President reminded us that businesses have created 11 million new jobs and that the unemployment rate has fallen.

We have come far, but that does not mean our work is done. Far too many Americans are still struggling, and we need a comprehensive strategy that adequately addresses their needs.

The President also acknowledged that one of our most fundamental rights – the right to vote – has been ‘denied for too many,’ and referenced the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery.

As a daughter of Selma – and as the Congresswoman who represents Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery – I know that the injustices protesters suffered on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday have not been fully vindicated.

My special guest for the President’s address was 103-year-old voting rights matriarch Amelia Boynton Robinson. Ms. Boynton Robinson was one of those courageous Foot Soldiers who dared to challenge an unfair and unjust system that kept African Americans from exercising their constitutionally protected right to vote.

I am pleased that she had a chance to meet the President tonight, and we look forward to welcoming him to Selma for the 50th commemoration of the historic Selma to Montgomery march.

###

Congresswoman Terri Sewell is a Democrat from Alabama’s 7th Congressional District.
A Member of the House Financial Services Committee and the House Select Intelligence Committee.