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HONORING CONGRESSWOMAN SHIRLEY CHISHOLM
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Bush). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the subject of the Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank our Congressional Black Caucus chair, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, for her tremendous leadership and for giving us this Special Order hour on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus to honor my mentor, one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the late Congresswoman Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm. And to Congresswoman Beatty, I just want to say how proud we are, and how bold she has led this caucus by demanding that everyone really understand our power, and our message. Tonight is no exception. And, in fact, Congresswoman Chisholm, I am sure, is very proud of the leadership of Congresswoman Beatty.
As the first African-American woman elected to Congress in 1968--I want you to listen to this--the first Congress convened in 1789 and the first Black woman elected to Congress was in 1968. That was Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. She was also the first African American and woman to seek the Presidency.
Shirley Chisholm has truly cemented her place in history as a trailblazer. I first met Congresswoman Chisholm because of a college assignment at Mills College in Oakland, California. My government professor assigned us to do field work on a Presidential campaign.
At the time, several men were vying for the Democratic nomination, but they didn't speak to the issues that I cared about. I was a young, single mom on public assistance, and their platforms did not include issues that related to me or my community, like childcare, public education, universal healthcare, and ending poverty.
So, of course, even though I had never flunked a class in my life, I decided to get an F in this class because I could not bring myself to work for these candidates.
Now, I didn't believe these candidates could see me or had seen my community in terms of our needs. So I invited Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to Mills College. I did not know she was running for the Presidency, but I invited her to address the Black Student Union because I was president of the Black Student Union. I had no idea she was running for President.
In her speech, she stood up for children and struggling working families. She spoke out against racism and sexism. She was against the Vietnam war. She advocated for what she knew was right, undeterred by criticism and without fear of the consequences.
As soon as she finished her speech, I went up to talk to her to tell her about this class I was about to flunk, and she took me to task. She asked me if I was registered to vote. And I said: No. I admitted that I wasn't going to do much in politics because I didn't believe in the two-party system and its relationship to my needs and my community.
She said: Little girl, you can't change the system if you are on the outside looking in. Register to vote. And from that moment on, I ended up working in her northern California campaign. I vowed to listen to her, allowed her to mentor me and take me to task.
We organized her northern California campaign out of my class at Mills College, and the rest is history. I went on to Miami, Florida, as a Shirley Chisholm delegate and we took a large percentage of the vote in Alameda County.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus to deliver, once again, our power and our message, and then I will return and yield to my colleagues after the chair of the Black Caucus speaks.
Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, I thank our coanchor tonight, Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I proudly join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to commemorate the unbought and unbossed legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm that lives on through each of us.
I would like to thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for being our anchor of the Special Order hour, and yielding tonight to let Congresswoman Barbara Lee open up this special session on Shirley Chisholm.
Before I make just a few brief remarks, let me just say, as we just heard Congresswoman Barbara Lee say, as Shirley Chisholm referred to her as ``that little girl,'' oh, how proud she would be today knowing that little girl is now the woman that we say, ``Barbara Lee speaks for me.''
She is the woman that spearheaded putting Shirley Chisholm's face on a stamp. And every day Congresswoman Barbara Lee, through her stellar and magnificent leadership, guides us in the footsteps of Shirley Chisholm. Certainly, she is unbought and unbossed.
So to you, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, I say thank you for allowing us to stand on your shoulders. Thank you for when you walk in the room, whether it is steering in policy, whether it is Appropriations or any of the other committees, you always carry members with you. And that is what Shirley Chisholm has done for this Nation.
And so now, let me say what you will hear repeatedly tonight: The first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, you will hear that she is the first Black woman to seek nomination as President of these United States from one of the two major political powers. Certainly, she left us a legacy that lives on; a legacy that we are so proud of.
What I would like to say to everyone watching, Madam Speaker, especially for mothers and daughters, think of what it must have been like to stand in the Halls of justice where we are standing today, where she was standing alone. Think what it must have been like for her when she stood on that Democratic national floor at that convention, giving such a powerful speech, far ahead of her time when she held up those two fingers that we see so often, and that we today stand on her shoulders.
Lastly, Madam Speaker, it gives me a great privilege to walk these Halls of Congress and to be the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. When I walk down the Halls of justice, I say to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, that I think about standing on the shoulders of Barbara Jordan. I think about what it was like to have a Shirley Chisholm and a Barbara Jordan. But then, Madam Speaker, I know what it is like, it is having a Barbara Lee and a Sheila Jackson Lee, and that is what tonight is about.
When I walk by that life-sized portrait of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, I think about her courage. I think about her leadership. I think about what we will tell every little Black girl in America. You too can be a Shirley Chisholm. You too can stand up for justice. You too can be in the fight representing the people who need us the most.
In conclusion, I say the two most powerful words that I was taught to say, and that is thank you. Thank you to these Halls of Congress for letting us have a Shirley Chisholm. Thank you members of the Congressional Black Caucus for coming out tonight to honor her great legacy because it is not just about this Special Order hour tonight. It is about our future. It is about how we continue to live the legacy of Shirley Chisholm.
Ms. LEE of California. Let me first say to our chair that our power and our message is exactly what the gentlewoman has delivered tonight. And I just want to thank her for her very gracious remarks and just know that I know Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm is proud of her leadership and proud of the fact that although she was one in 1968, I believe we have--what--25 bold, brilliant Black women in the Congressional Black Caucus.
Thank you again for giving us a chance to honor her tonight and for your leadership.
I now yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson), the chair of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. I have been here since 1998, and she took to me and explained to me why, and I was on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology when I first came to Congress, and I learned so much from her and have really just honored her for helping us navigate as Black women in this institution.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman so very much for her comments. I am truly proud to stand tonight with our leader of this hour, as well as the leader of our Caucus to pay tribute to Shirley Chisholm.
Just a little over 50 years ago today, in a 1972 speech announcing her candidacy for President, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm said:
I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud.
I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that.
