[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 46 (Monday, March 24, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2593-H2600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pittenger). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. 
Horsford) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority 
leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous materials on the subject of our Special Order 
hour.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nevada?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, this month is Women's History Month, and 
the Congressional Black Caucus is pleased to come during this Special 
Order hour to bring attention to the important issues that particularly 
face women this month, but we shouldn't be fighting for equality just 1 
month out of the year.
  It is a constant effort. We are here tonight to encourage everyone to 
get engaged in making equality a reality.
  As President Obama made clear during his State of the Union Address, 
when women succeed, America succeeds. So tonight, we, the Congressional 
Black Caucus, gather to discuss the ways in which we can help women 
succeed, rather than continuing to turn back the clock on women's 
rights.
  I am pleased to start this hour with our chairwoman of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, the person who brings these issues forward 
each and every day on behalf of her constituents in Ohio and on behalf 
of constituents all across America, the gentlelady from Ohio, 
Representative Fudge.
  Ms. FUDGE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank 
Congressman Jeffries and Horsford for organizing this Special Order 
hour to celebrate Women's History Month.
  Throughout the month of March, we highlight the important role women

[[Page H2594]]

have played--and continue to play--in our Nation's history, a role too 
often overlooked.
  My home State of Ohio has had a dynamic group of women who have 
changed the face of the State and of this country. There are countless 
areas influenced by women, including access to education and 
participation in our country's democracy.
  Ohio women have made great strides in breaking down barriers. In 
fact, the first woman to run for President of the United States was 
from Ohio. Ms. Victoria C. Woodhull was a writer and women's rights 
activist. She ran for President in 1872, with the abolitionist 
Frederick Douglass as her running mate.
  While there has yet to be a woman elected President, the number of 
women in elected offices has grown over the years. However, the rate of 
growth has been at a less than desirable pace.
  Despite the fact that women make up more than 50 percent of the 
Nation's populous, we are less than 20 percent of the U.S. House of 
Representatives, where, until 1917, women were not represented at all.
  African American women often face compounded discrimination because 
of our race and gender. As a result, many of our firsts are more 
recent.
  In 1971, Ellen Walker Craig-Jones was the first African American 
woman elected mayor, by popular vote, for an American municipality, 
leading Urbancrest, Ohio.
  The first African American congresswoman to represent Ohio was my 
friend and predecessor, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who was elected in 1998.
  While I could go on to detail the important firsts of more women from 
Ohio and what they have accomplished, there is a better way, and it is 
legislation.
  I am a cosponsor of H.R. 863, the Commission to Study the Potential 
Creation of a National Women's History Museum Act of 2013. The National 
Women's History Museum would be the first museum to place a national 
spotlight on the many contributions women have made over the course of 
our country's history.
  More accurately, it is an opportunity to have a permanent place to 
acknowledge and to celebrate women who have shaped our history and will 
shape our future.
  Women continue to lead national dialogues on critical issues and 
advance policies and politics in ways that move this Nation forward, 
including groundbreaking legislation like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay 
Act.
  When we are at the decisionmaking table, we make the discussions more 
representative of our population, while bringing a unique perspective 
which expands the conversation.
  That is why I will continue to support legislation that will amplify 
our voices and improve the quality of life for women across our Nation 
by increasing the minimum wage, investing in quality early childhood 
education, protecting reproductive rights, and increasing access to 
high-quality STEM Education.
  As we celebrate Women's History Month, let's be mindful of the 
progress we have made and the work that still needs to be done because 
when women succeed, America succeeds.
  Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the chairwoman of the Congressional Black 
Caucus for your dynamic leadership as the chair of the Congressional 
Black Caucus. It has been my honor to serve with you this legislative 
Congressional session and look forward to the many achievements ahead 
on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus.
  Mr. Speaker, so much of the focus tonight is on the history that 
women contribute to our great Nation. We have many dynamic women who 
serve in our delegation in the House of Representatives. It is part of 
that representation that ensures that these issues that are important 
to women, as they are important to all Americans, are brought forward.
  We have none other than a champion for women in her district in the 
northern part of California, but also around the world. She is someone 
who needs no introduction because she brings so much experience and 
education and knowledge to these issues. I would like to yield now to 
the gentlelady from California, Representative Barbara Lee.
  Ms. LEE of California. Let me first thank you, Representative 
Horsford and Congressman Jeffries, for organizing the Congressional 
Black Caucus' Special Order. You have really shown tremendous 
leadership and consistency and have been working so hard on behalf, not 
only of your constituents, but for the entire country and especially 
for the CBC.
  Let me just thank, while she is here, our phenomenal chair, 
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, for her leadership of the Congressional 
Black Caucus.
  As we celebrate women's history and trailblazing women, we celebrate 
them for their courage, character, and commitment. That is our 2014 
Women's History Month theme.
  So I am so proud that we have a chairwoman who exhibits all three of 
these characteristics. Thank you for standing strong and for leading 
the Congressional Black Caucus on so, so many fronts. Thank you and 
congratulations.
  Let me just say that I agree with Congressman Horsford when you say, 
each month--each day, really--we should always celebrate women's 
history; though in March, we, again, take a moment to recognize really 
the triumphs of women throughout the course of history and to mark how 
far we have come, but also to recognize that there is much work to be 
done.
  Now, let me just start by mentioning the phenomenal and beautiful 89-
year-old woman, Mildred Massey, who of course is my role model. She 
raised three girls in segregated El Paso, Texas, until desegregation 
and, at one point, worked three jobs to help take care of her family.
  We lived in a multigenerational household and, until his death, was 
her father's--W.C. Parrish, my grandfather--primary caregiver while 
working and taking care of her girls.
  She taught me at an early age that girls and women are born equal to 
boys and men and to never forget that and to always fight for equality 
and justice. That was a given in our household.

