Laphonza Butler, first Black lesbian senator, honors young people in first Senate speech

U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, the first Black lesbian to serve in the chamber, delivered her maiden address to her colleagues Wednesday, focusing the work being done by young Americans and promising to support them.

“From the Women’s March to the Black Lives Matter marches around the globe, the most racially and ethnically diverse generation of our time has shown up time and time again, demanding that we do better,” said Butler, a Democrat from California. “Whether it’s the movements for gun reform, environmental protection, racial justice, or your local barista’s fight to join a union, young people are demonstrating their willingness to be the force, the energy, and the face of change. While this is true across the nation, it is especially true in my home state of California, the state home to the largest number of Gen Z-ers in our country.”

She mentioned Kamarie Brown, who in 2020, at age 17, became the first Black female to be a student board member for the Los Angeles Unified School District. “It’s thanks to Kamarie’s leadership that students in L.A. have access to greater resources that they need to thrive,” Butler said. Brown is now attending Spelman College.

Senator Butler Delivers Maiden Speechyoutube.com

Butler also noted the challenges young people face and her the urgent need to deal with them. “My impatience emerges from listening to my own child, who at my staff holiday celebration just last year shared the story of her elementary school lockdown as if it were commonplace,” she said. “My sense of urgency comes from the facts amplified by the American Psychological Association that 13 percent of high school girls had attempted suicide while 30 percent had considered it. Those numbers rose to 20 percent for LGBTQ+ students, and amongst black girls, the suicide rate rose 36 and a half percent.”

She further discussed meeting a young man in California who comes from an impoverished family and is now a first-generation college student. She talked of the need to support voting rights, reproductive freedom, union organizing rights, and access to mental health care to empower those coming of age, along with fighting the scourge of fentanyl and other drugs.

“In closing, Madam President, while I’m urgent, I am also filled with abiding hope,” Butler continued. “Generation Now may be cynical, but they are not sitting it out. Even as they have had to question whether government could truly work for them, even as they have seen dysfunctional and bitter politics, their advocacy on behalf of themselves and their future deserves its own recognition. The world watched as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., organized the March for Our Lives rally, bringing together almost 2 million people across the world to demand that Congress act on gun safety legislation. That rally became one of the largest student-led organizations since the Vietnam War.”

Her address included a shout-out to her partner, Neneki Lee, and her daughter, Nylah Grace, who were in the gallery.

Butler was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to serve the remainder of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s term after Feinstein’s death last year. The seat is up for election this November, but Butler is not running.

If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned that someone you know may be, resources are available to help. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 is for people of all ages and identities. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.