[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 56 (Friday, March 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

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                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 29, 2007

  Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Women's 
History Month. Though we have designated March as the particular month 
for this celebration, we must pause everyday to salute the spirit, 
courage, and contributions of women in our own country and around the 
world.
  With the election of the new Speaker of the House, our own Baltimore 
native Nancy Pelosi, we brought down another barrier and took another 
step towards equal and enfranchised participation of women in 
government. On her swearing-in day, Speaker Pelosi said ``It says to 
women everywhere that not only a glass ceiling but a marble ceiling can 
be broken and that anything is possible.'' Out of the 180 countries 
that directly elect representatives to national legislatures, the 
United States ranks 60th in terms of female representation. Of the 
nearly 600 persons who have served in a President's Cabinet since 
George Washington's presidency, only 29 have been women. We have come a 
long way in giving a voice to the many disenfranchised and under-
represented communities in our nation but the fight for social 
advancement is not over.
  Maryland has been called home by many of America's trailblazing 
women. This month, Rachel Carson, who spent many years in Maryland and 
later died in Silver Spring, would have celebrated her 100th birthday. 
Ms. Carson received her masters degree in Zoology from John's Hopkins 
University and penned many feature articles on Natural History for the 
Baltimore Sun. But she was best known as the author of Silent Spring--
the book that pulled back the curtain on the human and environmental 
impacts of chemical pesticides such as DDT. Facing a rash of criticism 
and in some cases harassment, Ms. Carson persevered and became known as 
the mother of the environmental movement. In 1964, her life was cut 
short by a disease that today has a grip on far too many lives, breast 
cancer.
  Madam Speaker, the first female President of Ireland and former 
United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, Mary Robinson, once 
said, ``In a society where the rights and potential of women are 
constrained, no man can be truly free. He may have power, but he will 
not have freedom.'' Celebrating women's history gives girls and women 
the courage to dream bigger and gives us all the opportunity to 
redouble our efforts in helping them realize these dreams. I salute the 
great women of our nation and encourage the next generation to further 
the cause of equality and freedom.

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