[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

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                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 10, 2009

  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam Speaker, every March, we celebrate women's history 
and we remember their struggle for justice and equality. It's an 
occasion on which we honor the brave women who fought to improve and 
redefine America.
  My home state of Rhode Island has known its share of extraordinary 
women. From Anne Hutchinson, a religious and social activist who 
challenged male hegemony, to Isabelle Ahearn O'Neill, who became Rhode 
Island's first woman legislator, women have fought with courage and 
perseverance for the freedom and equality that are rightfully theirs.
  In the last two years alone, we have witnessed the first female 
Speaker of the House of Representatives and the first major female 
candidate for the Presidency of the United States. In January, the 
first action taken by Congress and the President, was to make the Lily 
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act law. This legislation brings us one step closer 
to making sure that our female students someday enter our workforce at 
a wage equal to their male counterparts. At a time when we celebrate 
women's achievements, we must not, however, lose sight of the work that 
still lies ahead. In the effort to empower women, we must continue 
their fight for pay equity, eliminating health disparities, and 
strengthening domestic violence laws.
  As we look towards the challenges we face, we must not forget those 
that got us to where we are today, and continue to encourage and seek 
progress.

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