[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 42 (Thursday, March 13, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2424-H2428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MUSEUM
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2013, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Tennessee
(Mrs. Blackburn) for 30 minutes.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, we are so excited about our talking, we
didn't realize that the time had to be split, but so be it. We women
stand and abide by the rules of the House, and so we will accept the
acknowledgment of the change of time.
I will return to directing our attention to Chief Justice Connie
Clark in Tennessee. What is so important about her career is that she
was first appointed to the State court by a Democrat Governor, again
served under a Democrat Governor, and then chief justice under a
Republican Governor.
Justice Clark is such an incredible inspiration to women in our
State. She has proven herself, has really been devoted to the judiciary
and the law field, and is so active in our community, a tremendous role
model.
If we step outside of the venue of politics and law, Amy Grant, who
is a singer, songwriter, a native of Nashville, has had such a
successful music career. Amy Grant became the first artist in Christian
music to ever have a platinum record, and she went on to become a
crossover sensation in the music world.
Amy Grant has pioneered the Christian music genre, and she has also
blazed quite a trail in the music industry.
When we look at the world of sports, another Tennesseean, from
Clarksville, Tennessee, which is in my district, Wilma Rudolph, many of
you will recognize her name. She was a Tennessee State University track
star.
On September 7, 1960, in Rome, she became the first American woman to
win not one or two, but three gold medals in the Olympics. She was a
track-and-field champion and was regarded as a civil rights and women's
rights pioneer and is warmly remembered and treasured in our State.
Pat Summitt, who was the head coach of the Lady Vols at the
University of Tennessee and is now the head coach emeritus, she was at
the helm of the Lady Vols for 38 seasons. She is the all-time
winningest coach in NCAA history--the all-time winningest coach in all
of NCAA history. That is men and women's teams.
She is forthright, well-respected, ethical, and a winner in every
sense of the word.
Sandra Cochran, who is the president and CEO of Cracker Barrel,
Incorporated, she became the president and CEO on September 12 of 2011,
following her service as Cracker Barrel's president and chief operating
officer. Cracker Barrel is headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Ms. Cochran was previously CEO at the Nation's third largest book
retailer, Books-A-Million. She is serving our community and that
country well.
Ms. Cochran is a chemical engineering graduate from Vanderbilt
University and a masters of business administration from Pacific
Lutheran University.
After graduating from Vanderbilt, she entered the United States Army,
where she ultimately served as a captain in the 9th Infantry Division.
There are so many other influential women that come from our State,
and we are delighted to know that we will have the opportunity to
recognize them and their contributions and the contributions of all
women who have contributed to the cause of freedom in that Nation.
I yield to the gentlelady from New York.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I thank the gentlelady for
giving
[[Page H2425]]
that overview of the wonderful contributions of women from the great
State of Tennessee, and I think it really is historic that the
birthplace of the movement for the women's right to vote began in New
York and really was completed in the great State of Tennessee. How
historic is that?
I must say that the great men who built this Nation and shaped our
society did not do it alone. I want to tell you about some of the women
from the great State of New York.
First, I would like to speak about one of my mentors, a great friend,
a great leader, Geraldine Ferraro, whose run for Vice President
inspired me and countless other women who followed her into office.
As a young woman, she demonstrated her extraordinary capacity for
hard work and dedication by skipping three grades and graduating high
school at the age of 16. After college, she taught second grade in New
York public schools and put herself through Fordham Law School at
night.
{time} 2030
After her children were born, she spent 13 years as a homemaker,
after which she did something that was unusual at the time: she went
back to work as an attorney in the Special Victims Bureau of the New
York District Attorney's Office.
Later on, she ran for Congress and became an outstanding Member
representing Queens, New York. During her three terms in Congress,
Ferarro became known as a strong advocate for her district and for
issues such as protecting Medicare and Social Security.
Then, in 1984, she literally made history when she became the first
female candidate for a major party for Vice President. She is a symbol
of the possibility that women could achieve their dreams, break the
glass ceiling, and aspire to the highest realm in their chosen
profession.
