[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 48 (Monday, March 23, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H1835-H1839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, first, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from Washington, Congresswoman DelBene.


                  Remembering the Highway 530 Mudslide

  Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  I rise today to honor, recognize, and remember the events from 1 year 
ago when lives in my district changed in a matter of seconds. Part of a 
mountainside slid into the Steelhead Haven neighborhood, claiming 43 
lives, numerous homes, and damaging public infrastructure.
  The people of Oso, Darrington, Arlington, the Stillaguamish Tribe, 
and the Sauk-Suiattle Tribe will never be the same, but I have great 
faith in these communities.
  The Highway 530 mudslide was a heartbreaking disaster. It caused 
unbelievable devastation and tragic loss of life. But even through such 
a painful tragedy, it has been inspiring to see how the community has 
come together, people doing everything they can to help each other. 
Their response in the face of calamity has been incredible.
  I joined these communities yesterday to honor the memories of those 
we lost and recognize everyone's efforts, including the first 
responders who selflessly risked their lives to save others.
  Recovery continues to be a slow, difficult process, but I am 
confident that through our work together we will continue to get 
through these difficult times stronger and closer than ever.
  Federal, State, and local agencies like the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, or FEMA, and the State Department of Transportation 
responded to calls for aid when our communities needed roads rebuilt, 
an extension for filing taxes, help to get kids to school, or to find 
new housing.
  I will continue to push for resources until these communities are 
fully restored. But instead of simply sending aid after a disaster, 
lawmakers need to do more to ensure that we fund programs and research 
efforts to prevent future natural disasters from becoming national 
tragedies.
  One thing that struck me most while spending time in these 
communities and with local emergency command centers was the spirit, 
courage, and cooperation of everyone who pitched in to help.
  FEMA officials even commented that this was the first time they 
allowed locals to be so heavily involved in rescue efforts. They did so 
because the people of these communities brought unique skills, 
experience, and determination. For example, loggers understood how to 
use heavy machinery in a challenging environment with 40 feet of mud, 
rocks, and trees. It was the first natural disaster where everyone--
Federal and local--worked together so well.
  Lawmakers in our Nation's Capital could learn a lot from the people 
of

[[Page H1836]]

Oso, Darrington, and Arlington. We too need to work together to ensure 
our communities are better prepared for natural disasters and 
landslides, in particular.
  During this session of Congress, I plan to introduce legislation that 
would standardize and share research and mapping methods across the 
country while increasing funding for research and hazard assessments in 
high-risk areas. In addition, a primary goal of my bill will be to 
determine a national strategy to increase public awareness of the risks 
associated with landslides and identify slide-prone areas. We must also 
create education programs and increase rapid response efforts because, 
as we all know too well, disasters strike with little warning.
  We will never forget those who were lost in the slide and the 
incredible community that continues to be ``Oso strong.''
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as we enter the final week of 
Women's History Month, the Congressional Black Caucus would like to use 
tonight's Special Order hour to examine the unique challenges that 
women face in America today. Many of these experiences are shared 
across the socioeconomic spectrum, and some are more specific to 
African American women.
  The late poet and author Maya Angelou once said:

       Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it 
     possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.

