Ambassador, the Honourable Anthony Johnson will fondly be remembered as a man for all seasons, who walked the hallowed halls of greatness with a strong measure of humility.

These times are ominous, and who knows what the days in the future will bring? We as humans have a history of planning ahead, preparing for the future, and yet we do so with blind faith and hope, for nothing is guaranteed.

Following President Joe Biden’s joint address to Congress, The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — is commending his call for public investment in infrastructure across many dimensions that will impact the nation’s well-being.

In 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt launched the tradition of assessing the first 100 days of new leadership when during a speech he offered it up as a good point for reflecting on the status of the newly implemented New Deal. The series of laws, which were quickly-passed under his new administration, aimed to end the Great Depression and get the country back on its feet. There is a parallel between the desperate mood of the country 88 years ago when Roosevelt took the reigns and when President Joe Biden took leadership this past January in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, a worsening economy and rising racial tensions. One major difference, however, is that there is now a long-overdue focus on the role of Black women in righting the ship.

America is at war with Black People, and people of color.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought issues of healthcare equity to the forefront of discussions of racial justice. Even when controlling for factors like age and income, communities of color have been much more severely impacted that white Americans.

With a conviction for the murder of George Floyd, the U.S. observes a milestone on its long and difficult march toward racial justice. And The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is reaffirming its solidarity with those acting to bring about sustainable change in rooting out the entrenched racism undermining American society and promoting equal rights for all.

Washington, D.C. has a higher percentage of Black residents than any state in the country, and they have no voting representation in Congress. This is systemic racism in action. It is long past time to give Washington’s 712,000 residents the representation they deserve by making D.C. our 51st state. 

Mental well-being is just as important as physical well-being. Since first responders are often the first people someone in a mental health crisis interacts with, it is critical that we know what mental illness looks like and what to do when we see it.

I am completely baffled. I cannot understand why Black people continue to be killed without every single American demanding that all police officers across the country just stop it. Stop killing Black people!

Brothers and Sisters of the Black Community, members of the press, and the American People:

Kristen Clarke is a brilliant lawyer and Americans would be lucky to have her working for us.