Cori Bush Makes Bold Statement in State of the Union

She also brought Michael Brown Sr as her guest

Feb 7, 2023 at 9:24 pm

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COURTESY CORI BUSH

Cori Bush before the State of the Union address with her guest, Michael Brown Sr., whose son Michael Brown was killed by police.

U.S. Representative Cori Bush (D-St. Louis) did not say a word at tonight's State of Union, but she still spoke volumes.

Her guest to the State of the Union address was Michael Brown Senior, the father of Michael Brown, the unarmed Black teenager who was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson in 2014. The incident was the impetus for Bush's involvement in activism as she pointed out in a tweet yesterday.

The police killing of Michael Brown in 2014 propelled me & many others into lives dedicated to building a world where Mike would still be here with us.

It is an honor to bring @MB_ChosenFather with me to the State of the Union. pic.twitter.com/yd9PlF47G7
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori) February 6, 2023

The senior Brown wore a jacket with his son's graduation photo on the back surrounded by the words No Justice No Peace.

Bush's drip too was on message. Her jacket was emblazoned with patches related to the fight against police brutality, such as Black Lives Matter, No Justice No Peace, and All Lives Won't Matter Till Black Lives Matter.

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COURTESY CORI BUSH

Cori Bush and Michael Brown Sr in her office before heading to the State of the Union.

One patch said I Still Can't Breathe, a reference to the deaths of Eric Garner at the hands of the NYPD and to George Floyd, who was killed by police in Minneapolis. In 2014, Garner was put in an illegal chokehold and forced face down onto the sidewalk where he said, "I can't breathe" nearly a dozen times.

In 2020, a police officer knelt on George Floyd's neck while arresting him, and Floyd complained several times of not being able to breathe before he died.

Bush also donned an 1870 button, which many politicians wore to the State of the Union. It is the first time in American history that a policeman was documented killing an unarmed, free, Black man. Now, more than 150 years later, the problem persists and politicians wore the button to advocate for changes in policing.

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About The Author

Rosalind Early

Rosalind is the former editor-in-chief of the Riverfront Times. She formerly worked for Washington University's alumni magazine and St. Louis Magazine. In 2018, she was selected as a Rising Leader of Color by the Theatre Communications Group. In 2014, she was selected as an Emerging Leader by FOCUS St. Louis...