[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  (Ms. ADAMS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. ADAMS. As an African-American woman and a Member of Congress, I 
know I stand on the shoulders of giants.
  My election would not have been possible without the efforts of Maya 
Angelou, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, Sojourner Truth, Rosa 
Parks, and many other sheroes who came before me. These women 
championed civil rights and women's rights and fought oppression so 
that African-American women could have a voice in politics.
  When I was elected, I became the 100th woman to serve in the 114th 
Congress, the 20th woman in the Congressional Black Caucus, and only 
the second African-American woman to represent North Carolina in 
Congress. That night was a historic win for women, but it was 
particularly special for African-American women.
  Shirley Chisholm once said: ``Women must become revolutionary. There 
cannot be evolution but revolution.''
  At a time when the President's Cabinet does not include a single 
African-American woman and just one African-American woman in the 
Senate, we are reminded that there is still much work to do.
  If this administration will not make a place for us, we will make one 
for ourselves. It is time to stand up, speak up, and make our voices 
heard.

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