[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1096-S1098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Black History Month

  Mr. CASEY. Madam President, I rise today to celebrate Black History 
Month and to pay tribute to Pennsylvanians whose work has made a real 
difference in our Commonwealth.
  This year we will honor three individuals who have dedicated 
themselves to uplifting the lives of others. We know that Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., once said: ``Life's most persistent and urgent 
question is: `What are you doing for others?' '' For purposes of 
today's remarks, I will substitute one word. I will substitute the word 
``children'' for the word ``others'' and ask: What are you doing for 
our children?
  It is an important question, not only for those of us who gather for 
Black History Month today and to celebrate this month, but it is also 
an important question for every Member of Congress to ask themselves.
  This year we are going to honor these three Pennsylvanians: Kathy 
Elliott, Rosemary Browne, and Ellyn Jo Waller. All three have dedicated 
their lives to answering this urgent question and to building pathways 
toward hope for children in their communities.
  I can think of no calling more important and no mission more 
essential than this one: to help our children. It is an honor for me to 
have the privilege to recognize these remarkable Pennsylvanians. They 
are beacons in their communities, and they are each, in their own way, 
an inspiration to me in my work in the Senate and, I know, to the work 
of our staff as well.
  American children face a crisis created by policy choices made by 
adults over now several decades. Despite low unemployment and overall 
economic growth, children are being left out and left behind. Almost 
half of young children in the United States of America live in poverty 
or near poverty, with infants and toddlers at greatest risk.

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Nearly half of children live in those circumstances.
  According to the Census Bureau's ``Supplemental Poverty Measure,'' 
which takes into account many of the government programs designed to 
assist low-income families and individuals, childhood poverty 
worsened--worsened--in 2017 for the first time since the Great 
Recession.
  Poverty harms children both immediately and for a lifetime, the 
National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine concluded in 
their 2019 seminal report, ``A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty.'' 
They found that poverty itself, especially when it occurs in early 
childhood or is persistent over time, is damaging to children in ways 
that last a lifetime.
  Specifically, the report finds the following--and I am quoting the 
National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine: ``We find 
overwhelming evidence . . . that . . . a child growing up in a family 
whose income is below the poverty line experiences worse outcomes than 
a child from a wealthier family in virtually every dimension, from 
physical and mental health, to educational attainment and labor market 
success, to risky behaviors and delinquency.''
  This is a crisis of untapped potential opportunities. It is a crisis, 
as well, of contributions not made. When a child faces needless 
obstacles to becoming the person he or she might become, it is a 
profound tragedy that affects all of us because we are denying not just 
that child but also that family, that child's family, their community, 
and our country the contributions that child could make if we were 
investing in that child.
  Over time, corrupt forces have perverted the basic notions of freedom 
while creating a society that works for corporate interests rather than 
our children's best interests. Freedom, as we know, is not simply the 
right to be left alone. Real freedom must include the opportunity--the 
affirmative ability--to achieve one's dreams.
  A country that claims to support the freedom of its people must 
provide opportunities to its citizens. For example, in his second 
inaugural address, President Obama said the following:

       We do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved 
     for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no 
     matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at 
     any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home 
     swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to 
     each other . . . these things do not sap our initiative, they 
     strengthen us. They don't make us a nation of takers; they 
     free us to take the risks that make this country great.

  President Obama was right, and he knew then that there were and are 
today extraordinary people across the country who are working to give 
our children the opportunity to achieve and grow and contribute so much 
to our Nation.
  Today I will speak about three women who are doing this work in the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: first, Rosemary Browne of Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania. For over 35 years, Rosemary Browne has been a leader in 
South Central Pennsylvania. During that time, she has held a number of 
critical roles in both the government sector and the nonprofit sector.
  She is currently the President and CEO of Alder Health Services, the 
mission of which is to improve the health and well-being of persons 
living with HIV/AIDS and members of the LGBTQ community in a culturally 
competent, affirming, and empowering environment. The agency provides 
behavioral health, primary care, case management, wellness services, 
HIV/STD testing and treatment, family planning, and a host of other 
programs.
  Critically, Alder Health provides a safe haven for LGBTQ youth, and 
we know that significant progress has been made in advancing the rights 
of LGBTQ individuals. However, the progress has been uneven, and we are 
still falling far short, for example, in serving transgender young 
people, especially transgender young people of color who face 
disproportionally higher rates of suicide and violence. Alder Health, 
under Rosemary Browne's leadership, has played an indispensable role in 
helping us better understand the challenges of LGBTQ adolescents and 
providing them with the services they need.
  In 2018 Rosemary was appointed to Governor Tom Wolf's Pennsylvania 
Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, the first-of-its-kind statewide commission 
in the Nation. Rosemary's work at Alder builds on her primary work at 
the Highmark Foundation, where she led efforts to address emerging 
community health challenges and to make sure that uninsured and 
underserved populations in South Central Pennsylvania had the attention 
and the services that they needed. In this capacity, she spearheaded 
efforts to address bullying in our schools and our communities as a 
public health problem and also provided leadership on a strategy to 
reduce childhood obesity through school and community-based 
partnerships.
  Prior to her work at Highmark Foundation, Rosemary spent a decade at 
the Foundation for Enhancing Communities as a program officer and then 
director of programs and community investment, where she oversaw tens 
of millions of investment in community services and tuition assistance, 
giving hundreds of area college-bound students the opportunity to 
pursue higher education.
  Over her career, Rosemary Browne has heeded the call of service and 
lent her considerable passion and expertise in many different 
capacities. Whatever the role, the work has been the same: putting a 
spotlight on the needs of the underserved populations--LGBTQ youth, 
girls of color, and other underserved populations who lack access to 
healthcare, higher education--and always--always--helping them to 
obtain the services they need and to remove the obstacles that stand 
between them and their full potential.
  Service has always been a part of Rosemary's work, believing, as she 
does, that we are given resources and influence not for ourselves but 
for others.
  Also, like Rosemary Browne, Dr. Kathi Elliott's career has been 
defined by her service to others and to the children and young people 
of Pennsylvania. In this case, in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Kathi came 
to this work naturally, having had those values instilled in her by her 
late mother, the former police commander of Pittsburgh, Gwen Elliott.
  We have had South Central Pennsylvania with Rosemary Browne. Now we 
are in Southwestern Pennsylvania with Dr. Kathi Elliott.
  Kathi's mom, Gwen, the late police commander, was herself a 
trailblazer and someone whose story also should be told. We don't have 
time for two stories in one family today, but I will tell part of 
Gwen's story as well.
  Gwen was one of the first African-American women officers in the 
Pittsburgh Police Department, joining the department in 1976 and 
eventually rising to the rank of commander. In 2002, Gwen founded 
Gwen's Girls, an organization dedicated to empowering girls and young 
women through holistic, gender-specific programs, education, and 
experiences through after school--school and community-based 
programming throughout the communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania. 
Gwen's Girls has grown to provide service throughout the region with 
sites in Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg, and Clarendon, PA.
  Given her mother's leadership, it is no surprise that Dr. Kathi 
Elliott has demonstrated the same commitment to and passion for 
leadership, development, and empowerment of girls.
  Prior to accepting the position of CEO of Gwen's Girls in 2015, Kathi 
spent years providing leadership in social service, community, and 
individual mental health treatment. Kathi began her career as a victim 
advocate at the Center for Victims, working mostly in the juvenile 
justice space. She also remains a practicing psychiatric nurse 
practitioner. In that capacity, she provides psychiatric evaluations, 
medication management, and clinical consultation services and treatment 
at the VA of Pittsburgh--their outpatient mental health clinic.
  Dr. Elliott completed dual master's degrees in nursing and social 
work from the University of Pittsburgh and earned a doctor of nursing 
practice degree from Chatham University in 2014.
  Through Dr. Elliott's leadership, Gwen's Girls has become recognized 
as a frontrunner in the integration of evidence-based, clinical 
prevention and intervention policies and practices that enhance the 
child and social welfare system.