  There is much truth to these words, and our Nation has been 
strengthened by women who have taken stands for their rights. But 
tonight, the Congressional Black Caucus also stands up for millions of 
women across America.
  Tonight, we will examine gender pay gaps, workforce treatment, family 
issues, health disparities, and a host of other concerns women face in 
America.
  Each Women's History Month we recognize those pioneers who broke 
glass ceilings and paved the way for women's rights and equality: 
Abigail Adams; Phillis Wheatley; Lucretia Mott; Sojourner Truth; 
Harriet Tubman; Ella Baker; Rosa Parks; the Honorable Shirley Chisolm; 
Coretta Scott King; Ruth Bader Ginsberg; and the Honorable Loretta 
Lynch.
  Still, we can't lose sight of the challenges that remain for women. 
We must all continue the work needed to eliminate gender inequalities 
once and for all.
  Fifty years after President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act 
into law, women continue to earn less than men. Women make only 78 
cents for every dollar earned by men, amounting to a yearly gap of 
$11,000 between full-time men and women. That $11,000 lost could 
purchase 89 more weeks of food, or more than 3,000 additional gallons 
of gas, or more than 1 year of rent for a woman's family.
  For African American women and Latinas, the 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.
  Nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women. Yet, the minimum 
wage has not kept up with inflation over the last 45 years. With the 
minimum wage now, using inflation-adjusted terms, minimum wage women 
are earning more than 30 percent lower than they were in 1968.
  These economic disparities are just a few of the issues facing women 
that we will address tonight. I want to thank the chairman of the CBC, 
the Honorable G.K. Butterfield, for allowing us to address this 
important topic tonight.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of Ohio, 
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from 
Illinois, for leading us in tonight's Special Order to address the 
unique challenges black women face.
  It is certainly fitting, Mr. Speaker, that we are discussing the 
contributions of women in our society during March as we celebrate 
Women's History Month.
  Let us acknowledge those who have sacrificed and led the charge in 
women's rights, voting rights, civil rights, and rights in this 
Chamber.
  Black women have consistently played a critical role in our Nation's 
history. In Congress, women like Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm, the 
first African American female to serve in Congress and to run for 
President of these United States. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, first 
black woman in Congress from the deep South.
  When I think of Shirley Chisolm, I remember the words that we still 
hear and say so often when we talk about women: unbought and unbossed.
  Women like Carol Moseley Braun, who became the first African American 
female woman elected to the United States Senate.
  Patricia Roberts Harris, the first black woman to serve in a 
Presidential Cabinet and the first woman to hold two Cabinet 
positions--the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and, later, 
Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  And then from my great State of Ohio, the seventh-largest State in 
this Nation, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, only to be followed by two women, 
Congresswoman Marcia Fudge and myself, representing the Third 
Congressional District.
  Even in the face of grave opposition and unequal treatment throughout 
our Nation's history, black women have continued to stand strong and 
contribute to the well-being of their families and our country as a 
whole, women like the women who serve in the Congressional Black 
Caucus, women like the women who serve in this Chamber, women like the 
only female to serve as Speaker of this House, Nancy Pelosi.
  And yet, Mr. Speaker, here we are in 2015, and a black female leader 
is waiting to lead the critically important office of the United States 
Attorney General. No one can say she is unqualified, no one can say she 
is inexperienced, no one can say she hasn't or didn't perform well, Mr. 
Speaker. Just a couple weeks ago, 8 hours of testimony, more than 900 
questions answered, and yet, she is left waiting, waiting longer than 
the previous combined times of the seven previous Attorney Generals. 
For 132 days, Mr. Speaker, Ms. Lynch has been waiting for a vote. Mr. 
Speaker, that is three seasons.

                              {time}  1930

  In the fall, the Senate failed to take up the nomination. In the 
winter, the Senate dithered on her nomination. Here we are, now in the 
spring, and we are waiting.
  Mr. Speaker, what is the Senate waiting for? Our Nation needs an 
Attorney General, and holding this nomination hostage is senseless and 
reckless.
  I strongly urge the Senate Republican leadership to stop playing 
politics with law enforcement and national security and to vote on the 
confirmation of Loretta Lynch to serve as our next Attorney General.
  Ms. Lynch is eminently qualified and is a proven leader with an 
exemplary record at the Department of Justice. She is a brilliant, 
well-educated, and experienced lawyer twice before confirmed. It is 
well past time for the United States Senate to move forward with the 
nomination of Loretta Lynch, a black woman and nominee for United 
States Attorney General and, possibly, another first in our history.
  As I always like to say, Mr. Speaker, firsts are never good unless 
there can be a second and a third and a fourth. If we make this first 
happen, as we have done in the past, then there can be other women 
standing here and sitting where you are sitting.
  I honor Ms. Lynch and all of the strong black women who have paved 
the way for each successive generation, for my granddaughter so that 
she can know that there are women who can stand up in this Chamber and 
speak on this floor.
  That is what the Congressional Black Caucus' Special Order, in part, 
is about because, every day, black women hold their families together 
as primary caregivers; they support their children and continue to 
preserve and persevere when our society fails to deliver on equal 
rights.
  Equal rights in pay equity, health care, and education are priorities 
for me in this Congress and for millions of women across this Nation. 
The pay gap is startling, but it is real because we know, when women 
succeed, America succeeds. In Ohio and across the Nation, women make 77 
cents to every $1 a white man makes, and for African American women, it 
is 66 cents for every $1 that they make.