Ferraro is the type of woman I hope inspires my daughters just as she
inspired me. Her life is the story girls and boys should hear when they
come to our Nation's Capitol, but too often the stories of women are
swept under the rug and not remembered. That is why we need this
museum.
But Geraldine Ferraro would not have had the opportunity to be such
an important trailblazer without the hard work of some of the amazing
New York suffragettes: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and
Lucretia Mott. Their statue is in the rotunda of the Capitol, and it
was a bill of Connie Morella's and mine to move the women out of the
basement into the rightful living room of the Capitol with the
country's other great revolutionary leaders.
Stanton met Mott in 1840 when they both were refused seats at the
World Anti-Slavery Convention in London on account of their sex. It was
there that they first discussed the need for a convention to address
the condition of women in the United States. This led to the first
women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, which was attended
by Anthony. Together, they championed the National American Woman
Suffrage Association, dedicating their lives to achieving equality and
the right to vote for women.
The activist work of Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia
Mott are the roots under the women's movement in this country. None of
them lived to see women gain the right to vote, but it would have been
literally impossible without their hard work and dedication. They
literally dedicated their lives working daily to raise awareness, build
coalitions, and to pass the 19th Amendment.
Without their dedication to women's rights, Alice Paul, the author of
the Equal Rights Amendment, would not have been inspired to secure a
woman's right to vote. Alice Paul, incidentally, was a relative of my
late husband, Clifton Maloney, from the great State of New Jersey.
Without their dedication, I would not have been inspired to continue
the work on the amendment to our Constitution which we coauthored to
ensure equality for women and men in all areas of society.
But there are also countless women whose work has had a tremendous
impact on our lives and in our communities. For all intents and
purposes, they have been forgotten.
Nellie Bly was one of the most influential journalists of the 19th
century. She pioneered the field of investigative journalism at a time
when our Nation was rapidly undergoing industrialization. She also
emulated the voyage of Mr. Fogg, Jules Verne's character made famous in
the classic novel, ``Around the World in 80 Days.'' But Bly pointed
out, however, that he made the trip in 72 days.
While working for Joseph Pulitzer's The New York World, Bly went
undercover and feigned insanity to report on the deplorable conditions
of the Blackwell Island insane asylum. She exposed the horrific
physical and emotional cruelty she had seen patients endure. Her work
caused an uproar in New York, resulting in more money to help people
with mental illnesses and a change in care for the people in the
asylum. Bly's work helped open the profession to future generations of
women journalists who wanted to write hard news rather than the light
features in society columns.
Lillian Wald, another great New Yorker, was a progressive-era
reformer setting the standards for modern social work and community
nursing. She left medical school in the 1890s to work with poor
immigrant families on New York's Lower East Side and founded the Henry
Street Settlement, which still serves New Yorkers, and Visiting Nurse
Services, which still serves our country and which continues to offer
health care and social services to the needy.
Wald tirelessly campaigned for the rights of women and minorities and
undertook some amazing humanitarian efforts to improve our country
helping to found the United States Children's Bureau, the Women's
International League for Peace and Freedom, and the NAACP. The New York
Times nominated her as one of the 12 greatest living American women in
1922, and she later received the Lincoln Medallion for her work as an
outstanding citizen of New York.
There are untold numbers of women like those that I have mentioned
who have made great contributions to this Nation. In addition to
learning about their specific contributions, we are only now gaining a
full understanding of how civilization evolves through the power of
feminine values and women's enduring traditions.
Nowhere can one find a place for all of these contributions and
traditions in one place. That is what we want to accomplish for women.
I want to note that there are numerous museums in and around The Mall.
We have museums for stamps. We have museums for law and order and for
space. We have the great Smithsonian. We have museums for African
Americans. We have museums for Indian Americans, and we have museums
for the media--the important media. We have over 22 different museums
right in this area, but not one is focusing on the valid and incredibly
important contributions of women.