I am the candidate of the people of America and my presence before you now symbolizes a new era in American political history.
{time} 2015
Here was a Black woman from Brooklyn, New York, of Guyanese and Bajan descent, born to a burlap worker and a seamstress, boldly declaring a new era in American politics.
But despite her best efforts, Congresswoman Chisholm knew that the outcome of her candidacy was preordained.
At the time, our country was still learning to accept Black people and women as equal citizens--that is the year I was first elected to my first elected office--much less electing them as President of the United States.
Nevertheless, she persisted.
She held an unwavering faith in our common humanity, even when our common humanity did not hold the same faith in her. It was that same faith that drove her campaign.
She transcended political norms by bringing the issues of gender and racial equity to the national stage.
She highlighted and reinforced the importance of diversity at the table of public discourse.
And she shattered any preconceived notions about Black women in public service, particularly in politics.
Building on her work as the first Black woman elected to Congress, she blazed the trail and the torch of progress for many of us who have followed.
Today, the Congressional Black Caucus, which she helped establish, has 27 women from districts across the country. I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that we would not be here today if not for her life and legacy.
So as we celebrate Black History Month and the 50th anniversary of her Presidential campaign and the 51st anniversary of the Congressional Black Caucus, let Congresswoman Chisholm's story serve as a reminder that equality and justice are the responsibility of every generation, and it is our turn.
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Congressional Black Caucus and our distinguished leader, Barbara Lee, for offering us this opportunity.
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I thank very much Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson for that powerful statement and also reminding us of her humble beginnings. She also, when she came to Congress, championed the rights of domestic workers and of low-income people. It was in her soul and in her spirit. She turned her vision into legislation here and was an excellent legislator who never lost touch with who she was.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), the co-chair of our Special Order, another greater leader from the State of Texas, and, as Chairwoman Beatty said, a fighter for justice on a lot of fronts.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California, as always, for reminding us in almost every moment of her tenure here in the United States Congress of the spirit and the investment that Shirley Chisholm made in her personally and the investment that she made as a young college student, saying that I am going to find Shirley Chisholm or accept the call and be in her Presidential election. What a historic moment for her.
Also, the very pathway that she has taken in the United States Congress is evidence that she is definitely a living example of the fighting spirit of Shirley Chisholm.
It is great to be here to acknowledge this 50th commemoration of this historic moment. I thank our chair, the Honorable Joyce Beatty, for reminding us of Our Power, Our Message. I would like to say our message, our power, and to recognize that the Congressional Black Caucus is the pacesetter for justice and equality and the elimination of racism, which still lifts its head today.
To my other colleagues that are here today, I am grateful for their presence on the floor, for Shirley Chisholm deserves the recognition and the acknowledgment of who she was but also what she did and what she invested in America.
Let it be known that even as she was an African-American woman, she was a great American that made differences that can be seen today.
I want to honor and acknowledge the shoulders upon which I stand. That includes, in our Congress, Shirley Chisholm, John Conyers, John Lewis, Ron Dellums, and Barbara Jordan.
I also want to acknowledge my parents, Ivalita ``Ivy'' Jackson, a vocational nurse, and Ezra C. Jackson, one of the first African Americans to succeed in the aftermath of being discriminated against in the comic book industry.
All of that pours into the work of Shirley Chisholm and her campaign slogan in this, her congressional district race in 1968: ``Fighting Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed.'' That continued throughout her life.
She remarked that women in this country must become revolutionaries, that we must refuse to accept the old, traditional roles and stereotypes.
This is a sentiment that I take to heart myself and that the women of the Congressional Black Caucus have taken to heart. We have told the Nation that we must have self-determination. We want to lead. Shirley Chisholm was at the core of the movement of women leading. That is why, on January 25, 1972, Shirley announced her candidacy.
She stood before the cameras, and in the beginning of her speech, she said--before I say these words, let me be very clear. There weren't thousands of people. There may not have been hundreds and hundreds of people. I can tell you there was a bounty of skeptics, people standing back and saying: This is unimaginable. Why would she do this? We don't need her to do this. She is getting in the way.
I am grateful that Shirley Chisholm, fighting Shirley Chisholm, unbought and unbossed, maintained the dignity of the right of a Black woman, an American, to run for the Presidency of the United States.
So, she said: ``I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States.''
How sweet those words are.
``I am not the candidate of Black America, although I am Black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political''--bosses--``or special interests. . . . I am the candidate of the people.''
We keep that in mind, this Congress, the Democratic Members of Congress. The Congressional Black Caucus must keep in mind that we are the candidates, the spokespersons of the people, that it is their truth that we must tell. Shirley Chisholm always told their truth.
She did not win the nomination, but she went on to the Democratic Convention in Miami and received 151 votes.
We know that the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, stands on the shoulders of Shirley Chisholm. The women today that are elected across America, in all different positions, stand on the shoulders of Shirley Chisholm.
We recognize that barriers still stand. One that we hope will be corrected in this month, Black History Month, in Shirley Chisholm's fighting spirit, is that an African-American woman, a Black woman, will be nominated to the United States Supreme Court.
We want more than that as well. We want an age-old bill that has been languishing for so long, H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, that Congresswoman Chisholm would have been on. We want it to be pronounced and announced this month.
As we honor her tonight, fighting Shirley Chisholm, let me acknowledge the different poses, the different leadership, as she has stood for the people of Brooklyn, but the people of America. That is the face of a fighting woman, and that is the face of the person we honor tonight.
I am delighted to be here with my colleague, who has always put Shirley Chisholm in the forefront of our thinking, of how progressive and innovative and powerful and strong and empowering--I want to leave you with that. She believed in empowering others and understood the words of Martin Luther King: Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. Shirley Chisholm was ahead of her time.
Shirley Chisholm is to be honored every day, as my colleague said, as we walk through these Halls. I look up and see Barbara Jordan, and then I look up and see Shirley Chisholm, unbought and unbossed. Honor her tonight and always.