                              {time}  1945

  I would not be where I am had it not been for my mother and also for 
many incredible fighters like my mother who came before me in the 
public arena. I would like to take a moment to honor three women in 
particular, in addition to my mother, whose shoulders we stand on: 
Bessie Coleman, Dr. Dorothy Height, and, of course, Shirley Chisholm.
  Bessie Coleman, as she was quoted, refused to take ``no'' for an 
answer. Although she dreamed of becoming a pilot, no flight school in 
the United States would accept her simply because she was a woman and 
because she was Black, but she refused to take ``no'' for an answer. 
She enrolled in flight school in France and became the only woman and 
the only person of color in her class in Paris. She soon became the 
first African American woman pilot and the first American of any race 
to hold an international pilot's license.
  Several weeks ago, a portion of Airport Drive at the Oakland 
International Airport, in my district, was renamed ``Bessie Coleman 
Drive.'' It was such an inspiration to be part of this dedication 
ceremony because she, of course, was from or worked in Oakland, and 
really went to many of her classes and learned a lot about piloting in 
Oakland, California.
  Another great woman who refused to take ``no'' for an answer was our 
beloved and great doctor, Dorothy Height. Let me just say how 
fortuitous it is that today is Dr. Height's birthday. She was a bold 
and brilliant African American woman who blazed many trails and opened 
many doors to the American Dream for women and people of color.
  From her stewardship as the national president of Delta Sigma Theta 
Sorority--of whom I know our chair, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, and 
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty are proud members--to her leading the 
National Council of Negro Women for 41 years and to her more than 60 
years at the YWCA, which she was responsible for desegregating, Dorothy 
Height dedicated her life to achieving racial equality and securing 
women's rights. Dr. Height was especially committed to empowering women 
and girls, and worked to ensure that Black women's issues were equally 
addressed. She was

[[Page H2595]]

also dedicated to helping women work towards full employment, pay, and 
education.
  I remember when Dr. Height turned, I believe it was, 90 years old. 
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus honored her at a luncheon 
here on Capitol Hill. She really gave us more background and knowledge 
and information during that luncheon as to how those following behind 
her needed to really focus on the fact that, yes, when women succeed, 
America succeeds. Dorothy Height was a true leader for all women not 
only in our own country but throughout the world.
  In the seventies, Women's History Month was little more than an idea. 
As this idea was taking formation, Shirley Chisholm, a founding member 
of the Congressional Black Caucus, had only recently made history by 
becoming the first African American woman elected to Congress. I was a 
student at Mills College in the early seventies when Mrs. Chisholm 
again made history by becoming the first African American woman and the 
first African American to run for the Democratic Presidential 
nomination. Although she did not win the nomination, her campaign 
inspired thousands, myself included, to use their voices and to speak 
up through the ballot box. She blazed the trail for, of course, our 
Nation's first great President, President Barack Obama.
  Throughout her congressional career, the unbought and unbossed Mrs. 
Chisholm continued her fight against discrimination in all forms and 
championed issues for women and their families. She was a strong voice 
for domestic workers and led the fight to give them the right to a 
minimum wage. This was way back in the day, but we are still struggling 
and fighting for many of those issues. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm 
was instrumental, along with the first Asian Pacific American, our 
beloved Congresswoman Patsy Mink, in passing title IX, which prohibits 
discrimination in the funding of education programs. She was also a 
fierce advocate for the Affordable Child Care Act. There is no doubt 
that the 16 African American women in Congress today are truly standing 
on the strong, strong shoulders of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
  After years of trying, I am pleased that we were finally able to 
secure a postage stamp in her honor. Just last month, I was joined by 
Leader Pelosi in my district for the west coast unveiling of the United 
States Postal Service's Black Heritage stamp as a small token of our 
thanks while Congressmen Jeffries and Rangel and Congresswoman Clarke 
had the privilege to unveil the beautiful stamp in Shirley Chisholm's 
former district in Brooklyn, New York.
  So 101 years after women marched in Washington, D.C., for the right 
to vote, women are still fighting to break down barriers. It is really 
a disgrace that in 2014, despite making up 50 percent of our workforce, 
women still make, on average, 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. 
Even worse, African American women are making only 64 cents and Latinas 
only 55 cents for every dollar a White man makes. The point is that 
working women are paid less for the same work as men. This is wrong and 
it is discriminatory. What is more, child care remains unaffordable; 
quality, affordable education remains out of the reach of far too many 
women; and pregnancy discrimination continues. Again, this is simply 
unacceptable.
  That is why the Democratic women of the House, including the women of 
the CBC, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Donna Edwards and 
Doris Matsui and Rosa DeLauro, have launched When Women Succeed, 
America Succeeds, and are championing an economic agenda for women and 
families, one which our President supports.
  Finally, let me just quote from my dear friend, our beloved Shirley 
Chisholm. She once said: I want to be remembered as a woman who dared 
to be a catalyst for change.
  There is no doubt that she was.
  As we honor heroines like my mother, Shirley Chisholm, Dorothy 
Height, Bessie Coleman, and so many others in our districts who fight 
each and every day with little resources to make our communities 
better, let us remember that, yes, when women succeed, America 
succeeds. Also, as I said at the United Nations very recently at the 
Commission on the Status of Women, when women succeed, the world 
becomes a more just and a more equitable place.

