[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H1685-H1686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank my colleagues who have 
spoken so eloquently tonight about the importance of Women's History 
Month or who have submitted statements for the Record.
  I want to especially thank my Republican colleague the gentlewoman 
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) for being here this evening and also for 
submitting her statement on the Record for the contribution of African 
American women in America's history.
  We are, in the month of March, proudly celebrating the achievements 
of all women in this Nation. I come this evening to take a few minutes 
to briefly talk about the history of Women's History Month and to 
celebrate the contributions of women, especially African American 
women, the contributions which they have made to this country and the 
world.
  Back in 1978, the first Women's History Week celebration was 
initiated in Sonoma County, CA, which is now represented by a great 
woman, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey), who serves here 
with us in this Congress. It began in Sonoma County as a means of 
introducing students and teachers to the many contributions that women 
of all cultures have made to the building of this Nation.
  Three years later, the idea of celebrating Women's History Week began 
to spread across this Nation and the National Women's History Project 
was created to provide technical assistance to educators and community 
organizers and to produce and distribute women's history materials.
  In 1981, then Representative, now Senator Barbara Mikulski, and 
Senator Orrin Hatch cosponsored a joint congressional resolution 
proclaiming the week of March 8 National Women's History Week. The 
success of National Women's History Week and the availability of 
information on women's history necessitated expanding the celebration 
to a full month.
  In 1987, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to 
expand the celebration to the entire month of March. The resolution was 
approved with bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate.
  Today schools, communities, and workplaces celebrate the month with 
special curriculum and events. The popularity of women's history 
celebrations has sparked a new interest in uncovering women's forgotten 
heritage. It has allowed all Americans to learn more about women who 
have made a tremendous impact on our Nation's history.

                              {time}  2130

  Women's history is really a new way of looking at events and 
individuals that have made this country what it is today. History as it 
has been traditionally taught has virtually excluded women and people 
of color. One would think that someone would have noticed that half of 
the United States population is missing from our history. Textbooks, 
curricula and academic research has been silent about the impact that 
women and people of color have made. The silences have made women's 
accomplishments and contributions to American life invisible.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of African-American women's participation in 
American politics must recognize our involvement in traditional 
political acts such as registering, voting and holding office, but also 
those nontraditional activities in which we engaged long before we had 
access to the ballot. Because African-American women are simultaneously 
members of the two groups that have suffered the Nation's most blatant 
exclusions from politics, African American and women, our political 
behavior has been largely really overlooked.
  African-American women organized slave revolts, established 
underground networks and even sued for the right to vote. Public 
records reveal that many African-American women were involved in the 
abolition movement and were active participants in the early women's 
rights movement. African-American women's political activities have 
largely been directed towards altering our disadvantaged status as 
African Americans and women and making sure that this country lives up 
to its responsibilities for equality and justice for all people.
  Today, we look at African-American women holding political office as 
a very recent experience. African-American women who have previously 
served in this Congress include my mentor, our first African-American 
woman who served here, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, as well as 
Barbara Jordan, Yvonne Braithwaite Burke, Cardiss Collins, Katie Hall 
and Barbara Rose Collins. I stand here as the 171st woman, the 100th 
African American and the 19th African-American woman ever to have the 
privilege of serving in this body. I stand here because of those who 
came before us. I stand here as a result of the work of many of those 
individuals, and in the words of the Honorable Shirley Chisholm, ``We 
all came here to serve as a catalyst for change.''
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding, 
and I certainly want to thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) 
for giving us the opportunity to have a moment.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.


                   Tribute to Dr. Yvonne Bond Miller

  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge this month as Women's 
History Month and to honor the contributions of a distinguished 
African-American woman, Dr. Yvonne Bond Miller.
  Dr. Miller is the first black woman to serve in the Virginia House of 
Delegates and the first black woman to serve in the Virginia Senate. 
She is the first woman of any race to serve as chair of a Senate 
committee in the State of Virginia.
  Mr. Speaker, Women's History Month is a time to recognize and give 
thanks to those women who dared to brave uncharted waters so that we 
may all fully participate in our society.
  As we pay tribute to women for their vast contributions to our 
nation, I'd like to formally salute Dr. Miller as an educator and as 
the first African American woman to serve in the Virginia House of 
Delegates and Virginia Senate. She has been widely recognized for her

[[Page H1686]]