[[Page H1837]]

  Five years ago today, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act 
into law. Our Nation took a giant step forward--a giant leap--in saving 
lives and making health care a right for all, not just for the 
privileged few. The Affordable Care Act has important implications for 
black women as they face longstanding and persistent disparities in 
health care and in health in general.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to thank my colleague, the 
Congresswoman from Illinois, for bringing forth this topic. I would 
also like to thank all of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus 
for hosting this Special Order hour.
  There are countless black women whose names may not appear 
prominently in our history books, who may not ever appear on this floor 
or be recognized in this Congress or in this country, women like my 91-
year-old mother in Dayton, Ohio, who reared four daughters and told us 
and taught us about the value of standing up for what you believe in.
  They are women who won't appear in our history books but whose sweat 
and blood and strength are woven into our national identity. I honor 
all of these women. They continue to inform me and inform my sense of 
pride and dignity as an American.
  I am going to end with the same quote that my friend and colleague 
started with, a quote by the late Maya Angelou, ``Each time a woman 
stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming 
it''--Mr. Speaker, as I stand today--``she stands up for all women.''
  Thank you.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Thank you, my friend from the great State of 
Ohio, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. Your points about Loretta Lynch are 
so pertinent. Despite the gains we have made, we still have a long way 
to go.


                             General Leave

  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. 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 material on the subject of my Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is now my great privilege to 
yield to my friend from the great State of New Jersey, Congresswoman 
Bonnie Watson Coleman.
  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. I want to thank the gentlewoman, my colleague 
from Illinois, for providing this opportunity for me to share with you 
this evening.
  I am also honored to join my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues on 
the floor as we celebrate Women's History Month, and I am particularly 
grateful to our chairman, Chairman Butterfield.
  This year's commemoration of the women who have shaped this Nation is 
especially important here in this body because, for the first time, 
more than 100 women hold seats, speaking on behalf of Americans from 
Alaska to Florida.
  This year, the Congressional Black Caucus includes 20 women who are 
fighting for working families, for better wages, for more funding for 
better education, and for the many other policies that will make our 
Nation stronger and our families healthier.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be the very first African American woman 
to represent the State of New Jersey in Congress and to be the only 
woman currently serving in this delegation. These are outstanding 
firsts, and I am thrilled to be one of them, but this is 2015, Mr. 
Speaker, and we shouldn't still be speaking about ``firsts'' and 
``onlys'' when it comes to women. There may be 104 of us, but women 
still make up only 20 percent of Congress while we make up more than 
half of the population.
  Women across this country still earn just 78 cents for every $1 that 
is earned by men, and we have heard that women of color, particularly 
African American women, earn even less than this.
  Women still face a culture that questions our ability to excel in 
science and tech-focused fields, a culture that rushes to blame victims 
of sexual assault instead of protecting them, a culture that doubts 
that women are capable of making choices about their own health without 
the interference from lawmakers, who in the majority are men.
  Women's History Month is about celebrating trailblazers, but it is 
also about honoring the strength of all women and recognizing that we 
are just as capable as men and are just as ready to bring something to 
the table.
  We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the marches from Selma to 
Montgomery, and in the process, we paid tribute to many of the leaders 
who risked their lives on the Edmund Pettus Bridge that day.
  Most people connect these events with Dr. Martin Luther King or our 
esteemed colleague Congressman John Lewis, but Amelia Boynton Robinson 
was among the first to bring the organizers to Selma. Even fewer know 
Viola Liuzzo, who paid the ultimate price for joining the march as she 
saw men and women brutalized on that bridge purely because of the color 
of their skin.

