Pa. lawmaker urges a different view of Black Lives Matter

(Harrisburg) — A state lawmaker who sponored a resolution recognizing February as Black History Month in Pennsylvania is asking people take a different approach to the phrase “Black Lives Matter.”

Democratic Representative Vanessa Brown of Philadelphia County chairs the Legislative Black Caucus.

She says the sometimes controversial phrase should be viewed from an historical perspective.

“It was the labor and ingenuity of black lives that helped build the infrastructure of our nation,” she told her House colleagues. “It was the same toiling and brilliance that helped to dramatically improve the quality of life for our nation’s citizens.”

Brown pointed to two examples.

“It the carbon filament in the light bulbs that are right here in the House, invented by Lewis Latimer,” she said. “It the articial heart pacemaker control unit, invented by Otis Boykin, that has literally extended the life expentancy.”

Among the midstate events marking Black History month is a lecture on African-American Schools in Harrisburg that’s set for Monday at 6:00 p.m. at the Historic Harrisburg Association.