  Thank you for your leadership.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Thank you to the gentlelady from California. Thank you 
for that great historical overview and perspective and for bringing 
those profound remarks to the floor this evening.
  I would also like to yield to a dynamic colleague. We have had the 
great honor and privilege to get to know each other as freshmen in this 
congressional session. She is the gentlelady from Ohio. She brings so 
much talent and perspective, energy and focus to the issues that she 
works on here in the House of Representatives on behalf of her 
constituents and those around the country. I would like to yield now to 
the gentlelady from Ohio, Representative Joyce Beatty.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Thank you to my colleagues.
  I would like to thank Mr. Horsford and Mr. Jeffries for hosting the 
Congressional Black Caucus' important discussion on celebrating Women's 
History Month. As we honor so many women who have shaped our history, 
let us also celebrate those who make progress in today's time.
  Certainly, you will hear throughout this hour, ``When Women Succeed, 
America Succeeds.'' What an honor it was, Mr. Speaker, to hear our 
President of these United States say it before an audience of millions 
of people in his State of the Union address. More importantly than his 
saying it is how it was received. People received it in the spirit that 
he said it. Do you know why, Mr. Speaker? It is because, when women 
succeed, America succeeds.
  As you have heard, in 1987, Congress declared March to be National 
Women's History Month, giving the Nation the chance to salute the 
trailblazers who paved the way for so many of us to have the rights 
that we have today. National Women's History Month gives us an 
opportunity to acknowledge the groundbreakers of the past, thank the 
heroines of today, and inspire the leaders of the future. It is a 
reminder that, if we believe in ourselves, we can really make a 
difference.
  It reminds us of women like Rosa Parks--the mother of the modern 
civil rights movement--or the woman known for: I shall be unbought and 
unbossed. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Shirley Chisholm, who ran for President and 
who was the first African American woman elected to Congress, and, yes, 
Dorothy Height, who, if still living, would have just this week 
celebrated her 102nd birthday. There are so many more women we could 
talk about--women of the past or today--like our very own Congressional 
Black Caucus chairwoman, Marcia Fudge, from the great State of Ohio. 
Others are unknown outside of their own families and communities, 
people like my grandmother and my great-aunt and like my 90-year-old 
mother, who lives today and sets a great example, not only for her 
three daughters, but for women across this Nation. All of them are a 
part of our history, and their courage and dedication have helped to 
sustain the American spirit.
  These pioneers and heroines have brought down barriers and have 
created new opportunities. We have now witnessed the first African 
American woman Secretary of State, the first female Speaker of the 
United States House of Representatives--a woman I get to sit with on a 
weekly basis, a woman who sets an example. Yes, she is Congresswoman 
Nancy Pelosi. There is now a record number of women serving in 
Congress, with 20 women serving in the Senate and 82 women serving in 
the House of Representatives. However, although women have made great 
strides, there is much more to do.
  We continue to face discrimination in the workplace. We have a higher 
risk of sexual assault and an earnings gap that will cost the average 
woman hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of her working 
lifetime. An average woman still makes 77 cents for every dollar made 
by men, and the gap is even wider for Black women. On average, Black 
women earn only 64 cents for every dollar earned by White men. In 
addition, women-owned businesses continue to lag behind male-owned 
businesses. The average revenue of women-owned businesses is only 27 
percent of the average revenue by male-owned businesses.

[[Page H2596]]

  In response to these and other challenges women are currently facing, 
in July 2013, House Democrats unveiled ``When Women Succeed, America 
Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.'' This platform 
addresses the need to ensure that women get equal pay for equal work. 
It helps to ensure work and family balance by allowing working parents 
to support their families and to care for their children. So many of us 
in this Chamber understand that. It also recognizes that expanding 
educational opportunities, increasing job training, and investing in 
women entrepreneurs is essential for women's success in our economy.
  Federal investments have and continue to help ensure economic 
opportunities for women and girls. For example, earning a college 
degree remains one of the surest pathways to the middle class. Women 
with a bachelor's degree earn more than 80 percent more than those with 
a high school degree. Today, more than 11 million women are pursuing a 
postsecondary education, and average graduation rates for women exceed 
those of their male counterparts, but we certainly know everyone will 
not go to college, and that is okay. We have to continue to fight to 
make sure that there is a place for women in workforce development, in 
higher education, in the home, or in whatever work they choose to do. 
Women in STEM fields make, on average, 33 percent more than women in 
non-STEM fields, and certainly we know that technology and innovation 
in STEM--science, technology, engineering, and math--is the way of the 
future.
  So let me just say to my colleagues: Thank you for hosting this 
evening on Women's History Month. Thank you for honoring women.
  To all of the women--the mothers, the sisters, the aunts, the 
girlfriends--who are watching us: remember, when women succeed, America 
succeeds.
  Thank you.