They say women hold up half the sky, but where do you find it? It is
not in the history books. It is not in the museums. It is nowhere to be
found. Now, if all these other museums had sections focused on the
contributions of women, maybe we wouldn't need this museum. But they
don't.
As my daughter used to say when I would read stories to her at night,
she would say: Mommy, Mommy, why aren't there any stories about girls?
Why are all the stories about boys? Can't you read me a story about
girls? We don't focus on the contributions of women. There is a woman
who rode longer and farther than Paul Revere, and nobody even knows her
name. Let's build this museum and talk about her contributions, too.
If we and future generations are to learn all the lessons of the past
upon which to build a future, we must be aware of the true experiences,
the hardships, the successes, and the contributions of women.
I have here some people I feel deserve to be in that museum:
Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court,
one of the first elected to serve in the State legislature, an
outstanding attorney;
Eleanor Roosevelt, from the great State of New York, an outstanding
First Lady who helped so many;
Rosa Parks, who was tired and decided not to give her seat to a White
and started an entire civil rights movement that literally changed this
country and the opportunities for all people; and
[[Page H2426]]
Sally Ride, the great astronaut who went into space.
We don't really chronicle the women scientists and the explorers, all
these incredibly important women.
Marsha, I know--I know--that we would not have these hearings and we
would not have the momentum--we have over 84 cosponsors of our bill
now. This would not have happened without your hard work and your
leadership. I know she has been reaching out to her colleagues that
chair these committees, to the leadership of the majority and others to
move this effort forward and to gain momentum. So on behalf of the
women I am privileged to represent, I want to thank you for all of your
hard work. It is historic.
A National Museum for Women's History
(By Rep. Renee Ellmers, R-NC)
Throughout history, conservative women have impacted our
nation's future and become an important voice in our
democratic republic. We have proven ourselves as pioneers,
innovators, leaders and decision-makers. We have created and
contributed to many aspects of history--be it agriculture,
medicine, politics, philosophy, science, and art. We have
touched countless lives and shaped history, yet rarely does
society teach, recognize or display our contributions--and it
is time for this to change. In an effort to change this, I
have joined my colleagues in advocating to establish the
National Women's History Museum (NWHM) in Washington D.C.
Young women deserve a space to call their own--a physical
space they can visit to hear and read about those who came
before them and changed history. We need a tangible place
that encourages our girls to wonder, to feel empowered, and
to inquire about the people who fought to provide them with
the freedom and opportunities they enjoy today. We need to
share the stories of the strong women who have shaped our
past and present so that young girls can learn the true
meaning of perseverance and courage. There are too many women
whose achievements have gone unrecognized and too many women
whose efforts have been underappreciated. With such a vibrant
history, it is a shame that we have yet to formally establish
a museum dedicated to honoring their accomplishments.
However, we are making strides.
This past December, my friend Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-
Tenn.) sponsored legislation with Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-
N.Y.) to create a commission that would recommend site
locations and funding for the NWHM. This bill would have no
additional cost for taxpayers, as the commission would be
entirely paid for without federal funds. Information gathered
by the commission would then be relayed to both the president
and Congress. This past December, Reps. Blackburn and Maloney
testified before the House Committee on Administration to
relay the importance of establishing this commission. Joan
Wages, president and CEO of the National Women's History
Museum, an organization dedicated to establishment of the
museum, also testified. Yet, nearly four months later, there
has been no movement on this bill. With more than 82
bipartisan co-sponsors in the House, 19 in the Senate, and a
plethora of national women's groups supporting the bill,
there is no excuse for this inaction.
As one of only 19 Republican women in the House of
Representatives, I see firsthand how our underrepresentation
can impact our future opportunities. But as we continue to
increase our ranks, our daughters need an environment to
learn about the conservative heroes who made this possible--
women like Jeanette Rankin, Sandra Day O'Connor and
Condoleezza Rice. These women have earned their place in
history, and our girls should have every opportunity to study
them and feel inspired by their contributions.