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  Gwen's Girls convenes an annual equity summit for Black girls to 
address the racial and gender biases that exist within the juvenile 
justice, health and wellness, child welfare, and education systems.
  Dr. Elliott has also remained a constant leading force and convener 
of the Black Girls Equity Alliance--a collaboration of over 75 
stakeholders committed to addressing systemic inequities in the 
juvenile justice, child welfare, education, and healthcare systems.
  Dr. Elliott currently serves on the board of trustees at Chatham 
University. In December 2017, she was appointed by Mayor Bill Peduto to 
serve as a commissioner on the newly formed Gender Equity Commission 
for the City of Pittsburgh.
  Our third honoree today, Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, though she was born in 
Queens, NY, we are proud to call her a daughter of Pennsylvania. Many 
in Philadelphia know her as a member and a leader at Enon Tabernacle 
Baptist Church, as well as the partner, in both life and ministry, of 
Dr. Alyn Waller, senior pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. Ellyn 
Jo Waller earned a bachelor of special education from Ohio University, 
a master of education in curriculum, instruction, and technology in 
education, and a doctor of education and curriculum, instruction, and 
technology in education, with an emphasis on literary education, from 
Temple University.
  Dr. Waller has devoted her passion and her time to promoting women's 
education and empowerment. She has especially devoted much of her time 
to combating human trafficking, both here in the United States and 
internationally. She is an active member of the Philadelphia Anti-Human 
Trafficking Coalition and serves as cochair of the religion 
subcommittee.
  In 2011, Dr. Waller founded She's My Sister, an anti-human 
trafficking ministry at Enon Tabernacle. She's My Sister works to 
ensure that the faith community in Greater Philadelphia is aware of the 
issue of human trafficking and also partners with the Greater 
Philadelphia Salvation Army on the issue of participating in street 
outreach, supporting and strengthening the drop-in centers, and 
advocating on behalf of victims of human trafficking and sexual 
exploitation.
  In October of 2015, under Dr. Waller's leadership, the ministry 
hosted its Inaugural Human Trafficking Awareness 5K Walk/Run to raise 
funds for a transitional residential program for young women exiting 
the life and aging out of the child welfare system.
  Internationally, Dr. Waller regularly participates in rescue and 
restoration efforts in Italy and South Africa. Dr. Waller also serves 
on a number of boards and provides community leadership in other ways. 
She is a member of the board of the City School in Philadelphia, on the 
advisory committee of the United Negro College Funds, Delaware Valley 
Women of Faith for Education annual luncheon, and is president of the 
Charitas Foundation, which is the philanthropic Waller family 
foundation established to positively impact the lives of individuals by 
sowing financial seeds into organizations that change lives through 
their missions.
  Dr. Waller has served on the Foundation Board of the Community 
College of Philadelphia since 2014 and currently serves as the 
president of the Foundation Board.

  Each of our honorees today--these three remarkable women--have worked 
tirelessly to ensure that our children can flourish and can fulfill 
their potential. When others may look the other way or even wash their 
hands of the solemn duty to help our children, our honorees have 
instead volunteered for service over and over again.
  To refer back to the first question I started with, ``What are you 
doing for our children,'' each of us has an obligation to answer that 
question. Each of our three honorees today have answered that question 
by devoting their lives to the urgent work of helping our children. 
These three remarkable women--all Pennsylvanians--have provided 
pathways to hope. For that, we owe them our deepest gratitude.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.