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I thank very much Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for that very comprehensive statement about our shero, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Congresswoman Jackson Lee certainly is the epitome of who she was.
I am so happy that she raised some of the issues and some of her quotes because she told me personally: Barbara, these rules and policies weren't made for you and I.
She said: Don't go along to get along.
She said: If you get behind these closed doors in any capacity, you have to fight to change the rules of the game. You have to fight the systemic issues. Don't tinker around the edges.
I say that because, once again, when I started, I mentioned the fact that the first Congress was held in 1789, right? Shirley Chisholm was elected in 1968. Our country lost so much during that period because there were no Black women right here in this House of Representatives.
We have to always remember the power of the moment when Shirley was elected to Congress and then running for President.
Congresswoman Lucy McBath, another trailblazer who has shattered a heck of a lot of glass ceilings, first of all, and who has been bold and determined and persistent in making her community and this country a better place, I am so glad that she is with us tonight.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).
Mrs. McBATH. Madam Speaker, I want to thank so much my esteemed colleague Barbara Lee, who speaks for me tonight, and also Sheila Jackson Lee. I thank them both so much for leading us in this commemoration tonight of our shero Shirley Chisholm. I am also grateful for the words that were spoken earlier by our leader, our shero of the Congressional Black Caucus, Joyce Beatty.
Black History Month is a time for us to commemorate all of those who came before us and to celebrate those who helped pave the path of progress that we find ourselves on today.
Shirley Chisholm is truly one of those trailblazers. She was a woman who lived her truth and told her story boldly time and time again. She was a trailblazer ahead of her time who had a deep and lasting impact on our communities, on our country, and, most specifically, on communities of color.
It is not hard today to see that very impact. We now have a new generation of leaders who are shaping the policy of this Nation's future, who looked to the past and continue to look to leaders like Shirley Chisholm to see all the places we still need to go. Yes, we have a long way to go.
Young women around the world, and especially young women of color, have been forever inspired by her example, with all the barriers that she broke down. It can be easy to forget all that she did, all that she helped to build.
Shirley was instrumental in strengthening voting rights; she was a force in demanding women's rights; and she was a leader in the fight for civil rights.
It was the way that she worked all those years ago that has shown time and time again why we must continue these very same fights today.
In my home State of Georgia, we are at the forefront of the fight for voting rights once again. We are, again, fighting against attempts at the worst voter suppression we have seen since Jim Crow. At a time when our voting rights are under attack, we must once again lead in the efforts to protect these very sacred rights.
{time} 2030
So, to all the women of color who have followed in Shirley's footsteps, the work you do has never been more important. The times have found us, and it is in these moments that we must continue to rise to this occasion. We have been prepared for this moment, a moment that beckons us to fight for equality and strive for justice, the equality and the justice that every one of us deserves.
That preparation is because of leaders like Shirley Chisholm, and now because the leaders of tomorrow grew up watching the leaders of yesterday, we will continue to make indelible marks on the world.
Because of women like Shirley Chisholm, women of color have found their own power to stand up and to speak out and to advocate for the change that we know is possible, but more so the change that we know is necessary.
So, as we continue to follow in the footsteps of the giants who came before us, as we honor and celebrate the titans of the movement, I want to thank each and every person who wakes up every day in this country and does this work. Because this work is not easy, but changes only ever come from those who have brought their lived experiences into these Halls of power.
For all of you in this Chamber, for the brave Black women who have carried this country forward, I want to say to each of you, I want to say that the work that you are doing as women and as women of color has never been more important. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart because I would not be here had it not been for you.
I want to say how proud I am of each of your accomplishments, of your triumphs, and your successes, and I want you to remember that we are all doing the best that we can and that each day God continues to give us new grace.
As we move forward, we must be courageous in the fight for justice, human rights, and a future that celebrates the diversity and the power of who we are as a people.
We should all strive to extend the path that Shirley helped build for us to follow. We should all strive to be like Shirley and be our best.
Ms. LEE of California. Congresswoman Lucy McBath, I would like to share a story with you which reminds me of you that happened during Shirley's campaign because I know your district, and I know how you fight each and every day to bring people together, and how you care about all people, humanity.
You care about people regardless of party affiliation, regardless of background, and I know that is how you do your work, and that is how you are so effective as a Black woman.
During Shirley Chisholm's campaign, George Wallace was running for President also. He was shot and he was hospitalized. He was paralyzed. This is in the middle of the campaign. Congresswoman Chisholm suspended her campaign for a few days, and she went to visit that segregationist George Wallace.
I mean, I was ready to leave. I said no, there is no way that my first campaign, this hero--shero of mine is going down to see this man who has blocked African Americans from going to school, who has sicced dogs on them, who is a horrible human being.
And so I talked to her and said, ``I can't deal with this, Mrs. Chisholm.'' I was so angry for that decision. And I am thinking of Congresswoman McBath now, I am thinking of the context in which we live in terms of so much hate out there because she said to me, she said,
``Little girl,'' even though I was a grown woman with two little kids,
``Remember, we are all human beings. Maybe I can teach him something and help him regain his humanity.''
I said, ``Well, he never had any. He was a bad man.''
And she went on to say, ``I know you are angry. I know people are really angry who support me, but you have to rise to the occasion if you are a leader, and you have to try to break down some of these barriers. You have to break through and try to enlighten other people who may hate you.''
I said, ``No, that is not good enough. He will never, ever come around, and I am really angry.'' But she asked me to stay on with her campaign, so I begrudgingly did.
But what happened was she was able--and I am a good friend with George Wallace's daughter, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, who is a fighter for racial justice, who is a phenomenal woman in Alabama, and she is a good friend of mine, and she told me just recently, she said, ``Honey, you know, I was at that bedside when Shirley Chisholm visited my daddy, and she talked to him, and she told him what terrible things he had done, and she asked him to please, please, please understand that Black people deserved justice and equality.''
