EC from DC - February 28, 2014

People working full time jobs should not have to raise their families in poverty. This week I fought hard in Washington to bring the issue of raising the minimum wage to the House Floor for a vote. And I will continue to do this. 

Why?

• Raising the minimum wage will increase pay for at least 25 million American workers.
• It will lift more than 1 million Americans out of poverty.
• That would directly affect 373,000 workers in Missouri.
• It would indirectly affect 578,000 workers in our state.
• That means almost 23% of Missouri's workforce would be impacted by a minimum wage increase to $10.10 an hour.
• Hundreds of economists and experts agree that a higher minimum wage is good for our economy, our workers, and our long-term growth.
• It is estimated that an increase in the minimum wage would generate some $22 billion in increased economic activity across the country and add 85,000 jobs.

I signed onto a discharge petition to force a vote on increasing the minimum wage because I believe if allowed to vote, this would pass. It's an essential part of building an economy that works for everyone. 

Did you know?

• The average minimum wage worker is 35 years old.
• The average minimum wage worker is responsible for half of their family's total income.
• More than half of all minimum wage earners are women.

The hardworking men and women in Missouri's Fifth District are long overdue for a pay raise. A hard day's work should result in earning a decent day's pay. It is time. 
 

Congressman Cleaver discusses the state's economy with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Congressman Lacy Clay

I was pleased to sit down with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Congressman Lacy Clay, from Missouri's First District, this week to talk about the future of our state. We discussed the importance of working together to create more jobs in Missouri, support small businesses, and ensure the state is getting the economic support it needs from the government. We also focused on the critical issue of defense cuts and how they might impact overall security levels throughout the state.

Congressman Cleaver attends the President's announcement of the My Brother's Keeper Initiative in Washington

This week marked an important announcement by the President involving an initiative I am very supportive of, and eager to work on. It is called "My Brother's Keeper", and it's is an effort to assist boys and young men of color get ahead by building the ladders of opportunity.

It's designed to utilize programs and approaches that are already in place in some communities, businesses, and foundations around the country. Missouri's Fifth District is certainly an example of multiple communities already making great strides in this area. The goal is to connect this demographic to mentoring, support networks, and skills they need, to go to college, find a good job, and work their way up and into the middle class. Part of the initiative will include efforts to make sure young people have access to basic health, nutrition, and high-quality early education. Work will also be done to facilitate more cooperation with police and communities to reduce violence on the streets and in the classrooms. The newly established My Brother's Keeper Task Force will work with leading foundations, businesses, and others to do research, analysis, and provide innovative recommendations to move forward. 

There are tens of thousands of young boys and men of color in Missouri's Fifth District, who are brilliant, talented, and promising people. What they need that they currently don't have is the opportunity to succeed. With that, who knows what these boys and men may become. Perhaps they will operate on us one day in the emergency room, teach our children or grandchildren in the classroom, or find a cure to a crippling disease. 
 

Congressman Cleaver moves his way through a crowd following the President's announcement

Congressman Cleaver poses with members of Connections to Success while learning more about their mission

Just before joining the President for the My Brother's Keeper announcement, I met with individuals from Kansas City and St. Louis in my office. They shared with me their inspiring stories of hard work and perseverance in a very important program called "Connections to Success". It's a not-for-profit organization working to help people transitioning from life-scarring circumstances like poverty, incarceration, and domestic violence, to economic independence. The passion and dedication they bring to this mission is truly extraordinary. They provide hope, resources, and a plan, for those most in need. 
 

This month we celebrate Black History Month, and a defining moment in American and African American history with the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As you know, this momentous legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. It also included barring discrimination in all facilities open to the public, which ended what we used to call Jim Crow. The Civil Rights Act provided African Americans and other minority groups throughout this great nation the dignities and protections that had so often been denied. And while the Act put our country on the path to a more perfect union, there is still much work to be done. 
 

Congressman Cleaver joins several colleagues at the Vice President's Residence in Washington to honor Black History Month

Also this week I attended a Black History Month event at the Vice President's residence. This was a wonderful opportunity to discuss with VP Joe Biden, and others in attendance, the importance of defending the defenseless, speaking up for those who are silent, and standing steadfast for the causes of justice and peace. 
 

Congressman Cleaver gives the invocation during the CBCF Avoice Heritage Celebration in Washington

I was honored to give the invocation this week at the Avoice Heritage Celebration to observe Black History Month. Several individuals and organizations were honored for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to preserving the legacies, history, and contributions of African Americans in this country. The rich legacy and profound contributions of African Americans is still something we can all rejoice in and commemorate. I encourage any and all to learn more about and celebrate the role of African Americans in how this country has developed. If you'd like to see Congressman Cleaver's message marking Black History Month, please visit: /video/video.

Omar Khayyam was a Persian philosopher, poet, and mathematician, who is perhaps most remembered for his agnosticism, at least by those of us who studied him from the Judeo/Christian perspective. Nonetheless, he was a major thinker of his time.

The one thing that will always stand out in my mind, is the Khayyam poem, which rhythmically expresses an eternal truth:
 

The documentation of our service on this Earth is being inexorably written. And there is nothing we can do, that can erase what we did – or failed to do.

Raphael, the great Italian painter, died at age 37 when he was only half way through his powerful painting, "The Transfiguration." Mourners carried his unfinished painting in his funeral procession as a reminder to an often forgetful world that even if we work fervently every single day, we will not even complete one half of what we were born to do.

What if we don't even try?