[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 43 (Thursday, March 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1581-S1582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, 29 years ago, March was designated 
National Women's History Month. It is hard to imagine, but as recently 
as the 1970s, history books largely left out the contributions of women 
in America. This began to change in 1978, when a small group set out to 
revise the school curriculum in their community--Sonoma County, CA. The 
idea was to create a Women's History Week, and its goal was to write 
women back into history books. It was an idea that was long overdue. 
And Women's History Week took off around the county . . . around the 
State . . . and across the Nation. It didn't take long before 
organizers lobbied Congress and even the White House. And on February 
28, 1980, it paid off.
  President Jimmy Carter announced for the first time that March 2-8, 
1980, would be designated as National Women's History Week. He urged 
libraries, schools, and community organizations to focus on leaders who 
struggled for equality: Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, 
Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cody Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul. 
In 1981, the cause gained further momentum when an unlikely partnership 
between then-Representative Barbara Mikulski and Senator Orrin Hatch 
cosponsored a congressional resolution for National Women's History 
Week. And 6 short years later, National Women's History Week became 
National Women's History Month. And last November, Senator Mikulski was 
awarded the Nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom, in part for her work on equal pay for women--what an honor.
  Throughout history, women have achieved significant progress in the 
face of discrimination and, time and time again, blazed new trails. So 
it is appropriate that Senator Barbara Mikulski would play such an 
integral role in creating National Women's History Month. After all, 
she understands the role of a trailblazer better than many. And during 
her last year in the U.S. Senate, it is fitting we honor some of her 
accomplishments. Senator Mikulski was the first woman elevated to a 
leadership post in the U.S. Senate and the only current Member of 
Congress in the National Women's Hall of Fame. She is also the first 
woman elected to Congress in her own right, not because of a husband or 
a father or someone who served before her in higher office. Senator 
Mikulski embodies what National Women's History Month is all about, 
particularly this year, when its theme is ``Working to Form a More 
Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.''
  So with that in mind, I would like to tell you a story about Senator 
Mikulski, also known in this chamber as the Dean of Women. Following 
the election of a number of esteemed women into the Senate, a lot of 
reporters deemed 1992, the Year of the Woman, but Senator Mikulski 
didn't like the sound of that.
  She said: ``Calling 1992 the Year of the Woman makes it sound like 
the

[[Page S1582]]

Year of the Caribou or the Year of the Asparagus. We're not a fad, 
fancy or a year.''
  That is classic for Senator Mikulski.
  Today there are a record 20 female Members in the Senate, but Barbara 
would be the first to point out that is still a minority, and we can do 
better. Well, after 40 years in Congress, Senator Mikulski will be 
sorely missed. Without the leadership and determination of Senator 
Mikulski, the fight gets a little harder, and there is plenty of work 
to do.
  Women still receive an average of 78 cents for every dollar earned by 
men, and it is even greater for women of color. African-American women 
make 64 cents for every dollar earned by men, and Hispanic women only 
make 56 cents. It is not right, and it is long past time that Congress 
pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to provide women with the necessary 
tools to fight wage discrimination. It is also time to guarantee paid 
family and medical leave for all. Making this a reality will mean that 
when major life events happen, birth of a new child or caring for an 
aging parent, hard-working Americans will not have to choose between 
their family and debt, bankruptcy, or losing their job. But America can 
overcome these challenges. We have done it before. Just look how far we 
have come.
  Here are just a few of the problems women faced and overcame since 
the 1970s: women could be fired from the workplace for being pregnant; 
sexual harassment wasn't recognized in the workplace; women couldn't 
get a credit card; and marital rape wasn't considered a crime in most 
States. But we solved these discriminatory and heinous practices. You 
see, America's democracy has indeed been imperfect, but throughout our 
history, we have sought to address our Nation's imperfections. Because 
the story of the United States is not a story of a perfect union, It is 
a story about the pursuit to create ``a more perfect union.''
  Let me close with this. Years ago, in my home State of Illinois, then 
First Lady Hilary Clinton said: ``If you go to the poorest places on 
Earth struggling from social problems of poverty, disease, and hunger 
and all that comes with it, and you can only ask one question to 
determine if they have a chance, the question you should ask is this: 
How do you treat your women?''
  If you give women an equal playing field, status, education, and 
opportunity, you are giving them and your country a chance to thrive.
  This March, as we pay tribute to all the brave women who have moved 
this country forward and in doing so inspired each and every one of us, 
let's challenge ourselves to build on their legacies and make our 
country a more equal society for our mothers, sisters, and daughters.

                          ____________________