[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 49 (Monday, March 31, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING WOMEN'S HISTORY ALL YEAR AROUND

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 31, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to ask my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing the everlasting accomplishments and contributions of 
women as we look to celebrate National Women's History beyond the month 
of March.
  This year's theme, as resolved by the House of Representatives on 
March 4, 2008, was to increase awareness and knowledge of women's 
involvement in history. It is an effort that is long overdue. Women 
have been pillars in our communities for centuries despite the sexism 
and discrimination that have limited their opportunities to succeed 
across all fields and disciplines. Their stories are undeniably woven 
in the fabric of our history, from colonial times up through today.
  The fight of our sisters and mothers to overcome stereotypes and 
other obstacles has helped carry out the promise of our democracy and 
drawn us closer to a more perfect union. The names of those who have 
broken through the barriers of the status quo include Harriet Tubman, 
whose stewardship of the Underground Railroad helped free hundreds of 
thousands of African American slaves; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, whose 
activism pushed open the ballot box and made it possible for all women 
to vote; Rosa Parks, whose refusal to move to the back of an Alabama 
bus jumpstarted the modern civil rights movement; and Dolores Huerta, 
who, as co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union, helped secure fair 
wages and working conditions for thousands of rural and urban workers.
  In our very own House of Representatives, the list of heroes includes 
the first woman in the U.S. Congress, Rep. Jeannette Rankin, and 
Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress 
who later become the first female and black Presidential candidate. It 
includes our very Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who last year became the first 
woman elected to lead this grand Chamber.
  My district, New York's 15th Congressional District, is not without 
its share of accomplished heroines. It is home to accomplished 
community leaders like Dr. Ramona Hernandez, Director of the Dominican 
Studies Institute at the City University of New York; technology 
advocate Dr. Georgina Falu, founder and president of the Falu 
Foundation; prominent Harlem physician and activist Dr. Muriel Marjorie 
Petioni; and Susan Susman, founder of the Preserve West Park North 
Coalition, who is an active member of the Mitchell Lama Residents 
Coalition and fierce housing activist. These are just some of the 
extraordinary residents whose accomplishments sometimes go unnoticed by 
the media but who are working continually to improve the lives of their 
families and their communities.
  So Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join 
me in recognizing the contributions made and realities faced by women 
in the month of March and every day of the year. It is an effort that 
will bring us one step closer to a Nation that not only values equality 
and justice but is also firmly committed to securing it for all.

                          ____________________