  I mention those names, Mr. Speaker, because, when it comes down to 
it, women have been leading for generations, even if it has been behind 
the scenes and without recognition.
  I join my colleagues in paying homage to a long history of amazing 
women; but I also ask every Member of this body: What are we doing to 
make history? What are we doing to build an economy in which women are 
equals and a society in which women are respected? What are we doing to 
make the phrase the ``first woman of history'' an unnecessary question?
  When we look at the opportunities before us, we know, Mr. Speaker, it 
is now that we have the opportunity to make history--right now. We have 
the opportunity to make history with the first woman, an African 
American, as the U.S. Attorney General of this great country, and we 
have an opportunity in the near future to say that there has been a 
woman elected President of the United States.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Thank you to the great gentlewoman of New 
Jersey.
  Mr. Speaker, it is during Women's History Month when we recognize the 
contributions and achievements of women throughout the course of 
history. Many of these women have had distinguished public service 
careers, from President Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor--
Frances Perkins--to the first female Cabinet Secretary, to current 
Secretaries Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Sally Jewell, and Penny Pritzker, 
and National Security Adviser Susan Rice.
  Women like them have a proud and established record of providing wise 
and honest counsel and of leading our government through important and 
transformational times.
  Right now, the Obama administration is awaiting Senate confirmation 
for a woman who is eminently qualified for the position of U.S. 
Attorney General, our Nation's chief law enforcement officer. The first 
woman to hold this position was Janet Reno under President Bill 
Clinton.
  Attorney General Reno strongly defended the Constitution, promoted 
civil liberties, and captured and convicted domestic and foreign 
criminals. The second woman--but not the last woman--to hold the 
position of Attorney General, Mr. Speaker, will be Loretta Lynch.
  Once confirmed by the United States Senate, Ms. Lynch will make 
history by being the first African American woman to serve as Attorney 
General. She will join the proud ranks of Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice, former Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary, former Labor 
Secretary Alexis Herman, and Patricia Roberts, who was the first female 
African American Cabinet Secretary who served as both Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development and as the Secretary of Health, 
Education, and Welfare.
  Loretta Lynch, as you have heard over and over and as we know, is 
eminently qualified to be Attorney General, Mr. Speaker. A graduate of 
Harvard University and of Harvard Law School, Ms. Lynch has had a 
distinguished legal career. She is universally recognized for her keen 
analytical skills and her passion for the law.
  Ms. Lynch is also uniquely fit to serve the role for our Nation at 
this critical point in our national discourse. As U.S. attorney for the 
Eastern District of New York, Ms. Lynch currently serves as the chief 
Federal prosecutor for Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Long 
Island.

[[Page H1838]]

  At this time, I yield to my distinguished colleague from New York, 
Hakeem Jeffries.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. I thank my good friend and colleague, Representative 
Kelly from the great State of Illinois, for, once again, presiding over 
this CBC Special Order, this opportunity for members of the 
Congressional Black Caucus to speak directly to the American people for 
60 minutes on matters of great importance.
  Mr. Speaker, certainly, members of the Congressional Black Caucus 
recognize the strength, the vitality, the intelligence, and the 
importance of African American women to the African American experience 
in this great country--in fact, to the American experience.
  Consistently, it has been black women who have fought hard to bring 
American democracy to life, to continue the march to perfect a more 
perfect Union.
  I think often of the role that Harriet Tubman played--a bold, 
fearless woman who managed to free herself from the horrific bondage of 
slavery in the South and make it to the North but who then decided, at 
great sacrifice to her own potential well-being, to go back down South 
an additional 19 times, freeing more than 200 black slaves.
  I also find it fascinating that, when Harriet Tubman once was asked 
about her heroics--who spent many of her final years in New York--was 
dismissive. She said: ``I could have freed more if they only knew that 
they were slaves.''
  I think Harriet Tubman gave us some words of wisdom that can serve 
many communities all across the country today that are still struggling 
to deal with social and economic injustice. She said: ``I could have 
freed more if they only knew that they were slaves.'' Sometimes, we 
have folks who remain trapped in their own circumstances because they 
have a mindset issue. Harriet Tubman helped to perfect our democracy.
  Mentioned earlier by some of my distinguished colleagues were some of 
the other contributions that were made during the civil rights 
struggle, and there were many African American women who haven't always 
gotten the credit for playing a leading role in the civil rights 
movement--designed, again, to help perfect American democracy--dealing 
with Jim Crow and racial segregation in the South and in many parts of 
this country.
  I think it was Fannie Lou Hamer who famously said, ``I am sick and 
tired of being sick and tired,'' when asked why she stepped forward at 
great sacrifice to herself. I think there are still a lot of Americans 
in many parts of this country, when it comes to the prison industrial 
complex, when it comes to the problem of the police's use of excessive 
force, and when it comes to the issue of income inequality, who still 
draw inspiration from Fannie Lou Hamer's words of being sick and tired 
of being sick and tired.