And she didn't know whether she was making an impact on him or not, but later--I still say too little, too late--he went to Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in his wheelchair and rolled down the aisle and apologized for all of his misdeeds.
They became friends from afar, and he got a lot of the Southern Members to sign onto her legislation for domestic workers and for all of her bills that she was working on that she needed Southern Dixiecrats to support.
I share that story now because that seems like something that we forgot how to do. I mean, I know I have. It is something that she taught me because not only was she responsible for this apology--again, too little too late--but it showed me that you have got to step out of your comfort zone, like you do, and hopefully, hopefully see some good in people who are your adversaries.
You were talking, and I wanted to share that because I was personally involved with that story. I want to salute Peggy Wallace Kennedy tonight because she has really led a life that has been a life of making sure that every barrier against African Americans and people of color is dismantled in this country. Thank you again.
Mrs. McBATH. Thank you for sharing that.
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, we will go to another fighter who has just come here from the great State of Ohio, who has a remarkable record fighting for voting rights and justice and is a woman who serves her community in ways that every Member of Congress should serve their community, Congresswoman Shontel Brown, who I think has been here for years now, but she has really hit the ground running in her presence on this floor.
Ms. BROWN of Ohio. Thank you to the co-leaders, Barbara Lee and Sheila Jackson Lee, my sisters and colleagues.
Madam Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, I rise today to join my CBC colleagues and my CBC sisters in honoring the life and trailblazing legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
Before me, it was her. Before my predecessor, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, it was her. Before the record-setting number of 27 Black women in Congress today, it was her.
My career in public service rests on the shoulders and the contributions of the iconic Shirley Chisholm. In 1969 she became a political pioneer and shattered racial and gender barriers by becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.
Her signature slogan, ``unbought and unbossed,'' spoke to her audacity, her sheer sense of will, and her fearlessness in the face of established norms and institutions. And it spoke to her rise as the people's politician, someone willing to speak up and speak out for those embattled by poverty, discrimination, and injustice.
In Congress, she fought for low-income families, for hungry schoolchildren, and for single moms. She was critical to the creation of the national school lunch program. She was critical to the growth of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, and she was critical to the creation of the Women, Infants, and Children's program, known as WIC. Then, as now, these programs reduce the hunger facing American children and families. Today I am proud to carry forth her legacy by fighting for their expansion.
Fifty years ago, Shirley Chisholm made history once again by becoming the first African American and the first woman to run for President. But more than being a mere political first, Shirley Chisholm is best remembered for her grit, her willingness to push on the pedal of progress, and her ability to not just see America for what it is, but for what it could be.
Chisholm understood the challenges women, particularly Black women, were facing in America, and she created a path for women like me. She passed the baton, and now it is up to us to continue the race.
Ms. LEE of California. Let me thank you, Congresswoman Brown, for that statement and for your presentation and laying out many of Shirley Chisholm's accomplishments. I mean, she was a great legislator. She passed the 1974 minimum wage law, which expanded minimum wage standards to domestic workers and a broader swath of government employees, so I am glad that you laid that out because so many of us and so many especially younger African-American women and women of color see her as this icon who ran for President, first Black woman elected, but she was an excellent legislator.
She used her contacts and leverage, and she knew how to leverage the folks, as I mentioned George Wallace's people. She understood her power. You understand your power, and I am so glad that you are here tonight for this presentation.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for some additional words.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Congresswoman, thank you so very much. I wanted to offer my appreciation first to you because I want you to be the last word on this floor tonight because I truly mean what I said earlier, and in almost every moment there has been an anecdotal story, a very important one that you have reminded us of the strength of Shirley Chisholm.
I do want to go back to Shirley's Caribbean roots, but her strong roots in Brooklyn. I know that you said this, or I am sure it has been referred to or you will, is that when she came to the United States Congress, being the first African-American woman and being dismissed not by her constituents, but by the hierarchy that was here, and I am sure someone with a little chuckle thought: Brooklyn, urban, guess where we will put her? On the Agriculture Committee. And that will get her packing up and running out.
But Shirley Chisholm, again, fighting Shirley Chisholm was her theme, showed them. I remember those words either said by her or describe her, a tree grows in Brooklyn. Don't sell us short. A tree grows in Queens, a tree grows in Manhattan, a tree grows in New York.
She did take to the leadership of the Agriculture Committee, particularly becoming an expert on SNAP and many other aspects of agriculture that really dealt with the vulnerable and starving people in America. That was Shirley Chisholm.
And then as I intertwine the question of the selection and nomination of an African-American woman to the United States Supreme Court, I want to put in the Record the words, if you are always ruled but denied the opportunity to rule, in turn, you are simply a subject and not fully a citizen. And so Congresswoman Chisholm's presence was to deny being only ruled and simply being a subject.
The cases that spoke to that are the Supreme Court decisions like Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Korematsu v. United States, civil rights cases in 1883, Bowers v. Hardwick, Lochner v. New York, and Buck v. Bell. These cases from 1857 to 1927 all showed where America was in terms of this cancer called racism.
I want to refer us tonight in my final words on the floor in tribute to Shirley Chisholm to the words she said about do women dare. As I do so, with a little bit of sense of great honor is to show a picture of myself and Shirley Chisholm that I now found and relocated and will actually get framed, my presenting her with an award after a speech that she gave in front of the Black women lawyers. When we were few, unknown, and unlisted and probably unappreciated, she actually came to speak before the Black women lawyers in Houston, Texas, having some years before that worked as an intern in her district at one of the State representatives' offices, Representative Bellamy.
{time} 2045
And I might say, as I talk about Shirley, I have to put on the record that she was selected for the Agriculture Committee, but I am told by my former colleague, Pat Schroeder, that when she and Ron Dellums went to the Armed Services Committee, they were given one chair. And they had to sit in one chair because they were trying to diminish them and dismiss them. They could not do that. And though this is not about Ron Dellums, he became the chair of the Armed Services Committee.
