VIDEO: 2021 State of the District Address for Alabama's 7th Congressional District

Birmingham, AL – Yesterday, Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07) hosted her State of the District Address for Alabama's 7th Congressional District via Facebook Live. Rep. Sewell discussed the successes of the past year as well as the opportunities and challenges facing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District in 2021.

A transcript of the State of the District Address is available below. The State of the District Address can also be viewed on Facebook HERE or downloaded HERE.

TRANSCRIPT:

To my constituents, to State and local elected officials and to our District's many community leaders, I am honored to address you today regarding the state of Alabama's Seventh Congressional District. 

2020 was a difficult and indeed an unprecedented year. The global COVID-19 pandemic caused a public health crisis that took the lives of our loved ones and resulted in an economic crisis that caused hundreds of thousands of Alabamians to lose their jobs and too many of our businesses to shut their doors. This year presented new and difficult challenges, increasing our resolve to ensure that those who live in Alabama's Seventh Congressional District are able to access the COVID relief programs and also receive continuous updates about the virus and our economy. 

While the Coronavirus limited our ability to meet in person, our office hosted 90 district events, including numerous telephone town halls, several Facebook and Instagram lives, webinars, forums, virtual grant workshops, and we even hosted our ninth annual job fair held virtually for the first time. In 2020, we secured over $1.6 billion in federal grants, and through our casework, we recovered over $1.1 million in favorable benefits owed to our constituents from the federal government. 

Our commitment to you remains unwavering, especially in these very difficult times as we build back better. Perhaps the most important work that Congress did this year was in response to the COVID-19 crisis. I know that Alabama families and businesses continue to struggle, and I will continue to press in Congress for additional aid. This year, I fought to secure $1.7 billion in direct care spending to the state of Alabama in over $115 million directly to Jefferson County to help deal with the immediate needs of the people caused by COVID-19. Congress also passed sweeping COVID relief legislation that provided eight $845 million for Alabama's hospitals and providers, $124 million for Alabama's nursing homes and $27 million for Alabama community health centers. 

We have also fought to secure in the CARES Act funding over $217 million for Alabama public schools, $2.8 billion in federal pandemic unemployment benefits, and more than 8 billion in relief for Alabama small businesses. Alabama families and individuals also receive $4 billion dollars in direct stimulus payments to make ends meet and to put food on our tables. I know that these payments have not been sufficient. But now that we have a new administration, it is my hope that Congress will work together to provide additional cash payments to help families in need. 

At the end of 2020 our incredible scientists who have been working tirelessly to address the health needs of the public confirmed a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for distribution. Alabama hospitals have already begun their first round of vaccinations for our most vulnerable citizens, as well as our frontline health care workers. 

To ensure that I can continue to represent you in Congress, I also received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. I have not experienced any negative side effects. And I am grateful and thankful for that. I also am humbled to have the opportunity to do my part to protect my family and our community while still doing my job. 

There is no denying that through the Tuskegee and other experiments, Black Americans have been medically exploited. And I understand your concern about the vaccine. But the vaccine approval process has been transparent. And it's important that we confront this deadly disease. And the vaccine will help us do that. Please make sure that you are informed that you're making an informed decision for yourself and your family about the vaccine. I truly believe that knowledge is power. The science shows that the COVID-19 vaccine is both safe and effective. And I believe it is the best way for us to crush this virus and get back to normal. Until the majority of Alabamians get vaccinated. It's critical that we continue to practice social distancing and we wear our mask when in public to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Let's do our part.

2020 was not only difficult because of the pandemic - our nation experienced protests, a reckoning on police accountability and systemic racism as well as the death of several civil rights icons, including my dear friend, colleague and mentor, the beloved congressman John Robert Lewis, Congressman Lewis. His fight for voting rights embodies the very heart and spirit of our District, and will inspire us to continue his fight to ensure that all Americans are able to make their voices heard at the ballot box. 

In November, we witnessed the election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. While there were major threats to our democracy, efforts to overturn the election, and even an insurrection at our nation's capital. Our democracy still proved strong, and our republic did witness a peaceful transfer of power on January 20, with the inauguration of President Joe Biden and the first woman and the first African American Vice President Kamala Harris.

With the historic Senate races in Georgia, the South has helped to turn a new page in American history. Democrats now control the House, the Senate and the White House. I am counting on President Biden to honor his commitment to restore the soul of this nation and to be a president for all Americans. Whether you voted for him or not. As we usher in the new year, and a new administration, I look forward to the work that we'll continue to achieve together with the lessons that we've learned from 2020. 

It is time for us as a nation to begin to heal and to work together to continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the ongoing needs of our communities. We will implement a national strategy to crush the Coronavirus, vaccinate Americans equitably and build our economy back better. In 2021. I am also hopeful that we will be able to honor John's legacy by fully restoring the full protections of the WWII era and passing the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Act into law. I will continue to fight for better economic opportunities and more resources for our district, always putting our constituents first. It's the honor of a lifetime to serve you in Congress. 

I know how much potential our community holds for the future. And I am committed to helping our District prosper. The state of the District is resilient. We will get through this once in a century pandemic. The history of our District proves that we are resilient people. After all, it was our District through blood, tears and courage that gave this country the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But here's what I know for sure. We are inheritors of this awesome legacy. The plight of the people of Alabama's Seventh Congressional District has always been one of resilience — from struggle to redemption, from tribulation to triumph, from hopelessness to prosperity. 

The story of America has always been in search of a more perfect union. Our district embodies the triumph of faith, determination and resilience in the face of despair. We will get through this together. I leave you with the profound words of my hero and mentor, Alabama's native son, Congressman John Lewis, who on his last March across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 2020 said, "Never give up. Never give in. Keep the faith and keep your eyes on the prize." Thank you for your continued support. And may God bless the United States of America. And may God bless Alabama's Seventh Congressional District.

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