[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H5926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           WHY I WEAR A MASK

  (Ms. DEAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I wear a mask so my granddaughter, Aubrey, 
can return to third grade in-person schooling as soon as possible.
  I wear a mask so that one day I can go to church and be surrounded 
again by a community in prayer.
  I wear a mask to look forward to the day when my entire family can 
get together.
  I wear a mask so more people do not have to experience the feeling of 
loss my family felt when my mother-in-law, Joan Cunnane, passed away 
from the COVID virus.
  Wearing a mask is not a political statement; it is a simple way of 
saying: ``I value the lives around me.''
  Nearly 250,000 Americans are dead because of this brutal virus, and 
it is up to each of us to do our part.
  Today, I put on my mask as an act of public health, of compassion, of 
care, and of respect, as a way of asking not what others can do for me, 
but what I am always saying behind my mask: ``What can I do for you?''

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