If there were a museum that honored and proudly displayed
our history, perhaps more women would be encouraged to run
for political office, to seek out top-tier leadership
positions, or to launch a new business. By establishing the
NWHM on the National Mall, the notion of conservative women
holding office could become less of a rarity and more of the
norm.
As Republican women, we must continue to demonstrate that
conservative principles--like fiscal responsibility,
individual liberty, and a strong defense--are values worth
pursuing. We need to make women's history a part of
mainstream society. We need to have our story told, and we
need to lead the way for other young conservative women.
Let's honor our mothers and daughters by providing them with
a place to learn and feel inspired. Let's establish the
National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C.
____
[From CNN.com, Mar. 3, 2014]
The Women You Don't Know--Yet
(By Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Sen. Susan Collins and
Sen. Barbara Mikulski)
(Editor's note: Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Rep.
Carolyn Maloney (D-New York), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) are part of a
bipartisan effort in Congress to establish the National
Women's History Museum in Washington.
Did you know that the ``frequency hopping'' technology that
is vital to much of our military technology and helps keep
your cell phone and your GPS devices secure was developed and
patented by a famous movie star?
Did you know that there was an amazing 16-year-old patriot
who outdid Paul Revere, riding 45 miles in the pouring rain
to warn New York colonial militias that ``the British are
coming''?
Did you know that there was a secret agent, code named
``355,'' who worked for George Washington's band of spies,
the Culper Ring? The agent supplied key intelligence on
British activities during the Revolutionary War, and she was
so good at keeping a secret that we still don't know her real
name.
If you don't know about all these people, it's
understandable. Their stories aren't told widely or often--
perhaps because they were all women. For some reason or
other, when the story, of our country is told, women--really
great women--have tended to be left out of the telling.
You see the results everywhere you look:
A survey of U.S. history textbooks found that only 10% of
the individuals identified in the texts were women;
Less than 8% of the 2,560 national historic landmarks
chronicle the achievements of women;
Of the 210 statues in the U.S. Capitol, only 15 are of
female leaders.
That's the bad news. The good news is that thanks to a
strong bipartisan effort in Congress, we may soon be one step
closer to addressing this imbalance by establishing a
National Women's History Museum in Washington. Together, we
have introduced a common-sense bill to move this idea
forward.
We have more than 73 bipartisan co-sponsors in the House,
19 in the Senate and a national coalition of women's groups
behind us. We recognize money is tight--that's why we're not
asking for taxpayer support. Private donations would fund the
museum's construction and operation.
A vital part of recognizing equal rights for women is
acknowledging and commemorating the deep and lasting
contributions women have made throughout history. When young
people visit our nation's capital, they should have a chance
to be just as inspired by women's accomplishments as men's.
We establish and operate museums, not just as some kind of
giant drawer in which to store our memorabilia but as way to
celebrate our accomplishments, affirm our shared values and
preserve the full and accurate story of our common history.
And unfortunately, only half of that story is presently being
told.
The stories of courageous and pioneering Americans such as
abolitionist Harriet Tubman, astronaut Sally Ride, Supreme
Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and the founder of the Girl
Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, will inform and inspire future
generations.
The remarkable women who helped to make this country what
it is today deserve to have their histories told and
preserved for the ages. Their stories of success are the
stories that will inspire and encourage millions of women.
Our daughters and our sons deserve the chance to learn the
story--the full story--of how this amazing country came to
be.
And by the way, the movie star inventor? That was Hedy
Lamarr.
The 16 year-old who rode farther than Paul Revere was Sybil
Ludington.
And the spy, code named ``355''? Well, we still don't know
the name--but we know the patriot was a ``she.''
And just wait until you see all the other amazing women and
American history you'll learn about one day soon when the
National Women's History Museum opens.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentlelady from New York.
I want to yield to the gentlelady from Wyoming for some other
comments on our conversation this evening.
Mrs. LUMMIS. I thank the gentlelady from Tennessee and New York.