                              {time}  1945

  Now, I also stand here today as someone who proudly represents the 
Eighth Congressional District in New York, a district that in part was 
once represented by the Honorable Shirley Chisholm. Of course, great 
women in the Congress today like Joyce Beatty and Robin Kelly and 
Marcia Fudge and others stand on Shirley Chisholm's shoulders. She was 
the first African American woman ever elected to the House of 
Representatives in 1968. I am proud to represent part of the district 
that she once served. She was one of Brooklyn's gifts to this country 
and, in fact, to the world.
  I am struggling today because, here again, Brooklyn is once again 
prepared to share some of our tremendous human capital and wealth with 
this great country in the form of Loretta Lynch, by way of North 
Carolina. For the life of me, I haven't been able to figure out what 
the holdup is, why it is so difficult for Senate Republicans and for 
the majority simply to hold a vote so we can confirm Loretta Lynch as 
the Nation's chief law enforcement executive.
  We have heard every excuse in the book as to why Loretta Lynch is 
twisting in the wind, and none of them are legitimate. I don't want 
Loretta Lynch to be confirmed because she would be the first African 
American woman to serve as our Nation's Attorney General leading the 
Department of Justice; I want her confirmed because she is the best 
qualified person for the job. Don't trust me, Hakeem Jeffries from 
Brooklyn. Rudolph Giuliani, of all people, the great law and order 
mayor of New York City, former Federal prosecutor, U.S. attorney for 
the Southern District of New York, and many, many others--Democrats, 
Republicans, people from the North, the South, the East, and the West--
have all said Loretta Lynch is a talented law enforcement professional 
and the right person for the job at this particular point in time.
  What in the world is the holdup? I can't figure it out. Is it a 
problem with her personal background? Let's see. She is the daughter of 
a school librarian and a Baptist preacher. That can't be the issue.
  What is the holdup? Is there a problem with her legal education? I 
don't think so. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
  What is the problem? Does she not have enough law enforcement 
experience? She is practically a career Federal prosecutor, who clearly 
has the ability to allow the law and the facts dictate her 
decisionmaking process.
  Is there an issue that she hasn't been adequately vetted? Well, she 
has actually been unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, 
not once but twice, to be the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of 
New York. I think she has been vetted.
  Well, is it that the Senate doesn't have the ability to walk and chew 
gum at the same time, as Mitch McConnell indicated? We have got to deal 
with other matters. Other matters? I don't get it. She has been waiting 
longer than the five previous Attorney General nominees, combined, 
since being voted out of the Committee on the Judiciary.
  We need all hands on deck. There are terrorists all across the world 
who want to strike the United States of America, and we are holding up 
the chief law enforcement officer of this country? Then we hear the 
excuse: Well, we don't like her position on the President's executive 
action on immigration. You don't like her position? She is the 
President's nominee. What position do you expect her to have?
  That is not even a legitimate argument because you had no problem 
confirming Ash Carter to be the Secretary of the Department of Defense, 
and my good friends on the other side of the aisle on the other side of 
the Capitol are obsessing about two things: the President's executive 
action on immigration as well as the President's negotiations with Iran 
along with, or as part of, the P5+1. Ash Carter presumably supports 
those negotiations. You can't stand them so much so that you even wrote 
to the Iranian mullahs. I mean, that should shock the conscience of the 
American people. You can't stand the Iranian negotiations, but you 
didn't hold up Ash Carter's nomination.
  So for the life of me, I am trying to go through a process of 
elimination to figure out what is the reason that you have held up 
Loretta Lynch's nomination. What is the reason? Why are we waiting so 
long? You have got to come up with a good answer to the fact that she 
is being treated like a second-class citizen.
  Unfortunately, as we go down the checklist of excuses that you have 
provided, not a single one of them hold up. So I am just hopeful over 
the next couple of days, as we bring Women's History Month to a close, 
that you will have the decency to do what is right for the American 
people and allow Loretta Lynch to have an up-or-down vote so we can 
finally allow democracy to flourish in what allegedly is supposed to be 
the world's greatest deliberative body. Allow democracy to flourish; 
give Loretta Lynch a vote so we can get back to doing the real business 
of the American people.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Representative Jeffries, thank you for 
continuing to lift the nomination of Loretta Lynch, and also thank you 
for highlighting Harriet Tubman, a fine example of someone who helped 
improve the quality of life for her fellow brothers and sisters.
  ``I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.'' Many women can say 
that in regard to the pay gap, unemployment, and still trying to break 
the glass ceiling. In the past year, we have seen the

[[Page H1839]]

greatest economic growth in decades. More and more women have been able 
to reenter the workforce, reducing the unemployment rate among women to 
a 6-year low.
  Unfortunately, black women have yet to reap the benefits of the 
economic rebound. In fact, while the overall unemployment rate for 
women declined, the black female unemployment rate has increased over 
the past 2 months. According to a recent analysis by the National 
Women's Law Center, the black women's unemployment rate is more than 
twice the unemployment rate of white women. In February, the black 
women's unemployment rate was 8.9 percent, up from 8.7 percent in 
January and 8.2 percent in December.