                              {time}  2000

  Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio, Representative Joyce 
Beatty, for those illuminating topics that were covered, and for 
highlighting all the various ways, both historically and currently, 
that women make a huge impact in our society, in the home, in the 
workplace, in education, and throughout all aspects of life. So thank 
you, Representative Beatty, for your ongoing contributions to these 
important issues.
  I am so proud to be joined here by the Representative from New York 
(Mr. Jeffries), my coanchor of this hour. I look forward to his 
remarks.
  I want to also highlight in addition to all of the national leaders 
and women who have run for office, whether it be here in the House of 
Representatives, in the Senate, or as President, we also have many 
unsung women who toil everyday but who make a huge impact.
  It is only fitting, Mr. Speaker, that during Women's History Month 
that I recognize a Nevada leader, an icon, Ms. Ruby Duncan, who is an 
inspiration in my home State to many.
  Ruby to me is the personification of the word fight. She is someone 
we can all learn from each and every day. Her history is a lesson in 
never giving up and staring down the specter of inequality. Nothing was 
ever handed to her, but much was taken.
  Ruby's life began in the middle of the Great Depression. Where she 
grew up in rural Louisiana, people were already poor for a long time. 
Ruby had three brothers and a sister, all but one passing from 
accidents or illnesses. She lost her parents before she was 4. She 
spent most of her youth moving around Tallulah, living with relatives.
  The school that she attended, a school for Black children, was 
located in a church miles from home. There was no transportation. She 
walked every day until she left school after the ninth grade for full-
time work. Actually, it was more than full-time work. For years she was 
a waitress making about $9.50 a week. Yes, that's right, $9.50 a week. 
Her work weeks were long, over 80 hours a week.
  When she heard her aunt in Las Vegas was making $40 for similar work, 
she moved there. When she arrived, she discovered her aunt living in a 
cardboard shack in the desert, sharing a community wash house with 
others. She discovered a de facto segregated community there, separate 
schools, housing, and zoning in the community resulted in a system of 
clear disenfranchisement.
  Blacks were not welcome at the Las Vegas Strip hotels. There were 
colored sections designated in movie theaters. Still, Ms. Ruby Duncan 
persevered. She survived. She did day work as a maid in homes around 
the area. In 1959 she worked as a hotel maid but was fired later for 
attempting to organize other maids to protest the inhumane treatment 
and workload.
  For a while her only income for herself and her children was the aid 
to dependent children grant that she received from the State welfare 
system. Like those struggling today, she did not rest. She was not 
lazy; she worked. She searched for work and was hired in the pantry of 
one of the Strip hotels in Las Vegas.
  After an accident, she learned she could no longer do the heavy work 
that she was performing. When a State program that was supporting her 
was cut, she was contacted to join a group of mothers going up to 
Carson City, our State's capital, to protest substandard grants from 
the Nevada Legislature.
  Ruby marched and spoke at a hearing with no prior experience in 
public speaking. She did it because someone had to say something for 
those who were struggling. Someone had to stand up for what was right.
  After Mrs. Duncan's trip to Carson City, she was elected president of 
the Clark County Welfare Rights Organization. As president, she led the 
nationally publicized 1971 marches on the Las Vegas Strip, protesting 
the purge of thousands of needy Nevada families from programs designed 
to help the poor and allow them to keep their heads above water.
  From that she has fought to provide basic necessities to families in 
need--food, shelter, health services, and education. Her organization 
that she created, Operation Life, has had an impact on health screening 
centers, libraries, food programs for women, infants and children, 
child care, and the list goes on.
  Ruby Duncan represents hope. In a country plagued by inequality and 
discrimination of the worst forms, Ruby fought and won many decisive 
battles that affect the lives of so many in Nevada and across this 
Nation today.
  Not everyone wins their battle with poverty. For so many, 
circumstances beyond their control take over their lives. For many born 
poor, they stay poor. For many born just above the poverty line, they 
dip below and enter a cycle of living paycheck to paycheck, if they can 
even find one.
  The poor are not poor because of a weak character. They are not lazy. 
Many are poor because no one ever gave them a chance. It is people like 
Ruby Duncan that I am here to represent. The people who had less than a 
hand up, but they still persevered. She is strong, and she is an 
inspiration to me, and someone who I wanted to recognize during this 
recognition of Women's History Month. Congratulations to Ms. Ruby 
Duncan.
  I would now like to yield to the coanchor for this hour, my 
colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries). It is always 
great to be here with you, to bring this hour of power of information 
to the constituents throughout the United States who are listening. I 
thank you for your friendship, for always working hard, for including 
me, and it is great to serve with you in this 113th Congress.
  I yield to my good friend.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman, my 
good friend from the Silver State, Representative Steven Horsford, for 
his tremendous leadership in anchoring the CBC's Special Order and for 
the tremendous advocacy that you have consistently provided to the 
people of the congressional district you so ably serve back at home in 
Nevada and indeed to people all across this country.
  It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as a coanchor during 
this CBC Special Order, this hour of power where for 60 minutes members 
of the Congressional Black Caucus have an opportunity to speak directly 
to the American people about an issue of great relevance.

  Today as you have heard, we today stand here on the floor of the 
House of Representatives to celebrate the role that women have played 
throughout

[[Page H2597]]

