[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 6, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______


                               speech of

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 28, 1996

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleagues, 
Congressmen Stokes and Payne, for calling this special order in 
celebration of Black History Month for choosing this year's theme: 
African-American Women: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The theme today 
heralds women who have made distinctive contributions to our country. 
For every woman from Harriet Tubman to Rosa Parks to Myrlie Evers-
Williams who have become household names, there are legions of women 
from past to present who have made great contributions to their 
communities with little or no recognition. We are here to honor all of 
them today.
  When we examine this theme, it is only natural that our thoughts 
would turn to our recently departed friend and colleague Barbara 
Jordan. Congresswoman Jordan was a formidable force, not only in the 
African American community, but throughout our country. A champion of 
liberal causes, she was not only a role model for African American 
women, but also an inspiration to people of all colors.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very fortunate to represent California's 8th 
Congressional District and to work with many outstanding African-
American leaders, both women and men, and community organizations based 
in the city of San Francisco. These are leaders like Enola Maxwell, who 
has been a driving force for the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 
guiding and mentoring several generations of neighborhood youth; or 
like Naomi Gray, who spent many years on the San Francisco Health 
Commission as an advocate for health care for low-income communities; 
or like Sharon Hewitt, who recently helped organize a city-wide summit 
to find ways to prevent youth violence among communities of color in 
San Francisco. These women are working within the community to make it 
a better place. I applaud their efforts, and the efforts of the many 
African-American women in my district who are working every day to 
improve life in the city of San Francisco and in our Nation.
  In just a few days, we will end Black History Month and enter a 
celebration of Women's History Month. Let us continue to acknowledge 
the accomplishments of pioneering women of the past and promote and 
support the goals of African-American women present and future. Their 
struggles deserve credit and recognition every day of the year, not 
just during Black History Month.

                          ____________________