[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 44 (Tuesday, April 21, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H2074-H2075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE TO CONTINUE TO BE A LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER FOR 
                ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL JUSTICE

  (Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, first, to Congresswoman Lucille 
Roybal-Allard, to Mr. Gephardt, Mr. Bonior, to the entire California 
delegation, to all of the Members of this great institution, I am 
grateful for your support and for your leadership as we move into the 
next millennium.
  I would like to pay special recognition, first, to my family; to my 
mother, Mildred Massey; and to my father, Garvin Tutt; and to all of my 
family for their consistent support and their love. They instilled in 
me at an early age a deep sense of passion for justice. And I am 
extremely grateful to each and every one of my family members. And I 
want to take this opportunity to publicly tell them that I love you 
very, very much.

[[Page H2075]]

  I had the opportunity to be here for several years, in fact, 8 years. 
My children, Tony and Craig, were able to attend schools here in this 
great District. So in a way, we are coming back to our second home.
  I say to my predecessor, my friend and political mentor, the 
Honorable Ron Dellums, your legacy is one that will live forever, not 
only in this great institution, or in the Ninth Congressional District, 
but it will live forever throughout the world, throughout the world.
  I thank you for your confidence in me. I accept the challenge to 
continue to be a long-distance runner for economic, social, and 
political justice. In contemplating what I wanted to say at this very 
magnificent and glorious yet very humbling moment in my life, I 
reflected upon the great economic recovery that we are experiencing in 
this country. But my heart and my head and the facts keep telling me 
that this recovery has been for some, but not for all.
  So as we move into the next century, I intend to continue to 
challenge those policies which continue to widen the gap between the 
rich and the poor. But I also intend to provide solutions for new and 
creative ways to increase the standard of living for all, not just for 
some.
  I want to ensure that all of our children have access to a good 
public education; that we do enact universal and accessible health care 
for all; and to ensure the solvency of our Social Security system; that 
we support economic development efforts which create good jobs that pay 
a livable wage with benefits for working men and women; that we protect 
our globe and the wilderness and ensure clean air, and clean water, and 
create more public transportation systems; and that we protect a 
woman's right to reproductive choice. In addition, I shall continue to 
maintain the high standard of constituent services and responsiveness 
to local needs established by my predecessor.
  As we witness the world's becoming smaller and smaller, our efforts 
to encourage fair and free trade, respect for human rights abroad, and 
a truly effective foreign assistance program is really a must on my 
agenda.
  Finally, a fundamental basic principle that I bring to the United 
States Congress is the fact that we provide, and should provide, equal 
opportunities for everyone, and shatter the walls of discrimination 
based upon race, national origin, gender, age, disability, and sexual 
orientation.
  So I look forward to our national debates, and yes; sometimes our 
struggles. For my grandchildren, Jordan and Joshua, and for the 
children of this country and the world, I pledge to myself and to you 
to the effort to do the right thing, and to leave them a better future.
  I thank the people of the Ninth Congressional District for this 
honor. I do not take it lightly. I accept it with a sense of excitement 
and optimism. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues in 
discharging this awesome responsibility.
  As my first act, I would like to sign the discharge petition to have 
a full and fair debate on campaign finance reform. Thank you, and may 
God bless you.

                          ____________________