the tapestry of the American people from the beginning of the Republic 
to where we stand right now in 2014.
  Representative Barbara Lee spoke moments earlier about the Women's 
History Month theme, involving courage, character, and commitment. As I 
reflected upon that theme, several individuals came to mind. Certainly 
when it comes to courage, I think no one meets that threshold in 
American history perhaps more than the great Harriet Tubman, a 
conductor on the underground railroad.
  Harriet Tubman is someone who displayed tremendous courage throughout 
her time here in this country. She was known for having a Bible in one 
hand and a gun in the other. Harriet Tubman freed herself from slavery.
  At that point, after settling in New York State she could have simply 
gone on to try and live out her life with relative tranquility, having 
escaped the harshness of human subjugation down in the Southern part of 
this country.
  Instead, Harriet Tubman, we know as history records, went back down 
South an additional 19 times and freed more than 200 Black slaves, 
risking her life, her well-being, her freedom each and every time she 
crossed the Mason-Dixon line to try and liberate those who were 
subjected to slavery in this country.
  What is interesting about that life story and the courage that 
Harriet Tubman displayed, the selflessness and the sacrifice as this 
prominent conductor on the underground railroad, stations exist in the 
district that I currently represent in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, at the 
Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church.
  What was tremendous about Harriet Tubman is that later on in life she 
was apparently asked about her heroics, the sacrifice, the 
selflessness, the courage, the willingness to risk life and limb to 
free others after she had already liberated herself. She made an 
observation that has always stuck with me. Harriet Tubman said: I could 
have freed more, if they only knew that they were slaves. I could have 
freed more if they only knew that they were slaves.
  That suggests to me that sometimes people who find themselves in life 
in a certain station and notwithstanding their talents or their 
ability, the fact that someone has put before them a pathway towards 
success, an opportunity to move forward in pursuit of the American 
Dream, that there is something that constrains them and keeps them 
standing in place.
  I have always looked to those words of Harriet Tubman and the great 
heroism that she displayed as a source of tremendous inspiration and 
something that should inspire all Americans--Black, White, Latino, 
Asian, men and women, older Americans, younger Americans--like courage, 
character and commitment. I certainly think in terms of courageousness 
you can find no one who had that quality in greater abundance than of 
course Harriet Tubman.
  Now, Representative Lee also referenced Congresswoman Shirley 
Chisholm. I stand here today proud of the fact that I represent many of 
the neighborhoods that Congresswoman Chisholm once represented in this 
Congress.
  She was elected in 1968 and became the first African American woman 
ever elected to the House of Representatives in the history of this 
great Republic, served seven terms, 14 distinguished years. She retired 
in 1982. At which point, there were parts of her district that were 
subsequently represented by Congressman Ed Towns, who served for 30 
years in the Congress and whom I had the opportunity to replace.
  Then there were other parts of her district subsequently represented 
by Congressman Major Owens, who served for 26 years and who 
Congresswoman Yvette Clarke subsequently represented.
  For a great while there was a tremendous debate as to who actually 
held the legacy of Shirley Chisholm's seat. Well, I think Congresswoman 
Clarke and I worked it out. She was such a tremendous Member of the 
House that it actually takes two Members of Congress to replace her. I 
proudly acknowledge that I serve in one of the two Shirley Chisholm 
legacy seats here in the House of Representatives.
  Of course when she got elected in 1968 there were some folks in this 
Chamber not used to seeing an African American woman, with very 
prominent hair, who was ``Unbought and Unbossed,'' and comes into this 
Chamber. Tradition says that she was assigned by the Speaker then to 
the agricultural committee as a punitive measure, because obviously in 
this urban district that she represented it seems to a lot of folks 
that appointment to the agricultural committee would not necessarily be 
the committee of relevant jurisdiction for the issues that she was 
elected to Congress to fight for.
  Shirley Chisholm took that assignment and quickly recognized that 
while in this country you had surplus, abundance of food that was being 
created, you also had a lot of hungry folks, many of whom lived in the 
district that she represented.

                              {time}  2015

  So she began to work on expanding the food stamp program and 
championed, in fact, increasing supplemental nutritional assistance to 
at-risk, expectant mothers and helped lead the charge in the House of 
Representatives for the Women, Infants, and Children supplemental 
nutritional assistance program.
  She partnered with then-Senator Bob Dole, who was over on the other 
side of this Capitol. She took what was meant as a punitive assignment 
and turned it into something transformative for the people that she 
represented, as well as those across the country.
  So, from a character and a commitment standpoint, she demonstrated, 
again, that there is opportunity in the face of adversity. That is what 
she did here on the floor of the House of Representatives.
  Earlier today, the League of Women Voters acknowledged Shirley 
Chisholm for her accomplishments in the district that I represent, in 
fact, in the Shirley Chisholm State Office Building that I was proud to 
have authored the legislation, when I was in the New York State 
Assembly, that transformed that Kings County State Office Building into 
one named on behalf of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.
  We stand on the shoulders of a lot of giants, but I certainly 
acknowledge that I am standing on the shoulders of Representative 
Shirley Chisholm, as so many folks are all across the city, the State 
of New York, and certainly this country. She inspired generations of 
people to believe what was possible.
  I was talking to one of the women who, in the seventies, began to 
work closely with Congresswoman Chisholm, and she explained to me that 
Shirley Chisholm was such a forceful personality that her group of 
young women who, in the seventies, she would work closely with, that 
they were called Shirley Chisholm and the Chisettes.
  Sounds to me like a Motown group, but these were transformative 
individuals, Shirley Chisholm and the Chisettes, who believed, perhaps 
back then, that when women succeed, America succeeds, and understood 
that there was still work that needed to be done to shatter the glass 
ceilings that had been erected all across this country.
  Shirley Chisholm did just that in 1972, when she ran for the 
Democratic nomination for the United States Presidency. What I find 
fascinating is that her theme at that point was ``catalyst for 
change.''
  In many ways, this was a prophetic theme, ``catalyst for change,'' 
because she was that catalyst for a whole lot of things that were to 
have occurred decade after decade, when she made that first run for 
office.
  As has been mentioned on the floor of the House of Representatives, 
many could argue that there would not be a President Barack Obama had 
Shirley Chisholm not taken that bold step forward in 1972.
  We have a whole lot of things, of course, that still need to be 
addressed, and I look forward to dealing with some of those issues.
  As has been pointed out, women simply make 77 cents for every dollar 
that a man makes in America, and that hurts our overall economic 
productivity because 40 percent of the households in this country, 
women are the predominant primary breadwinner.
  So we have got some economic issues to work out to continue the work 
that had been done by so many in this country, Shirley Chisholm 
included, and I look forward to continuing that discussion with 
Congressman Steven Horsford.
  Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the gentleman from New York. Thank you for

