[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.
____________________