[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 58 (Friday, April 15, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1756-H1757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 STEERING AND POLICY HEARING ON POVERTY

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to highlight yesterday's Democratic 
Steering and Policy Committee hearing on the ``Failure of Trickle-Down 
Economics in the War on Poverty.'' The hearing highlighted the daily 
hardships that are faced by more than 46 million Americans. We know 
that too many families struggle to buy healthy food, to pay rent, and 
to access good-paying jobs.
  I was very proud that, among the witnesses at the hearing--all of 
whom were phenomenal--was my constituent,

[[Page H1757]]

Oakland resident Violet Henderson, who shared her personal story of 
overcoming poverty. After leaving, unfortunately, the criminal justice 
system, after being paroled, she told her story. She is a phenomenal 
individual who is raising her two children and is a student. She 
succeeded against overwhelming odds. Her story is a powerful example of 
resilience and dedication, which so many struggling Americans have.
  It should be a call to action for Members of Congress to help more 
people like Violet by supporting policies that will end poverty. Yet 
our Republican colleagues continue to promote harmful cuts to critical 
safety net programs despite knowing that these cuts will push more 
families over the edge; and the record of the members on Speaker Ryan's 
so-called Task Force on Poverty, Opportunity, and Upward Mobility are 
just as bad, if not worse. Time and time again, they have voted to cut 
SNAP, to erode higher education funding and Pell Grants, and to weaken 
affordable housing programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I insert in the Record Violet Henderson's testimony.

 Testimony of Violet Henderson at House Democratic Steering and Policy 
 Committee Hearing: ``The Failure of Trickle Down Economics in the War 
                      on Poverty,'' April 14, 2016

       Thank you Leader Pelosi, Congresswoman DeLauro, 
     Congresswoman Edwards, and Whip Hoyer. Thank you to the other 
     panelists up here with me. And I want to give a special 
     thank-you to my Congresswoman, Congresswoman Barbara Lee. I'm 
     here today because of you, Congresswoman Lee, both because 
     you invited me to this hearing, but in a bigger sense, your 
     leadership in Oakland and support of good reentry and 
     economic policies has made it possible for me to escape 
     poverty and live a life I am proud of and talk to you about 
     today.
       I am honored to be here, and grateful that you have given 
     me the opportunity to speak about these issues. I am a 
     worker, a mother, a grandmother, a formerly incarcerated 
     person, a churchgoer, and a student.
       I can speak only for myself but I hope that my testimony 
     today can give voice to the millions of people who, like me, 
     got caught up in the criminal justice system, worked 
     incredibly hard to transform their lives, but still face 
     lifelong stumbling blocks to financial stability. Unlike me, 
     too many people who worked have never escaped poverty despite 
     their hard work.
       For me, like so many, the challenges started with childhood 
     poverty. My father died when I was four years old. My mother 
     had seven children to care for on her own and she really 
     struggled. I grew up in the Aliso Village housing project in 
     East Los Angeles. I never remember, as a child, having hope 
     or vision about a bright future.
       My ``escape'' came when I was fourteen years old. My 21-
     year-old boyfriend took me to Oakland and made me work the 
     streets. At the time, I did not have the privilege of 
     believing that I deserved more and better for my life. I was 
     first arrested for when I was sixteen years old but I was not 
     seen as the victim of sex trafficking. I was treated like a 
     criminal. And I became one. My next boyfriend, who was 25 
     years older than I was, taught me how to become a thief. When 
     I was 19 years old I was sent to prison for grand theft and 
     conspiracy of several hundred dollars in a street scam.
       Because I was a high school dropout, I got my G.E.D. while 
     I was in prison, and afterward I took college-level classes. 
     For the first time in my life I was exposed to learning, and 
     I loved it. While in prison I met a mother and a daughter who 
     were incarcerated at the same time. This broke my heart 
     because the daughter had a child whom she missed dearly and 
     tried to escape from prison to get back to her child. The 
     moment I heard that the daughter tried to escape, I made a 
     decision to change my life. I wanted children but I was going 
     to put them through that. I have never looked back.
       Once I got out, I had two wonderful children and dedicated 
     myself to supporting them. I worked full-time as a 
     cosmetologist but still did not earn enough to feed my 
     family. For a while we survived because we had access to food 
     stamps, which we needed even when I was working multiple 
     full-time jobs. Then, thanks to an affirmative action 
     program, I was able to join the local Laborers Union and I 
     worked heavy construction for the next 20 years. It was hard 
     physical labor but I was grateful for the opportunity because 
     I earned more money than I had ever earned at any other job. 
     It allowed me, as a single parent, to provide for my 
     children, though we still struggled.
       Working as a laborer became more and more difficult as I 
     grew older and I looked for other work. When I was 54 years 
     old I was denied office jobs because of my convictions, which 
     were then 30 years old. Thanks to free reentry clean slate 
     legal services--which Congresswoman Barbara Lee helped start 
     in Oakland at the East Bay Community Law Center--I was able 
     to clean up my record, and as a result I was able to get a 
     great job, and thankfully one that this sixty-one-year-old 
     body can handle. I'm coordinating the environmental/waste 
     reduction program for a large city agency. It has been an 
     inspiring and wonderful opportunity. I was even able to 
     fulfill my life-long dream of becoming a homeowner and I 
     bought a condo in Oakland.
       A few years back I enrolled in a community college in 
     Oakland to study Environmental Management, where I take night 
     and evening classes. I have surprised myself by earning a 
     3.92 GPA, and was even more surprised when I was recently 
     invited to transfer to the University of California at 
     Berkeley.
       But--and this why we are here today--despite my successes, 
     and despite working as hard as a person can work, I have 
     worried constantly about keeping my head above water 
     financially. I have had stable employment, and I have 
     catapulted myself out of the deep poverty my family knew when 
     I was a child. BUT still, even now, I can't say that I have 
     feel economically secure. I struggled mightily to hold onto 
     my condo through the economic recession. I am 61 years old 
     and worried about being able to retire anytime soon.
       I don't exactly know how to define ``middle class'' but it 
     can't mean what I have done for the last 3 decades of my 
     life: Working full time, being very frugal, but yet also 
     constantly worrying about meeting my basic financial 
     obligations and the threat of eviction. And I am someone who 
     has been exceptionally lucky in terms of the abundance of 
     learning and employment opportunities I have had! I cannot 
     imagine the financial burdens of people who have been less 
     fortunate or live in areas with fewer programs.
       My plea today is that you work for policies that reward all 
     hard working people in America with a fair chance to support 
     their families. This is the challenge my children face even 
     though both of them are resourceful, intelligent, and have 
     good jobs. I pray that my children will be able to know 
     economic prosperity, which at very least means living without 
     constant worry about day-to-day about making it.
       I sit before you as a very different person from who I was 
     as lost and hopeless 16-year-old girl on the streets. It has 
     been a long journey of seeking forgiveness for the harm I 
     caused others, and healing myself I hope my story can inspire 
     women who are now struggling on the path I was on thirty 
     years ago. I want them to be encouraged to persevere and make 
     positive changes in their lives, and to have faith in the 
     system. But the system must also have faith in us! Successful 
     reentry requires government policies and programs that remove 
     stumbling blocks to economic security.
       I am exceptionally grateful to be here but I am not 
     exceptional. I am an example of what's possible when we 
     support people through smart and fair reentry and economic 
     programs.
       Thank you.

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