U.S. House Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has made history. Black history and otherwise. In November, he became the first African American to lead a major political party in Congress.
Jeffries was in West Palm Beach on Feb. 20 as the guest of honor for his colleague, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus McCormick, who won Florida’s 20th congressional seat in 2022.
At The Ben hotel in West Palm Beach, McCormick held her Forward Together awards celebration where she honored Black elected officials in her district for Black History Month. Jeffries was her keynote speaker.
Jeffries spoke for 20 minutes to a crowd of about 200 guests, the room capacity. Security was extremely tight since a high-ranking Washington D.C. official was present.
The history maker entered the room to a thunderous standing ovation, and he touched on hotbed issues such as Governor Ron DeSantis’ stance on the Advanced Placement Black history course.
“Look at what’s happening right here in Florida. We will not let our history be erased!”
Jeffries told the enthusiastic audience, which was about 75 percent Black. “I don’t understand why anyone would want to turn us around. Black history is American history!” he quipped. Read more