  By comparison, the unemployment rate for adult white women was 4.2 
percent in February, down from 4.4 percent in January. Despite having 
comparable levels of education, black women have the highest 
unemployment rate of any other group. A possible factor in the stubborn 
unemployment rate for black women is that we are disproportionately 
employed in the public sector, which is experiencing a much slower 
recovery than the private sector.
  The National Women's Law Center said the stagnant job situation for 
black women is a red flag in the employment landscape and urged 
lawmakers to act to promote a stronger, more widely shared recovery. I 
couldn't agree more. We need to invest more in job training and 
retraining programs that help black women adapt to the changing 
workforce and prepare for the careers of tomorrow. We must work to 
promote diversity in hiring and encourage employees to model their work 
forces on the communities in which they operate. As we look for ways to 
help women succeed, we must be mindful of the unique challenges black 
women face and develop targeted policies that help level the playing 
field for all women.
  In closing, we have heard from many of my colleagues gathered here 
tonight, and they have mentioned, as we recognize Women's History 
Month, we are reminded that we are constantly in the midst of new 
history being made.
  Tonight I had the privilege of being joined by my CBC colleagues. 
One, a member of the freshman class and another person who wasn't here 
tonight, she is the 100th woman ever elected to Congress, Congresswoman 
Alma Adams of North Carolina. Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first 
woman to serve in this esteemed body, and many more will join the ranks 
of women in Congress, women like the Honorable Barbara Jordan, Shirley 
Chisholm, the Honorable Marcia L. Fudge, our last Congressional Black 
Caucus chair and the future of the CBC; women like Joyce Beatty, 
Representative Brenda Lawrence from Michigan, Alma Adams from North 
Carolina, Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, and Bonnie Watson 
Coleman from New Jersey.
  Despite our gains, though, there are only two black women who serve 
in statewide offices across the United States: Kamala Harris and Denise 
Nappier. There are veterans who have come to serve this Congress, like 
my good friends Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Tammy Duckworth from my 
home State of Illinois. Many diverse districts across this country are 
well served by the women they elect to Congress.
  When women succeed, America truly does succeed. This is why we must 
continue to fight for equal pay for equal work. This week, paycheck 
fairness legislation will be introduced. I urge folks across the 
country to call their Representative to cosponsor this important 
legislation.
  We must also fight for affordable child care and other economic 
policies that support working women, allowing us to continue shattering 
the glass ceiling and reach the greatest heights of all sectors of 
society.
  Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this wonderful hour of debate. I thank 
all of my colleagues for caring enough to get involved and participate.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along 
with my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus, to commemorate 
Women's History Month, and address some of the unique challenges black 
women face. This is an issue of great personal significance to me and 
many of my CBC colleagues.
  It is hard to accept that in 2015, women still earn significantly 
less than men in the work place. The wage gap for black women is even 
greater. Black women earn sixty-four cents on the dollar compared to 
men, while white women earn seventy-seven cents on the dollar. These 
numbers are disheartening for all women, but illustrate the even 
greater challenge that black women face in the fight for equal pay. 
Moving forward, the discussion on equal pay in the workplace must move 
beyond talking points, We must act swiftly to decrease wage inequality. 
We must also ensure that the obstacle s black women in the workplace 
are included in the national discourse.
  While the phrase ``women's issues'' has become popular in academia 
and the media, it usually does not include many of the unique issues 
affecting black women. As poet and black feminist, Audre Lord, once 
said, ``there is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we 
do not live single issue lives.'' Black women have never had the luxury 
of just being women; for black women, there is an intersection where 
race and gender meet, making our struggle so much more unique. Black 
women face a separate set of problems further alienating us from our 
male counterparts. We must consistently battle with the fact that we 
are black in a society that does not value black life, and women in a 
society that does not value the female contribution to society.
  Though a lot of progress has been made for women in the workplace, we 
still face so many obstacles as we work to permanently establish 
ourselves as professionally equal to men. In an effort to change these 
human injustices, we must increase the discussion on these issues. The 
end goal is to ensure that all women earn equal pay, regardless of 
race. Progress toward this goal is our responsibility and we must work 
tirelessly in achieving it.

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