[[Page H2598]]

that very insightful background on your district and the leadership of 
the district. It speaks to why there is so much impact that comes from 
Representatives from your district and the area and the neighborhoods 
that you represent.
  I know that you cannot fully fill those shoes, but you are doing your 
part in bringing forward the message that so many others carried and 
that we follow now on their shoulders, so thank you for that historical 
perspective.
  In addition to the historical perspective that women offer in this 
country, the House Democrats also have a legislative agenda that 
focuses on when women succeed, America succeeds. It is an economic 
agenda for women, and it is one that was created by the women in the 
House Democratic Caucus that is sponsored and supported by men.
  As a man, I support this economic agenda for women because, as a 
husband and a father, I want for every woman what I want for my own 
wife and my daughter. As a brother and a son, I want for other women 
what I want for my two sisters and my mother. So this economic agenda 
for women focuses on a number of areas.
  The first, of course, is equal pay for equal work. It is appalling, 
Mr. Speaker, that in the year 2014, we are still struggling to pay 
women the wages that they deserve. They are still not receiving equal 
pay for equal work. That, on its face, is wrong.
  Women in my home State of Nevada are paid about 85 cents for every 
dollar paid to men; and while that is better than the 77-cent national 
average, we still have a long, long way to go.
  As my colleagues have already explained, for African American women 
and Latinas, this pay gap is even larger. African American women, on 
average, earn only 64 cents; and Latinas, on average, earn only 55 
cents for every dollar earned by White, non-Hispanic men.
  In my home State of Nevada, the pay gap between men and women is, on 
average, $6,316 per year. Now, that is real money, and it makes a real 
impact in the lives of families. Nevada women lose approximately $2 
billion per year because of this wage gap.
  Now, what can $6,316 pay for, for families in my home State of 
Nevada?
  $6,316 is about 46 more weeks of food. $6,316 per year is 4 more 
months of mortgage and utility payments. $6,316 per year is 7 months of 
rent. $6,316 per year is an additional 1,681 gallons of gas.
  So if we thought that the wage gap was just some rhetoric that was 
being talked about out there, all you have to look at is the real 
impact of lost economic benefit to women. If we closed the wage gap 
between men and women, we could cut the poverty rate in half for 
working women and their families.

  It is the right thing to do, to treat people equally, to pay them 
equal pay for equal work. That is why 125,000 households in Nevada, who 
are headed by women, expect this Congress to support the Paycheck 
Fairness Act, invest in job training and educational opportunities, and 
make sure that we protect pregnant workers from discrimination in the 
workplace.
  Now, another area that we have to address is raising the minimum wage 
and giving America a raise.
  Mr. Speaker, low-income workers continue to struggle to provide for 
their families, while the rich continue to make record profits in the 
millions.
  It is important to remember who earns the minimum wage in this 
country. They are women. Women make up the majority of low-income 
workers. In fact, nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women. 
These are our mothers. They are our sisters and our daughters.
  Can we really expect for women to provide for their families when 
they are making the minimum wage?
  Let's talk about what $7.25 really means as a national wage for 
women. That is $14,500 a year. Can people really survive on $14,500 a 
year?
  Particularly, more than a majority now of women who are the head of 
their household, the primary breadwinners, can they provide for 
themselves and their families on $14,500 a year?
  That is why House Democrats, in this economic agenda for women--when 
women succeed, America succeeds--we understand that by lifting the 
Federal minimum wage to $10.10, that if it were adjusted for inflation, 
compared to what it was in the 1960s, it would be well past time, Mr. 
Speaker, to address this pay gap for women.
  In addition to increasing the minimum wage to help 1 in 3 adult women 
who are currently living in poverty or on the brink of it, this would 
help lift those women out of poverty, helping 30 million Americans see 
an increase in their wage, a million Americans being lifted out of 
poverty.
  These are the real impacts and the benefits on the economic agenda 
for women.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague, Mr. Jeffries, to elaborate 
further on these points, and then I can close us out.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I want to thank my distinguished colleague for his 
comprehensive presentation as it relates to the economic trauma that 
many women find themselves in, given the pay disparities that continue 
to exist in America.
  Mr. Speaker, the President came to the House of Representatives 
earlier this year to deliver a State of the Union Address and pointed 
out the fact that women, of course, make 77 cents for every dollar that 
a man makes and indicated the outrageousness of that in modern-day 
America.
  It is a moral outrage, and for that reason alone, we should seek 
corrective action by moving forward with the Paycheck Fairness Act here 
in the Congress.
  But aside from it being a moral outrage, as Congressman Horsford has 
pointed out, it has economic consequences. Because 40 percent of 
households in America are headed by women as the primary breadwinners, 
if you have such a significant portion of households led economically 
by individuals who are receiving disparate pay, you are hurting 
American families.
  Now, one of the ways in which we can remedy this situation, of 
course, is to move forward with H.R. 1010, the minimum wage increase 
legislation authored in the House of Representatives by Congressman 
George Miller, cosponsored, of course, by Congressman Horsford, myself 
and many other Democratic Members of the House of Representatives.
  We are of the view that both America needs a raise and women in 
America need a raise. 66 percent of minimum wage earners in this 
country are women.
  Now, the minimum wage in America right now, the floor that is set by 
Congress, $7.25 an hour, means that someone can work 40 hours a week, 
each and every week throughout the year, go to work, and still fall 
below the Federal poverty line in attempting to raise a family. That is 
disgraceful, the classic definition of working poor, and it should not 
exist.
  I thought the American ideal was that if you get up for work, you 
work hard, you punch the clock, that at the end of the day, there 
should be a pathway toward meaningful success in the context of the 
American Dream.
  Right now, we have got a minimum wage that keeps individuals trapped 
in poverty, and the overwhelming majority of those individuals are 
women in America. So when we talk about an agenda that we have put 
forth--when women succeed, America succeeds--that is not just hyperbole 
or something designed to make folks feel good. It is an economic 
reality. That is why we are so committed to that agenda.
  We are committed to making sure that child care in America is 
affordable because of the fact that so many women, thankfully, are part 
of the workforce; but as a result of their participation in the 
workforce, they need to find affordable, quality child care for their 
children.
  That is one of the things that we, as House Democrats, continue to 
try and put forth, and we are just hopeful that our friends on the 
other side of the aisle will realize that moving forward with an agenda 
that uplifts women in America honors the great contributions of women 
in this country, decade after decade, century after century, from the 
founding of the Republic; but more significantly, will empower women 
and, in doing so, empower America to continue to forge forward into the 
future as the greatest Nation in the world.