The gentlelady from New York mentioned the name of a woman who, at
The New York World, was a trailblazer for women journalists. Today, my
daughter, a journalist, a graduate of Columbia's Pulitzer School of
Journalism, is a journalist at The New York World; and without that
kind of leadership on the part of women, we wouldn't have the
opportunities for ourselves and our children to lead. That is why we
need to memorialize what women have done, so women and young girls can
envision themselves in these roles.
I was recently in Moscow, and we toured the Museum of the Cosmonauts
there, and the efforts the United States has currently with Russia,
Russia now leading the international space station, so we can continue
those efforts. We met with an American woman astronaut and a Russian
male cosmonaut. We were led on this tour, and you could see the little
kids flock to them as heros. Well, women and girls need role models.
The women in this room are role models.
All of us here this evening are at an age when we remember what it
was
[[Page H2427]]
like not to have intermural women's sports in high school, what it was
like to have to wear skirts to high school and to junior high and grade
school, not even having the opportunity to wear pants. I remember when
I applied for my first job, I was told that we are not going to hire a
woman to be an agricultural loan officer because men don't like to ask
women for money--and it was legal. It was legal for them to say that to
me in a job interview, and they hired the man instead of me.
Well, it just made me mad, and it made me determined. I know by
looking at the ages of my colleagues here this evening that you each
had similar experiences somewhere in your careers. Our own daughters
can't even imagine being told that. This is recent history. These are
the kinds of stories that we need to be able to share, what we even
went through.
It is a recent history, and it is a long-fought battle. That is why I
am so proud, so proud, A, to serve with these wonderful women Members
of Congress today who are leading this effort, so proud to be a woman
Member of this institution, and, B, so proud that you are going to
leave this legacy that will create and memorialize the history of women
in the United States in order to provide an exemplary and visionary
picture for our own daughters, granddaughters, and Americans long after
we are gone.
Thank you so much to the gentlelady from Tennessee, to the gentlelady
from New York, to the wonderful woman from Ohio with whom I served on
the House Appropriations Committee. You are fine leaders, exemplary
women. I have great respect for the work you are doing this evening.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. How true it is that we have to take the time to pause
and paint that vision for future generations so that they do know the
trails that have been blazed and the roadblocks that have been removed
to make their way easier so that they are able to excel, to achieve, to
have, and to do. Isn't that what we would desire for them to be able to
do, to dream big dreams and make those dreams come true and to have
role models and examples who may have been through those same struggles
and found a way to make it work?
I yield to the gentlelady from Ohio.
Ms. KAPTUR. I thank Congresswoman Blackburn so much and Congresswoman
Maloney. I share the same passion as Congresswoman Lummis. We want to
just lift you and be a part of this team for H.R. 863. We hope that
everyone listening this evening will cosponsor this important
legislation.
As I listened to you talk, I thought I would give some background,
having lived through it here. You talk about museums, Congresswoman
Maloney, and you go around the Capitol itself, it is a museum, and you
go: This doesn't look like America.
For three decades, we have been trying to hang portraits of women who
chaired committees in this institution, and it has been a herculean
struggle. We finally rehung a portrait in the Education and the
Workforce Committee for Mary Norton, who chaired that committee. She
wrote some of the most important legislation in this country and was
the first woman ever to chair that committee. They had her portrait in
a closet--in a closet--just like these statues of suffragettes had to
be brought up into the main Capitol.
{time} 2045
When I first arrived in Congress, there were only the statues. There
was the portrait of Pocahontas in the main room, and then the statue on
the very top, Liberty, on the top of the Capitol. But as you looked at
the other portraits, you never saw women. Well, Congressman Bob Ney of
Ohio, who headed House Administration many years ago, heard our plea
and he finally arranged to have Jeannette Rankin, a Republican and
progressive from Montana, but it took us until the 21st century to do
it. She was actually elected before the 19th Amendment was passed to
the Constitution. She came from Montana, and we didn't even have her
portrait in the Capitol hung.