But let me give these words in conclusion on the fighting Shirley Chisholm. This is her speech ``Do Women Dare,'' and it just has been discovered. ``The topic this morning of course is, `do women dare?' ''
These are her words.
``And I have said, of course women dare. Do women dare? I assume that the question implies do women dare take an active part in society, and, in particular, do they dare to take a part in the present social revolution?''
We need this now more than ever. And I would say, Do Americans dare? Do men and women dare? Do African Americans dare? Do vulnerable people dare?
``And I find the question as much of an insult as I would the question, `Are you, as a Black person, willing to fight for your rights?' America has been sufficiently sensitized to the answer, whether or not Black people are willing to both fight and die for their rights. To make the question itself is asinine and superfluous. America is not yet sufficiently aware, but such a question applied to women is equally asinine and superfluous.''
And so she goes on to say: ``I am, as is obvious, both Black and a woman. And that is a good vantage point from which to view at least two elements of what is becoming a social revolution. The American Black revolution and the women's liberation movement. But it is also a horrible disadvantage. It is a disadvantage, my friends, because America as a Nation, is both racist and antifeminist. Racism and antifeminism are two of the prime traditions of this country that we have to face objectively. For any individual, therefore, challenging social traditions is a giant step. A giant step, because there are no social traditions which do not have corresponding social sanctions, the sole purpose of which are to protect the sanctity of the traditions.''
And so she goes on to talk about do women dare. I cannot think of more important words in 2022 as we fight against racism and sexism, as we fight to give a sense of reality and honesty and equality to the idea of a Black woman going to the Supreme Court.
And as we raise up the issue of the study of slavery and the development of reparation proposals under H.R. 40, can that be a simple, obvious reality? Can that be something that is just accepted because it is right?
Shirley Chisholm has taught us to keep fighting and to dare. I thank the gentlewoman for bringing us to this place and also to this understanding.
Madam Speaker, this February we recognize and celebrate the 44th commemoration of Black History Month and the Jubilee anniversary of Shirley Chisolm's historic run for the presidency in 1972.
I am honored to co-anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order with my dear friend and colleague, Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California.
This month we celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the history of our great Nation, and pay tribute to trailblazers, pioneers, heroes, and leaders like Kamala D. Harris, the 49th Vice-President of the United States and the first woman and person of color to be elected to the office; 44th President of the United States and First Lady, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, respectively; Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; U.S. Senator Blanche Kelso Bruce; U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan; U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland; Astronauts Dr. Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr. and Mae C. Jemison; activists, intellectuals, authors, artists, and entrepreneurs like Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Gwendolyn Brooks, Shonda Rhimes, Ava Duvernay, Oprah Winfrey, and Super Bowl LIV winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes and National Football League Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, just to name a few of the countless number of well-known and unsung heroes whose contributions have helped our Nation become a more perfect union.
The history of the United States has been marked by the great contributions of African American activists, leaders, writers, and artists.
As a member of Congress, I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants like Shirley Chisolm, John Conyers, John Lewis, Ronald Dellums, and Barbara Jordan whose struggles and triumphs made it possible for me to stand here today and continue the fight for equality, justice, and progress for all, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
The greatest of these giants to me are Mrs. Ivalita ``Ivy'' Jackson, a vocational nurse, and Mr. Ezra C. Jackson, one of the first African Americans to succeed in the comic book publishing business.
They were my beloved parents, and they taught me the value of education, hard work, discipline, perseverance, and caring for others.
And I am continually inspired by Dr. Elwyn Lee, my husband and the first tenured African American law professor at the University of Houston.
Madam Speaker, I particularly wish to acknowledge the contributions of African American veterans in defending from foreign aggressors and who by their courageous examples helped transform our Nation from a segregated society to a nation committed to the never-ending challenge of perfecting our union.
Several years ago about this time, I was honored to join my then colleagues Congressmen John Lewis and former Congressman Charles Rangel, a Korean War veteran, in paying tribute to surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen and the 555th Parachute Infantry, the famed
``Triple Nickels'' at a moving ceremony sponsored by the U.S. Army commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The success of the Tuskegee Airmen in escorting bombers during World War II--achieving one of the lowest loss records of all the escort fighter groups and being in constant demand for their services by the allied bomber units--is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.
So impressive and astounding were the feats of the Tuskegee Airmen that in 1948, it helped persuade President Harry Truman to issue his famous Executive Order No. 9981, which directed equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces and led to the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military forces.
They proved that ``the antidote to racism is excellence in performance,'' as retired Lt. Col. Herbert Carter once remarked.
It is a source of enormous and enduring pride that my father-in-law, Phillip Ferguson Lee, was one of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Madam Speaker, Black History Month is also a time to remember many pioneering women like activists Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks; astronaut Mae C. Jemison; mathematicians like Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson; authors Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Gwendolyn Brooks; all of whom have each in their own way, whether through courageous activism, cultural or intellectual contributions, or artistic creativity, forged social and political change, and forever changed our great Nation for the better.
Madam Speaker, it is particularly fitting and proper this evening to remember and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic and audacious campaign for President of the late U.S. Congresswoman Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm.
Shirley Chisholm became the first African American woman elected to Congress, when she was elected to represent the New York's Twelfth Congressional District in 1968 running on the slogan, ``Fightinq Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed.''
She reflected that spirit well during her 14 years in Congress.
During her first term she spoke out for civil rights, women's rights, the poor and against the Vietnam War.
Her first term in Congress was set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement and the women's movement for equal rights.
Shirley Chisolm had an understanding that during those turbulent times the Nation required a determined leader to represent the voice of so many Americans who felt dismay at their treatment.
She took an extremely active role in changing the way women were to be judged from that point on.
She remarked that ``Women in this country must become revolutionaries. We must refuse to accept the old, the traditional roles and stereotypes.''
This is a sentiment that I myself take to heart, women in this Nation are now told they have a right to determine the kind of life they want to lead; Shirley Chisholm was at the core of this movement.