                              {time}  2030

  So I am thankful to my colleague for his leadership tonight in 
connection

[[Page H2599]]

with this Special Order, and I look forward to continuing to work on a 
progressive Congressional Black Caucus agenda for women, for men, for 
America, and for our future.
  Mr. HORSFORD. I thank the gentleman, my coanchor, for joining me this 
hour.
  Mr. Speaker, as we come to a close, to just highlight some of the 
major reasons why the Congressional Black Caucus along with the House 
Democrats believe that, if we are really going to honor the role of 
women in this country, then we need to start by honoring them through 
equal pay. We need to honor them through an economic agenda that 
supports their needs and the needs of their families.
  And as my colleagues have already ably laid out, women now make up 
half--47 percent--of the general workforce and some 62 percent of the 
minimum wage workforce, which is up from about 30 percent in the 1950s. 
Twelve percent of workers in the United States have access to paid 
family leave through their employers, and fewer than 40 percent have 
access to personal medical leave through employer-provided short-term 
disability insurance.
  So one of the other cornerstones, in addition to giving women equal 
pay for equal work, for increasing the minimum wage, is providing a 
work-family balance by allowing women to be able to take off work when 
necessary to care for a loved one without losing their earnings and a 
paycheck.
  Laws providing paid family leave and medical leave allow workers to 
continue to earn a portion of their pay while they take time away from 
work to address serious health conditions, including pregnancy, to care 
for a family member with a serious health condition, and to care for a 
newborn, newly adopted child or a newly placed foster child.
  You know, we should be encouraging the growth of strong, healthy 
families. And so often my colleagues on the other side talk about 
family values. Well, if you won't pass legislation that allows workers 
to spend time with their families, then what kind of a family value is 
that?
  Over the average lifetime of a woman, by the age of 65, they will 
have lost $431,000 because of the earnings gap. That is something that 
the House Democrats, along with the Congressional Black Caucus, are 
working to address. We have legislation, When Women Succeed, America 
Succeeds, the economic agenda for women that we have laid out here 
tonight that would close this earnings gap, provide women the support 
they need to make more, helping their families and helping our economy 
as a whole.
  So in closing, Mr. Speaker, when we talk about Women's History Month, 
we hope that it will resonate in this Chamber and in the Halls here in 
Washington that the decisions that we make impact the lives of all of 
our constituents. And it is time that women have a fair shot to the 
full opportunity that this country has to offer, and it starts by 
providing them with the earnings that they deserve. This is good not 
only for that woman and her future, but it is good for the family as a 
whole.
  As I said earlier, I want for every woman what I want for my wife and 
my daughter: to be able to have the same opportunities and to be 
treated the same way as a man is treated in this country. I want for 
every woman what I want for my two sisters and my mother: to have the 
same equal opportunities to pursue their dreams and to be paid the same 
for pursuing that dream.
  So these are the issues that we have laid out tonight, Mr. Speaker. 
We look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues on the other 
side. We would like to thank the chairwoman of the Congressional Black 
Caucus, Representative Fudge, and all of the members of the CBC and 
those who were able to speak tonight. When women succeed, Mr. Speaker, 
America succeeds.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues with the 
Congressional Black Caucus in this Special Order in recognition of 
Women's History Month.
  I want to offer a special mention for the U.S. House of 
Representatives women firsts:
  Congresswoman Jeanette Rankin of Montana who was the first elected 
woman member of the House of Representatives;
  Congresswoman Patsy Mink of Hawaii was the first woman of color and 
the first Asian American woman elected to Congress;
  Congresswoman Shirley Anita Chisholm of New York who was the first 
African-American Congresswoman member of the House of Representatives; 
and
  Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen whom we have the honor of working 
with is the first Hispanic woman elected to serve in Congress.
  National Women's History Month's roots go back to March 8, 1857, when 
women from New York City factories staged a protest over working 
conditions.
  International Women's Day was first observed in 1909.
  In 1981, Congress passed a law authorizing the President to proclaim 
March 7, 1982 as ``Women's History Week.'' It was a modest beginning, 
but very significant to women because it started a societal and 
cultural change in how women--and especially young girls saw themselves 
within the American story.
  In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month. Every year since, 
Congress has passed a resolution for Women's History Month, and the 
President has issued a proclamation.
  This month we recognize Women's History Month by noting the 
fundamental role women have played in shaping America's history. But I 
say to you that a month is not enough to make known the significant 
contributions of women to the success of the United States of America.
  We taught our girls about Rosie the Riveter who represented the 
millions of American women who went to work on assembly lines to 
manufacture tanks, planes, and weapons for the defense of this nation 
during World War II.
  I am a cosponsor of H.R. 863, the National Women's History Commission 
Act.
  The bill would establish a Commission to study the potential for 
creating a National Women's History Museum and submit to the President 
and Congress a report containing recommendations on a plan of action 
for the establishment and maintenance of a National Women's History 
Museum in Washington, DC.
  Congressional action is needed to be sure that when the story of our 
nation is told that the role of women is represented in the narrative 
of our nation.
  I along with my colleagues participating in this special order are 
urging passage of H.R. 863, to study the potential creation of a 
National Women's History Museum in Washington, DC, on or near the 
National Mall.
  The Shriver Report, ``A Woman's Nation Pushes Back from the Brink: 
Some Recommended Steps for Government, Businesses, and Women'' reported 
on the economic health of the average American woman.
  Today, women make up half the U.S. workforce, but the average full 
time working woman earns only 77 percent of what the average full time 
working man makes.
  There are many women in the State of Texas and in the city of Houston 
who have made significant contributions to the American story:
  Congresswoman Barbara Jordan of Texas was the first African-American 
woman elected to the House of Representatives;
  Kathryn ``Kathy'' Whitmire was the first woman elected to serve in 
Houston City government; and
  Mae Carol Jemison was the first African-American woman astronaut.
  These many accomplishments do not mean there is not more that needs 
to be done. There is still a long way for women to go according to the 
Shriver Report.
  Women are more than 50 percent of the population and more than 50 
percent of the votes.
  A woman working full time, all year at a minimum-wage job, or a job 
close to the minimum wage, will not be able to bring her family above 
the poverty line. Families need an income closer to 200 percent of the 
federal poverty threshold to escape the brink.
  In the Shriver Report's survey:
  73 percent of Americans said that in order to raise the incomes of 
working women and their families, they strongly favor the government 
ensuring that women get equal pay for equal work;
  79 percent of Americans said the government should expand access to 
high-quality, affordable childcare for working families;
  Almost 60 percent of Americans said women raising children on their 
own face tremendous challenges and should be helped financially by 
government, employers, and communities; and
  If we are going to win the war on poverty we must wage and win the 
war of discrimination of women in the workforce.
  Pay inequality is not just a women's issue--it is a family income 
equality issue.


