[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1049-H1050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SUPPORTING THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Massachusetts (Ms. Pressley) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PRESSLEY. Mr. Speaker, the great poet and pioneer of righteous 
rage, Audre Lorde, once said: ``I am not free while any woman is 
unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.''
  The year is now 2020, and here we women are, still in so many ways 
not fully free, still shackled.
  Today, I rise to affirm the humanity and the dignity of all women. I 
rise in strong, unapologetic, righteous support of H.J. Res. 79, which 
will strike the arbitrary deadline for ratification of the equal rights 
amendment, an amendment that should already be the law of the land.
  Women are strong, hardworking, bright, and resilient. We are the 
backbones of our families, our communities, and our democracy. We do 
not live in checked boxes; we live in an intersectionality of lived 
experiences and identities. Our issues are everyone's issues, because 
our destinies are all tied.
  Tomorrow's vote on H.J. Res. 79 is a vote for the preservation of our 
collective humanity.
  Despite our commitment to hard work, both within our households and 
on the job, we are still paid less than our male counterparts. In the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, women are paid 83 cents for every dollar 
paid to a man; but nationally, women are paid only 80 cents for every 
dollar a man is paid.
  Even worse, the modern-day wage gap disproportionately impacts women 
of color, with Black women earning 61 cents, Native women earning 58 
cents, Latinx women earning only 53 cents, and AAPI women making as 
little as 50 cents per dollar paid to a White man.
  In addition to pay discrimination, we face pregnancy discrimination, 
discrimination in the criminal legal system, sexual and domestic 
violence, and inadequate healthcare access.
  But this isn't an accident. The American Constitution is sexist by 
its very design. This country's laws have historically treated us like 
second-class citizens, depriving us of the right to vote, to enter most 
jobs, and to own property.
  While some of these injustices may cease to exist, we still face 
tremendous barriers to our full participation in society. With 
tomorrow's vote, we have an opportunity to right this country's wrong 
and to take a stand in the name of equality.
  I am honored to be serving and representing the Massachusetts Seventh 
Congressional District during these unprecedented times, where we have 
a record 127 women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. These 
women are some of the fiercest table-shakers, justice-seekers, and 
truth-tellers that have ever served in this august body, and it is my 
privilege and joy to call them my sisters in service:
  My sister in service Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has 
faithfully served the people of Washington, D.C., for 29 years and 
continues to lead in the fight for D.C. statehood;
  My sister in service Congresswoman Katie Porter, who is fighting for 
economic justice for domestic violence survivors who are financially 
dependent on their partners;
  My sister in service Congresswoman Deb Haaland, a member of the 
Pueblo of Laguna Tribe, who continues to shine daylight on the silent 
crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women;
  My sister in service Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, whose unique 
experiences as a Palestinian American have given a voice to unheard 
Palestinians around the world fighting for their humanity;
  My sister in service Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, who remains 
clear-eyed in her fight for healthcare justice as both a nurse and 
someone living with a preexisting condition; and
  My sister in service Congresswoman Jackie Speier, for her leadership 
on this issue and for introducing this critical joint resolution.
  Tomorrow's vote is a vote for equality. It is a vote for fairness. It 
is a vote to actualize the movements built on the backs of women.

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