On January 25, 1972, Chisholm announced her candidacy for President.
She stood before the cameras and in the beginning of her speech she said:
``I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States.
``I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud.
``I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or special interests.
``I am the candidate of the people.''
Shirley Chisholm did not win the nomination; but she went on to the Democratic Convention in Miami and received 151 delegates' votes.
More than that, she demonstrated the will and determination of so many Americans, particularly black women, who had previously felt forgotten, and she lit the fire inspiring so many who had felt disenfranchised.
I am glad to walk in their footsteps and will continue to encourage women to uphold the principles they taught us to fight for and cherish.
Madam Speaker, because Shirley Chisolm dared to reach for the brass ring 50 years ago, she ushered in the era where women could aspire, seek, and win leadership roles in this country's local, State, and national governments.
Before Shirley Chisolm, no black woman had ever served in the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate, but following in her footsteps are 51 black women Members of Congress, two black women U.S. Senators, including the President of that body and Vice-President of the United States; 23 Hispanic members; and 15 Asian-Pacific Members, along with the first woman Speaker of the House, and mayors of several of the largest cities in the Nation, including the District of Columbia, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, New Orleans, Baltimore, Hartford, Minneapolis, San Antonio, and St. Louis.
One barrier left to fall, however, is one of the most important, and that is membership on the Supreme Court of the United States.
For most of our national history, Presidents and Senators have turned a deaf ear to Abigail Adams' plea to her husband ``to remember the ladies and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors.''
Since Justice O'Connor's 1981 appointment, only four women have been nominated to the High Court for the 18 vacancies occurring during this time despite the fact that women constitute a majority of the general population, 37 percent of all attorneys in America, a number that will soon exceed the majority since a substantial majority (54 percent) of all law students in America are women.
With the announcement of his retirement by Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, President Biden and the U.S. Senate, now have been presented and should move quickly to capitalize on this opportunity to begin to rectify the High Court's gender imbalance and to diversify its composition by nominating and confirming a member of the most underrepresented, disadvantaged, marginalized, longest suffering, and most patient demographic in America: black woman.
Longer than any other racial or ethnic group, black women have been subjected to the coercive powers of the law while being excluded from the opportunities to make the laws citizens are to live under.
If you are always ruled but denied the opportunity to rule in turn, you are simply a subject, and not fully a citizen. And that is how you get Supreme Court decisions like Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), Korematsu v. United States (1944), Civil Rights Cases (1883), Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), Lochner v. New York (1905), and Buck v. Bell (1927).
Simply stated, the purpose of pursuing diversity in the composition of a political system's decision-making institutions is not to elevate any particular man or woman, but to enhance, as Condorcet's Theorem posits, the quality and accuracy of institutional decision making and to bolster institutional legitimacy by increasing its diffuse support from marginal members of the political community.
Researchers have shown that people are more likely to trust those with whom they share physical characteristics and thus as documented by the Center for American Progress, ``in the interests of both equality and the perception of fairness, it is important that judges reflect the parties and populations they serve.''
Or as described by scholars Jason Iuliano and Avery Stewart, ``In dispensing justice to all citizens, the legal system cannot allow one demographically homogenous group to hand down decisions while other racial and ethnic groups bear the brunt of those decisions.''
The federal judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, does not resemble the public at large. Glaring disparities exist for women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, American Indians, and LGBTQ individuals.
Consider for example that of all the judges currently sitting on federal Article III courts, only about 10 percent are African American and 2.6 percent are Asian American.
In contrast, Blacks and African Americans comprise 12.5 percent of the U.S. population, while Asians make up 5.7 percent of the population.
Hispanics are woefully underrepresented on the courts compared with their share of the population with only 6.6 percent of sitting federal judges of Hispanic origin despite the fact that this group comprises 18.3 percent of the U.S. population.
It is neither improper nor erroneous to say that President Biden owes black women because without their overwhelming support, his reeling campaign would not have cruised to victory in the 2020 South Carolina presidential primary, which led to his resounding wins on Super Tuesday, which put him on the glide path to the Democratic nomination and victory in the general election.
So, if anybody is ever due to fulfill a key campaign promise, it is President Biden vowing to make ``sure there's a Black woman on the Supreme Court, to make sure we in fact get every representation.''
And when President Biden acts to keep his sacred promise, Shirley Chisolm will be smiling down at us from Heaven.
It is also fitting, Madam Speaker, that in addition to those national leaders whose contributions have made our Nation better, we also honor those who have and are making a difference in their local communities.
In my home city of Houston, there are numerous men and women who are great because they have heeded the counsel of Dr. King who said:
``Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.''
By that measure, I wish to pay tribute to some of the great men and women who help to make Houston the wonderful, dynamic, vibrant, inclusive, and progressive city that it is.
As we celebrate Black History Month, let us pay tribute to those who have come before us, and pay forward to future generations by addressing what is the number one issue for African American families, and all American families today: preserving the American promise of economic opportunity for all.
Our immediate focus must be to work `For The People' to crush the pandemic, continue this Administration's and this Congress's record setting pace for job creation (6.5 million in the first year), and enacting legislation that will foster and lay the foundation for today's and tomorrow's generation of groundbreaking activists, leaders, scientists, writers and artists to continue contributing to the greatness of America.
We must continue to preserve the American Dream for all.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand here in celebration of the heroic and historic acts of African Americans and their indispensable contributions to this great Nation.
It is through our work in creating possibilities for today and future generations that we best honor the accomplishments and legacy of our predecessors.
Shirley Chisholm's Newly Unearthed `Do Women Dare?' Speech Is Just as
Relevant Today
In July 1971, Shirley Chisholm began to talk about it. Chisholm, who in 1968 had become the first African American woman elected to Congress, would run for president. The congresswoman from New York announced her intentions to secure the Democratic nomination in September, and formally announced on Jan. 25, 1972. The Democratic candidates who sought to oppose President Nixon's bid for a second term counted ``Fighting Shirley'' and nine white men, all of whom had higher degrees, like Chisholm. Of the 10, all but Chisholm, Wilbur Mills, and Hubert Humphrey had served in the military. Chisholm was the first African American to contend for the presidential nomination of a major party.