            Texas Low Wage Worker Bureau of Labor Statistics

  In 2012, Texas ranked second among the 50 states with workers earning 
at or below the federal minimum wage.

[[Page H2600]]

  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 6.1 million 
workers are paid hourly rates in Texas in 2012,
  In Texas 282,000 earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage 
of $7.25 per hour, while 170,000 earned less.
  From 2011 to 2012, the number of Texas workers who earned at or below 
the federal minimum wage was 7.5 percent. The percentage of workers 
earning less than the federal minimum in 2012 was 2.8 percent, while 
the share earning exactly the minimum wage was 4.7 percent.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to help celebrate Women's History 
Month by becoming cosponsors of H.R. 863.


                             By the Numbers

  161 million: The number of females in the U.S. as of December 2013. 
The number of males was 156.1 million.
  2 to 1: At 85 and older, the approximate ratio by which women 
outnumbered men in 2012 (3.9 million to 2.0 million).


                                  Jobs

  74.8 million: The number of females 16 and older who participated in 
the civilian labor force in 2012. Women comprised 47.4 percent of the 
civilian labor force in 2012.
  41.6%: Percent of employed females 16 and over in 2012 (annual 
average) who worked in management, professional and related 
occupations, compared with 34.7 percent of employed males in the same 
year (annual average).


                                Military

  1.6 million: Number of female veterans in the United States in 2012.


                                Earnings

  $37,791: The median annual earnings of women 15 or older who worked 
year-round, full time in 2012. In comparison, the median annual 
earnings of men were $49,398.
  77 cents: The amount that female year-round, full time workers earned 
in 2012 for every dollar their male counterparts earned. This ratio was 
statistically unchanged from 2011.


                               Education

  11.3 million: Number of women college students in fall 2012. Women 
comprised 56.8 percent of all college students.
  31.4: Percent of women 25 and older who had obtained a bachelor's 
degree or more as of 2012.
  25%: Percentage of women 18 and older with an alternative educational 
credential--such as professional certifications, licenses and 
educational--not statistically different from men. However, women had 
higher rates of alternative credentials than men at the bachelor's 
degree and advanced degree levels.
  15%: Among people with advanced degrees, the percentage of women who 
held educational certificates compared with 12 percent of men; 51 
percent of women held professional certifications or licenses compared 
with 43 percent of men.


                                 Voting

  63.7%: Percentage of female citizens 18 and older who reported voting 
in the 2012 presidential election, in comparison to 59.7 percent of 
their male counterparts.


                               Motherhood

  85.4 million: Estimated number of mothers in the U.S. in 2009.
  1.9: Average number of children that women 40 to 44 had given birth 
to as of 2010, down from 3.1 children in 1976, the year the Census 
Bureau began collecting such data. The percentage of women in this age 
group who had given birth was 81 percent in 2010, down from 90 percent 
in 1976.


                                Marriage

  66 million: Number of married women 18 and older (including those who 
were separated or had an absent spouse) in 2013.
  5.2 million: Number of stay-at-home mothers nationwide in 2013; 
compared with 214,000 stay-at-home fathers.

                          ____________________