work on behalf of children and under-represented persons. She 
understands the ``double bind'' and dual challenges facing women of 
color living in a society that marginalizes people by both gender and 
race. Despite those obstacles, she has risen above these circumstances 
and has made outstanding contributions to her community, always working 
to uplift persons with similarly disadvantaged status.
  Yvonne Bond Miller was born in Edenton, North Carolina, the oldest of 
13 children. She grew up in my home district of Norfolk and attended 
Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk. Dr. Miller earned a 
Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia State College (now Virginia 
State University), a Master of Arts Degree from the Teacher's College 
at Columbia University, and then a Doctorate from the University of 
Pittsburgh. She is also a recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws 
Degree from Virginia State University.
  She has had a distinguished career as an educator, teaching first in 
the Norfolk Public Schools and then at Norfolk State University from 
1968 to present, where she is currently a Professor of Education. For 
seven years, she was the head of the Department of Early Childhood and 
Elementary Education at Norfolk State University. In addition to 
teaching, Dr. Miller has had an outstanding career in public service as 
a legislator. She was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates 
in 1983, becoming the first African American woman in that body. Her 
accomplishments earned her a second term in 1985, and her career in the 
state legislature continued when she was elected to the Virginia Senate 
in 1987, becoming the first African American woman in the Virginia 
Senate as well. Since then, she has served with a meritorious record on 
several committees, including the Rehabilitation and Social Services 
Committee, where she is the first woman to chair a Virginia Senate 
committee. In addition, Dr. Miller has worked steadfastly on behalf of 
children and the otherwise underserved on Virginia's Youth Commission 
and Virginia Disability Commission.
  Throughout her career as a legislator, Dr. Miller has demonstrated a 
consistent concern for the disadvantaged. She has worked hard in 
promoting education and early childhood issues, maintaining a living 
wage, and ensuring access to affordable health care. Dr. Miller's sense 
of justice, generosity, and dedication to the underprivileged carries 
over into her personal life as well. Most notably, she has established 
a scholarship fund at Norfolk State University for women returning to 
school. Her accolades are too numerous to describe in full, but it is 
no wonder that she has been honored with the Vivian C. Mason 
Meritorious Service Award from the Hampton Roads Urban League and the 
Social Action Award from the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.
  So, as we honor today the contributions of American women to our 
nation, we must pay a special tribute to Yvonne Bond Miller for 
prevailing in the face of adversity as an African American woman and 
for working tirelessly on behalf of children and other marginalized 
persons so that they too may be able to contribute to their fullest 
potential. Women's History Month is a time to recognize and give thanks 
to those women who dared to brave uncharted waters so that we may all 
fully participate in our own society. Thank You, Mr. Speaker. And thank 
you, Yvonne Bond Miller.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, given the fact that this is 
indeed Women's History Month, I would just include the names of some of 
the outstanding women who have served with distinction in my community, 
the community where I live, people like Ms. Mamie Bone, Ms. Devira 
Beverly, Martha Marshall, Cora Moore, Mildred Dennis, Mary Alice (Ma) 
Henry, Ida Mae (Ma) Fletcher, Julia Fairfax, Earline Lindsey, Nancy 
Jefferson, Rosie Lee Betts, Nola Bright, Dr. Claudio O'Quinn, Ms. 
Rachel Ridley, Artensa Randolph, Dr. Lucy Chapelle.
  I would mentioned one other woman, two others, who have had 
tremendous impacts on my life--a woman, Mrs. Beadie King, who was the 
teacher in the first school that I attended which was a one-room 
schoolhouse where Ms. Beadie King taught eight grades plus what we call 
the little primer and the big primer at the same time. Many of the 
things that I know and learned, many of the values, many of the 
attributes that I think that I have developed have actually come from 
the teachings of Mrs. Beadie King. And so I pay tribute to her as an 
outstanding educator.
  The other woman, Mrs. Mazie L. Davis, my mother, who probably more 
than any other single person contributed to my development, because it 
was she and my father who basically suggested to me that life has the 
potential of being for each one of us whatever it is that we would 
determine to make life.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
salute of African American women.
  African American women have a unique place in the history of our 
country. Fighting against racial and gender discrimination, we have had 
to fight two battles often at odds with each other. However, many 
African American women have not let race and gender prevent them from 
fighting for equality. These women's heroic efforts have forever 
changed American history. Women like Harriet Tubman who helped slaves 
escape via her underground railroad. Without Ms. Tubman many future 
African American doctors, politicians, lawyers, and teachers would not 
be alive.
  Mr. Speaker so many African American women have been a part of our 
history: Sojourner truth, Coretta Scott King, Ida B. Wells to name a 
few. Today I would like to acknowledge one of those great African 
American female leaders--Juanita Shanks Croft.
  Dallas native Juanita Craft fought for desegregation in Dallas and 
all over Texas. This onetime hotel worker, use the National Association 
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to fight legalized 
racism. She helped desegregate the University of Texas Law School, 
North Texas State University and the State Fair of Texas. She also 
helped desegregate many Dallas lunch counters, theaters and 
restaurants.
  She worked with Christian Adair, who helped found the Houston chapter 
of the NAACP, to end segregation and promote African Americans. Because 
of their efforts, Hattie Mae White became the first black women elected 
to the Houston school boards in 1958. This also paved the way for the 
late Barbara Jordan to become the first African American woman and also 
the first African American since reconstruction elected to the Texas 
state Senate.
  Ms. Craft served 25 years as the Dallas NAACP precinct chairperson. 
She helped found more than 100 chapters of the NAACP and helped 
Thurgood Marshall work on the U.S. Supreme Court case Smith vs. 
Allwright, which gave African Americans the right to vote in the Texas 
Democratic primaries in 1944. Ms. Craft was the first African-American 
woman to vote in Dallas and was elected to the Dallas City Council in 
1975 at the age of 73.
  Ms. Craft was a civil rights teacher to the young opening her home to 
anyone who wanted to learn about making change. Many of those young 
students today are teachers, lobbyists, community and civil rights 
activists and city officials.
  Today her home in Dallas is a civil rights historic landmark where 
President Lyndon B. Johnson and Martin Luther King Jr. were once 
visitors.
  I salute Juanita Craft's courage to fight for equality for African 
Americans. I salute her courage to teach others how to work for change. 
Through her legacy, we can see the battles which have been fought and 
can be proud of the progress our sisters have made so that we can 
attend any university, sit at any lunch counter, walk into any store 
and speak of this floor.

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