On the 50th anniversary of Chisholm's protest-era run, America is again reassessing itself and its history; the lesson of historical re-evaluation is seemingly how well we forget, and how fallible we are in remembering. Chisholm taught at the New School from 1971-75. ``Black Power and White Politics,'' her inaugural course (eight sessions for
$40) posed the question: ``Can the political system be made responsive to the needs of minorities?''
The issues are familiar, as is the broil of her audience and a citizenship that feels unheard. Chisholm, in 1972, is already a celebrity--simultaneously a voice of the people and a spokesperson for a lying, thieving political system manipulated by Ivy League elites. The Chisholm audience, as well as the camera crew, chuckles uncomfortably as one questioner takes the soapbox, picking up ``the hot coal'' and imploring listeners to consider: ``Why do we fail as a country to address these urgent needs . . . what is basically wrong with America that we can keep talking and everything gets worse?''
``The American public as a whole is too complacent,'' Chisholm answers. ``Not only is it complacent but it's also gullible. . . . We don't question enough. We don't concern ourselves about things until they hit us on our front doorstep. . . . For a long time we had been taught in America about the need to bring about 'social justice' that nobody worried about before in this society. But all of a sudden, middle-class America woke up about six years ago, when we began to have riots and conflagrations in the big cities of this country. Prior to that, nobody wondered what was happening to the Indian, the African American, or even the Puerto Rican, or even the Black because we were getting along as a whole and it didn't touch us on our front doorstep.''
Tracking back to 1969, we find Chisholm empaneled at the New School with Gloria Steinem, author, feminist, and activist, and Jacqueline Grenenwexler, the former president of Webster College. The three women, inaugurating the Human Relations Center at the New School, considered the provocation ``Do Women Dare?''
In the wake of the social upheavals of recent years, the speech, which is not known to have been published or broadcast since the event 50 years ago, feels as vital today as it did half a century ago. Through the discussion, Chisholm pointed to what we would now call intersectionality; the term was coined by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989 to describe the ways in which identity is nuanced and individual experience is not based on skin color or class alone. Intersectionality makes the invisible visible. It adds dimensionality to a type of racism that can be one- dimensional. What is diversity without diverse socioeconomic backgrounds?
Recorded via a WBAI broadcast, and newly digitized and transcribed here, Chisholm's opening remarks for the 1969 panel are expansive, yet immediate. She's radical in one moment, citing the divisive author Eldridge Cleaver, and pronouncedly centrist in the next, pointing back to personal responsibility: ``The law cannot do it for us. We must do it for ourselves.'' Chisholm's words are charged and nuanced and controversial, she is hearing the unheard, endeavoring to listen and to keep listening and vowing to fight. Here are her remarks.
Shirley Chisholm:
The topic this morning of course is, ``do women dare?'' And I have said, of course women dare. Do women dare? I assume that the question implies do women dare take an active part in society and, in particular, do they dare to take a part in the present social revolution? And I find the question as much of an insult as I would the question, ''Are you, as a Black person, willing to fight for your rights?'' America has been sufficiently sensitized to the answer, whether or not Black people are willing to both fight and die for their rights. To make the question itself is asinine and superfluous. America is not yet sufficiently aware, but such a question applied to women is equally asinine and superfluous.
I am, as is obvious, both Black and a woman. And that is a good vantage point from which to view at least two elements of what is becoming a social revolution. The American Black revolution and the women's liberation movement. But it is also a horrible disadvantage. It is a disadvantage, my friends, because America as a nation, is both racist and antifeminist. Racism and antifeminism are two of the prime traditions of this country that we have to face objectively. For any individual, therefore, challenging social traditions is a giant step. A giant step, because there are no social traditions which do not have corresponding social sanctions, the sole purpose of which are to protect the sanctity of the traditions.
Then when we ask the question, ``do women dare?'' we are not asking are women capable of a break with tradition so much as we are asking, are they capable of bearing with the sanctions that will be placed upon them? Coupling this with the hypothesis presented by some social thinkers and philosophers that in any given society the most active group are those who are nearest to the particular freedom that they desire, it does not surprise me that those women, most active and vocal on the issue of freedom for women, are those who are young, white, and middle class. Nor is it also too surprising that there are not more from that group involved in the women's liberation movement. There certainly are reasons why more women are not involved, and this country, as I said, is antifeminist. Few, if any Americans, are free of the psychological wounds imposed by racism and antifeminism.
Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for reminding us of Shirley Chisholm's history here in the Capitol as a member of the Agriculture Committee.
Now, you know I worked for the late Ron Dellums starting in 1975, and I worked for him for 11 years. I got a chance to be with Congresswoman Chisholm many times, also with Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, so I got a chance to know her and her brilliance and her stately demeanor and her huge intellect.
And I remember very clearly that Congresswoman Chisholm also was on the Rules Committee. And I know she was only the second woman to ever be appointed to the Rules Committee. Again, I have to go back to 1789 because I want the public to understand the centuries that took place during the interim.
First, Congresswoman Chisholm was the second woman on the Rules Committee since 1789, and I believe--and we are checking--I think that she may have been the first member of the CBC on the Rules Committee also. But also, in terms of Congresswoman Chisholm's history and bringing it current, she was an original board member, first honorary copresident in 1969 of the National Abortion Rights Action League, better known as NARAL, and she was a fierce advocate for women's reproductive rights and justice. And she was also only one of 16 Black women who courageously led a movement for reproductive freedom that began with the publishing of the very seminal brochure ``We Remember: African American Women Are For Reproductive Freedom.'' And that was in 1989.
And so Congresswoman Chisholm has been honored in so many different ways throughout the years, but we need to do more. We are going to start with our Chisholm Trail. For those who want to join us this year we are going to commemorate the Chisholm Trail.
