Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat, said Friday that the United States owes “everything” to black women, arguing that their contributions should be recognized as part of any Independence Day celebration. Crockett made the comments during Essence’s Festival of Culture, where she said Americans should use the Fourth of July to reflect on the role […]

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat, said Friday that the United States owes “everything” to black women, arguing that their contributions should be recognized as part of any Independence Day celebration.

Crockett made the comments during Essence’s Festival of Culture, where she said Americans should use the Fourth of July to reflect on the role black women have played in shaping the country.

“When it comes to answering the question of what America owes black women, the answer is everything,” Crockett said.

She pointed to the history of slavery, the labor of black women, and their continued role in American politics, particularly within the Democratic Party.

“When we think about the sacrifices that black women have made from the moment that we were stolen from our homelands and transported into this country, to the fact that black women continue to stand as the backbones, specifically of the Democratic Party, we know that black women are always the ones that are doing the labor,” Crockett said. “But we are also the ones that are always the first targets of any harm.”

She then urged Americans to honor black women on Independence Day.

“So, this Fourth of July, I say celebrate a black woman that you know, because whether it’s an invention that she made, or whether it’s the very democracy that still hangs by a thread right now, there is a black woman to thank for her contributions,” Crockett added.

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There is no serious dispute that black women have played a major role in American history. Figures such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells, Rosa Parks, and countless lesser-known women helped shape the country through abolitionism, civil rights activism, journalism, education, organizing, and public service.

But Crockett’s sweeping claim also reflects the kind of rhetoric that has made her one of the more polarizing voices in the Democratic Party. Saying that America owes “everything” to any one group may land well with a friendly audience, but it risks reducing a complicated national story into a political slogan. The United States was shaped by many people, across many backgrounds, including black women whose contributions were often ignored or deliberately erased.

Crockett has also drawn criticism for comments about race and the criminal justice system. In a recent interview with TMZ, she discussed the case involving Austin Metcalf, a white teenager who was fatally stabbed during a dispute at a track meet. Crockett argued that the public reaction to the case showed how broken the system remains and said many people “don’t know what it is to live as a black person in this country.”

Her remarks angered critics who believed she was minimizing Metcalf’s death. Crockett appeared to focus on the broader racial and legal dynamics around the case, but her phrasing left her open to accusations that she was showing more concern for the defendant than for the victim and his family.

That has become a recurring problem for Crockett. She often speaks in broad, emotionally charged terms about race, justice, and power. Her supporters see that as honesty. Her critics see it as divisive politics that turns nearly every issue into a racial grievance.

Crockett’s political future is also in question. After losing her Senate primary bid to Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico, she is not seeking reelection to the House. One of her allies, political commentator Jen Ramos, said Crockett’s campaign did not run television advertisements because of racism, a claim that added another layer of controversy to an already difficult race.

The Western Journal