In addition, Shirley Chisholm of New York, she is now hung on the
first floor. She was the first woman of color to run for President of
the United States.
The lack of their presence to me is just so blatant, and that is why
I want to thank both of you marvelous, marvelous Members and women for
seeing this gap in American history.
Even the Women's Room in the Capitol is behind closed doors so the
general public doesn't always see the women. It is very interesting. I
think we are about to open another door and allow the fullness of
American history to come forward.
I would like to place in the Record the names of citizens from
northern Ohio:
Toledo's Geraldine Macelwane, appointed the first woman on the Lucas
County Common Pleas bench. She won election for four consecutive terms;
Julia Bates, our current county prosecutor in Lucas County, Ohio, and
Ohio Supreme Court Justices Alice Robie Resnick and Maureen O'Connor,
the only two women ever in American history to be elected to the
supreme court of our State;
In northern Ohio, we have sent many fine women. Obviously,
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who serves with us now, and Congresswoman
Stephanie Tubbs Jones before her, the first two African American women
ever elected to Congress from the State of Ohio, now joined by Joyce
Beatty of Columbus; Mary Rose Okar; and State legislators Nina Turner,
Capri Cafaro, Shirley Smith, Nikki Antonio, Nan Baker, Sandra Williams,
Barbara Boyd, Theresa Fedor Edna Brown, Linda Furney and Marijean
Valiquette, all women who were trailblazers on the political front.
Toledo has had a woman mayor, Donna Owens. Tina Skeldon Wozniak is a
Lucas county commissioner; and Anita Lopez, our county auditor.
Sister Ann Francis Klimkowski was the founding president of Lourdes
University, and all of the sisters, the Roman Catholic sisters--the
Franciscans, the Sisters of Notre Dame, the Sisters of Mercy, the
Sisters of St. Joseph, and the Ursuline Sisters who served selflessly
across this country in hospitals and schools and gave themselves to
their communities almost unrecognized. There was a traveling display of
them that finally went around the country, and I hope that becomes a
part of this museum. They gave their lives for us.
All of those women helped build us and on whose shoulders we are
standing, and, as with Congresswoman Lummis, I just wish to place in
the Record--when I was young, I thought I would go to the Air Force
Academy, and when I sent my letter in and was rejected because I was a
woman, I didn't really completely put it together in my mind. I just
tried to do something else, and so I applied to Notre Dame University,
and was rejected because I was a woman. They didn't allow women to be
students there in those days. And then finally to the FBI. I thought it
would be great to work for my country. I would be a female Elliot Ness.
And, of course, I was rejected because a woman.
So another door always opened, but in the area in which I grew up, it
wasn't possible.
Finally, let me say in memory of our mother, who was never able to
obtain her degrees until after she retired. She had a very hard life,
and received her high school degree after she went on Social Security.
One of her very first jobs was working in a restaurant where, when the
minimum wage went into effect her boss, who was an animal, basically
cashed the check with the additional amount in it, and then he kept the
difference. We didn't have enforcement at the Department of Labor. So
each of us have stories about what happened in our lives, and they
deserve recording in a museum for the women of America.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentlelady for sharing those stories and
her insight and what she has experienced in her career and seeking to
remove those barriers to overcome obstacles and to make the way
smoother for future generations.
Indeed, as Congresswoman Maloney and I move forward on H.R. 863, we
do, as the gentlewoman from Ohio said, invite and are hopeful that
every Member of this body will join us in supporting this legislation
and that they will pay attention to the hearing on March 25, and we
commend Chairman Hastings and the House leadership for moving this bill
forward, for making it a priority and saying, let's have the hearing,
let's move the bill forward to markup, let's support women who are
[[Page H2428]]
willing to give of their time, their talent and efforts, raise all the
money for the museum, for the exhibits, for the upkeep, for the
endowment, and to make what has been a dream for decades, make it a
reality in this great Nation.
I thank my colleagues for joining us tonight, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
____________________