I was so pleased that Chairwoman Beatty mentioned the Shirley Chisholm stamp. It took us a long time to do this, but it was a bipartisan effort. We finally have a Forever Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm's historical stamp from the Postal Service.
Also, she posthumously was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. For her official portrait, I thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi because that was one of her first efforts working with us. And you remember Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, another African-American woman, brilliant woman, from Southern California who passed away. She was chairing the House Administration Committee, and we got together. And this wasn't easy. And I thank Speaker Pelosi for helping us because it was a heavy lift to get this beautiful portrait painted by a young brother down in Southern California into this temple of democracy.
And at first, there were those who wanted the portrait to be hidden in some little corner. Well, Speaker Pelosi and Lorraine Miller, Clerk of the House, made sure that she was placed in a prominent place so that people, especially young people, could get a chance to know her and to love her because what she did for this country was so amazing for everyone, for the voiceless, and she was a person, a woman, a Black woman who loved to bring people together from all backgrounds.
So there are so many other memorials across the country to remember her fortitude and to honor her grit and tenacity. And she taught me once again, and I know Congresswoman Jackson Lee knows this, that Black women can't go along to get along. Again, 1789.
These rules weren't made for us. So we must change these rules of the game, so that we must address gender and racial equity at its core.
Before Congresswoman Chisholm passed away, she was asked how she wanted to be remembered. And I remember she said: I want history to remember me not just as the first Black woman to be elected to Congress, not as the first Black woman to have made a bid for the Presidency of the United States, but as a Black woman who lived in the 20th century and dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.
And so I can confidently say that that is her legacy. Well done, Mrs. C, well done. Her staff and many of us called her ``Mrs. C.'' She had a phenomenal staff, Carolyn Smith. She had an African-American woman as her chief of staff. She was one of the few, like Ron Dellums, who had senior staff members who were Black, Black women, three of us on the Hill at that point. So she lived a life that we can all be proud of and how she paved the way for so many of us to be here as Members of Congress, but also throughout the country as members of elected bodies and corporate boardrooms. Congresswoman Chisholm made sure that she left her legacy so that, yes, as someone said earlier, we finally have the first African-American Vice President in the country. Because of Shirley Chisholm, I am. Because of Shirley Chisholm, Kamala Harris is.
Madam Speaker, I thank my staff Rico Doss and Kayla Williams on my staff for really pulling this all together and helping us with all of this. And, Sheila, your staff and the Congressional Black Caucus members' staff because without our staff--as I know because I was a staffer for many years--none of this would have happened tonight. So I thank you guys very much.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I often say that I am operating in an institution and system that was not designed by or for people who look like me. Today, however, I celebrate a pioneer who wanted to change the system so that it would work for all the people--
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
I stand proudly on the shoulders of the first Black woman in Congress. She entered Congress ``unbossed and unbought'' and brought this energy to each of her seven terms. She paved the way for me to be here as the first Black woman to represent the people of Georgia's Fifth District in Congress.
We are the next generation of Black excellence because of Shirley Chisholm. As we face trying times, we must remember that we stand on the brink of progress. The courage of Shirley Chisholm paved the way for Black women in Congress to fight for a future that our children can believe in:
Voting rights regardless of our ZIP code.
Lasting investments in our HBCUs.
The Black Maternal Health Momnibus to end the Black maternal mortality crisis.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to end police brutality.
My Abolition Amendment legislation that will close a loophole in the Thirteenth Amendment and truly end slavery in America.
As we reflect on how far we have come this Black History Month, I am looking forward to the future we are building together because of the path set by Congresswoman Chisholm.
However, we have a long way to go. The halls of Congress are full of portraits and statues of mostly men, while depictions of women are scattered here and there. Images of trailblazers like Shirley Chisholm and Rosa Parks remind me of the imbalance of women lining the halls, and I am determined to change that.
May we always remember Congresswoman Chisholm for her tenacity, her boldness, and her guts. That is what we will need to ensure that our story continues.
Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Madam Speaker, today I rise in honor of the first African American woman to serve in the United States Congress and the first woman to run for President of the United States, the Honorable Shirley Chisholm. As we celebrate Black history month, we must also commemorate our sheroes for their contribution to protecting and preserving our precious democracy.
I, including many of my colleagues here in Congress, stand on the shoulders of this courageous woman who was a champion for progressive policy that sought to improve the lives of society's most vulnerable both internationally and domestically. In particular, she fought against the oppressive Apartheid Regime in South Africa and the Vietnam War. In addition, she was instrumental in the movement for women's rights and the poor.
The Honorable Shirley Chisholm understood the plight of the poor and working-class in this country. The reality is that there is no American Dream without economic equity. I am committed to continuing her activism in addressing the wealth gap. The average Black household has
$24k in wealth, whereas the average White family has $188K in wealth. Approximately 30 percent of my District's residents live on under $75K a year, while 21% live under $30K.
To address these systemic challenges, it is vital to ensure that Congress resembles the diversity that exists in this nation. However, in states like mine, the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is committed to disfranchising voters through gerrymandering in violation of the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution. Ron DeSantis took the unprecedented and anti-democratic step of proposing his own Congressional map for the state of Florida. Under DeSantis' proposed plan, two Congressional seats currently held by African-American representatives elected overwhelmingly by working Floridians would lose their seats.
This is yet another attack on Floridians' sacred right to vote and a blatantly undemocratic power grab. We believe that voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. By injecting partisanship into the redistricting process, DeSantis is attempting to dilute minority representation and undermine the true will of Florida voters. He is a threat to our democracy. My colleagues and I will continue to fight against his racist and discriminatory proposal.
The Honorable Shirley Chisholm once said, ``I want to be remembered as a woman . . . who dared to be a catalyst of change.'' I hope that her legacy and commitment to service will inspire us all to continue defending the United States Constitution and fight tirelessly to improve the lives of our constituents through progressive policy.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 24
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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