Congresswoman Cori Bush Announces State of the Union Guest
Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2024) — Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) announced that Dr. Intimaa Salama, a dentist and master’s student at St. Louis University, will be her guest at the State of the Union Address this Thursday, March 7th in Washington, D.C.
“I am humbled and honored to invite Dr. Intimaa Salama, a Palestinian dentist and graduate student from St. Louis University, as my guest for this year’s State of the Union address. The ongoing violence in Gaza is an international crisis and it directly impacts people from St. Louis to the Middle East, and everywhere in between. Thirty-five of Dr. Salama’s family members have been killed in the last over 150 days. This is an incalculable loss, one that she is not shouldering alone. In St. Louis and around the country, there are thousands of families who have lost their loved ones in the atrocities against Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” said Congresswoman Bush. “The United States is fueling this war, but we could just as easily stop it. As the proud sponsor of the Ceasefire Now Resolution and a leader of the anti-war, pro-peace movement in Congress, I am urging President Biden to immediately facilitate a lasting ceasefire and stop funding war crimes. The bombs are being dropped half a world away but we see the impacts at home. It is my hope that by uplifting Intimaa’s experiences and by giving her the opportunity to share her story directly on the national and local stage, we can illustrate and humanize for President Biden and our community members the devastating harm that fueling this violence and bloodshed has on all of us.”
“We are more than statistics in the toll of this genocide; we have names, families, and aspirations that persist despite the turmoil surrounding us. My call is for a ceasefire and for a future where our children’s joy and laughter overshadow the echoes of wars, ensuring that we are all treated with the dignity and respect that every human being deserves,” said Dr. Salama.
Dr. Salama, born and raised in Gaza, is a Palestinian dentist and scholar currently pursuing her master’s degree in public health at St. Louis University. She has been directly affected by the violence in Gaza; her house was first bombed at the beginning of the conflict, forcing her family to seek shelter in the south of Gaza in Rafah. She was then devastated by the killing of 35 family members, including her grandmother, two of her brothers and their families, and three of her uncles with their families.
Last week, Congresswoman Bush, alongside Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) sent a letter to President Biden urging the President to decisively oppose any invasion by Israeli forces or further bombardment in Rafah, and to facilitate an immediate, lasting ceasefire to save lives.
Congresswoman Bush has remained a steadfast advocate for peace and a lasting ceasefire.
- On October 16, 2023, Congresswoman Bush, alongside Congresswoman Tlaib, and Representatives André Carson (IN-07), Summer Lee (PA-12), and Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), introduced the Ceasefire Now Resolution, which urges the Biden Administration to call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine, to send humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to save as many lives as possible. Since its introduction, the Ceasefire Now Resolution has secured a total of 19 co-sponsors, and over 60 other members of Congress have come forward to publicly support a ceasefire.
- Over the past four months, Congresswoman Bush has held several press conferences with different groups, including veterans, rabbis, doctors and unions, to highlight the breadth of the ceasefire movement.
- Last month, Congresswoman Bush and Tlaib both expressed support for South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging Israel violated the Genocide Convention, and released a joint statement on the ICJ’s provisional measures ruling.
- On January 12, 2024, Congresswoman Bush released a statement celebrating the St. Louis City’s Board of Aldermen’s unanimous passage of a resolution calling on President Biden to work toward a ceasefire in Gaza.
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