ST. LOUIS — Congresswoman Cori Bush is keeping herself booked and busy. She is in the final weeks of her re-election campaign for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District seat and she also released her autobiography on October 4, 2022
“The Forerunner: A Story of Pain and Perseverance in America,” chronicles Bush’s story which includes domestic and sexual violence, homelessness, and encounters with health care discrimination.
The Left Bank Books Foundation hosted Bush’s book signing and forum at Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus. The congresswoman was joined by Tracie Berry-McGhee, M.Ed. (Divine Tea) and Yolonda Lankford (Lady YO), executive producers and hosts of the daytime talk show, Own Your Now Show, and Dr. Love Holt, community organizer.
“I took the pain and wanted to use my voice to work with others and show them if we push hard enough we can make a change so that other people don’t have to go through the things I’ve gone through,” Congresswoman Cori Bush said.
Berry-McGhee opened the dialogue asking Bush how she came up with “The Forerunner” for the book’s title. Surprisingly, Bush said the current title wasn’t always what she envisioned. Her first choice was ‘The Cori Chronicles’.
“I thought that would be a good name since it was chronicling my life,” Bush said.
“After I finished the book and handed over the manuscript, the publishers told me it was so much more than chronicling my life.
“I chose “The Forerunner” because I’ve gone through so many bumps, bruises and a lot of trauma. I took the pain and wanted to use my voice to work with others and show them if we push hard enough we can make a change so that other people don’t have to go through the things I’ve gone through.”
Lankford said many young girls, especially Black girls admire Bush, and wondered if Bush aspired to write a book in her younger years.
“It didn’t cross my mind until I was 16,” Bush said.
“My boyfriend’s mother at the time gave me a journal and told me I was going to write a book one day so I needed to document my story and the things I was going through.”
Over the course of two years, Bush said she filled up two journals, which she no longer has.
Berry-McGhee, who is also a licensed therapist, explained how liberating it can be to write about your feelings, mentioning how Bush detailed her first experience of having a Black teacher and Black nurse.
“I resonated with the first Black teacher I had. Her name was Ms. Whitfield and she was a substitute teacher in second grade,” Bush said. “She was slim, dark skinned, had a relaxer with a roller set, gold jewelry, makeup, [her] hair was laid, wore a cute dress and heels. I couldn’t believe she was there to teach us. I saw something different in her because she made me immediately feel comfortable, she felt like my mom was at school with me.”
Bush gained further inspiration from the first Black nurse she saw practice.
“I remember her gently touching a patient’s back who was in a lot of pain and then [they] instantly felt better,” Bush said. “After seeing that I said ‘I wanna do that for people too.”’
Much of Bush’s book is rooted in the trauma she faced, what she learned, and how she has overcome it. She spoke of being “hypersexualized” in her youth, and being sexually assaulted on multiple occasions later in life.
She questioned whether it was her fault because of her clothes or another reason. Through therapy she has gained the tools to help her overcome depression and confront those triggers that she once feared.
“I started therapy after the sexual assault in 2016. I never thought about it because I’m a preacher and thought I could just go to church,” Bush said. “I still have that same therapist and still go to therapy. It took me months, but I was able to get out of that place.”
Bush shared the importance of reproductive healthcare, especially in reference to abortions. She had an abortion at 18, which she has spoke of publicly. She reveals that she also had a second in the book.
She said she was at the 12-week stage and went into a clinic contemplating coming back another day. Instead, she said, “discriminatory practices” forced her to make her decision that day.
Bush said her treatment is why she’s passionate about providing healthcare access to all and removing racial biases.
“I don’t keep stuff to myself anymore, I speak about it because it could be happening to other people,” Bush said.
“People are left with scars and that affects their self esteem. We cannot leave people bleeding and have them walking around with open wounds and put a band aid over it. We have to check discrimination at the door, people cannot be accountable if we don’t speak up.”
Bush said she wants readers to finish her book knowing their struggles, trials, and trauma don’t have to define how far they can go.
“The Forerunner: A Story of Pain and Perseverance in America,” is available for purchase on Amazon, at Target, Left Bank Books, and more.
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