[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 214 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H7237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS THE PARTY FOR ALL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on December 4, Speaker 
Pelosi and Congressman Clyburn announced the unveiling of a new exhibit 
in the Capitol that pays tribute to Joseph Rainey, the first Black 
Member of the House of Representatives.
  He served from 1869 until 1879. He was the first African American to 
preside over the House, and he was the longest-serving Black lawmaker 
in Congress during Reconstruction. In fact, he was a founding member of 
the South Carolina Republican Party.
  Two other Republicans, George White and Jefferson Long, made history 
as the first Black Members of Congress from North Carolina and Georgia 
during the same period. George White, from North Carolina, was a 
staunch advocate for other Black Republicans in the State and often 
took Democrats to task for not accepting the values that other Black 
Republicans held as well.
  Their stories deserve due recognition, and they also serve as 
reminders that political affiliations of any type are based on the 
values that one espouses, not just the color of one's skin or sex.
  It is unfortunate that more Black Republicans are not elected to the 
House of Representatives or to the Senate. That is because Black 
Republicans have been attacked repeatedly by the Democratic Party and 
their friends in the mainstream media.
  Mr. Speaker, even now, Democrats are still peddling a facade of being 
the party of the people. However, their outright rejection of those who 
hold different beliefs just goes to show how contradictory the party 
truly is.
  Meanwhile, the Republican Party welcomes members from all different 
backgrounds. Just look at the diverse new Republican representatives 
that the American people elected to Congress: women, veterans, and 
minorities. Those are the Republican candidates from across the country 
who have proven that Republican values are not the values of a few; 
they are the values of many.
  If we look at the centennial of the 19th Amendment that happened this 
year, we see the same disinformation tactics at play. Democrats harp 
incessantly about how they were the ones that fought for the 19th 
Amendment, but history tells a different story. On May 21, 1919, 200 
Republicans voted for the 19th Amendment in the House, while many 
Democrats objected.
  Mr. Speaker, facts can't be forsaken as we look back at these 
historic events. However, flip through the pages of any classroom 
textbook and you do not see the Republican Party getting the credit it 
deserves for fighting for equality, women, and minority populations.
  Americans are not consigned to one set of political ideologies based 
on immutable characteristics. Free societies are built by an open 
exchange of ideas, and that exchange must be respected.
  The American people do not need to be told how to feel, how to think, 
and what values they should support. That is irresponsible. The 
American people are perfectly capable of coming to their own 
conclusions, but they need the facts presented to them.
  The Republican Party is the party of equality, and the facts clearly 
show that.

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