He Is Us, and We Are Him
You know the feeling. You gave up an evening for a board meeting that turned into a shouting match. You made a call that half the room hated. You're not getting paid for this, and some nights you wonder if any of it adds up to something bigger than the next agenda item.
We want you to know: it can. And EJ is proof.
Yesterday, Dr. Everton Blair Jr.—EJ, to those of us who know him—was elected to represent Georgia's 13th Congressional District, completing the remainder of Congressman David Scott's term. He'll serve in Congress for the next five months.
This is SBP's first member elected to the United States Congress. But more than that, it's a mirror. When we look at EJ, we're not looking at an exception to this network—we're looking at what this network produces.
Before this, EJ was a school board member just like you: the youngest on his board, the first openly gay member, navigating a superintendent search, COVID closures, and a community pulled in different directions. His colleagues trusted him enough to make him board president. He was part of SBP's very first fellowship cohort—and today, he serves on our staff as VP of Programs and Impact.
We don't say "he is us" as a nice line. We mean it literally. EJ came up through the same fellowship you did or could. He sat in the same rooms, took the same heat, did the same thankless work most people never see. His story isn't separate from this community's story—it's this community's story, playing out on a bigger stage.
And that means the reverse is true too: we are him. Every board member in this network carrying the weight of a hard vote, building trust with a skeptical community, showing up when it's easier not to—you are doing the same work EJ was doing before any of this. His path doesn't make you smaller. It shows you exactly what's possible from right where you're standing.
Two things we're asking of you today:
If you get a chance, reach out to EJ directly—text, social media, whatever platform you use—and give him a big, warm congratulations from the entire SBP family. He'd want to hear from you.
And carry this forward: if you know a board member who reminds you of EJ—sharp, steady under pressure, underestimated—nominate them for the fellowship. If you've been on the fence about applying yourself, let this be the sign.
Congratulations, Congressman Blair. He is us. We are him. And we couldn't be prouder to call you one of ours.
Congressman Blair