February marks the beginning of a historic time that recognizes black Americans’ contributions to our nation’s great story. While we dedicate this month as Black History Month, the black community’s impact on America is appreciated and recognized endlessly.

As one of three black Republicans in Congress and the first black American to represent my district, my rise from inner-city Brooklyn to the halls of Congress is living proof of our great nation’s promise. Although the founding of our constitutional republic did not live up to the words of our founding documents, we have progressed as a nation to honor these sacred words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”