[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 42 (Friday, March 5, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1272-S1273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, this month we are celebrating Women's 
History Month, which is a time for us to look back on history and 
recognize all of the barriers women have overcome, honor women's rights 
champions, and strategize on the work we still have ahead of us. Our 
country has made great strides and progress in recent decades. We 
cannot let previous generations' hard work and sacrifices go to waste.
  Dating back to the 1800s, women's history of philanthropists, 
suffragists, and activists in my home State of Maryland is rich. 
Margaret Briggs Gregory Hawkins, born in 1887, was instrumental in the 
long-haul efforts of women earning the right to vote. Her dedicated 
efforts for women's rights and civil rights were evident at the local 
level in my hometown of Baltimore. Through her membership in women's 
grassroots organizations, such as the Druid Hill Branch of the YWCA, 
Civilian Defense Mobilization, and the Progressive Women's Suffrage 
Club, she focused on cultivating meaningful relationships, leadership 
skills, and advancing civil rights and voting rights for women of 
color. We commemorate Margaret this Women's History Month as she is 
inducted into the 2021 Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.
  Women's History Month is a time for us to remember the fearless women 
who shaped history as we know it. In 2020, we lost Supreme Court 
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Affectionately known as the ``notorious 
RBG,'' Justice Ginsburg paved the way for millions of women in her 
relentless fight for justice and equality. She was a warrior in 
guaranteeing women had a sound voice in the arena. Justice Ginsburg 
challenged us to ``think about how you would like the world to be for 
your daughters and granddaughters.''
  While 2020 was tumultuous, it also brought anniversaries that are 
worth noting. In August, we celebrated the milestone of the 100th 
anniversary of women's suffrage. The right to vote is a central to the 
heart of our democracy. I cannot think of a better way to ring in this 
milestone than by electing our first female Vice President, Vice 
President Kamala Harris.
  It was a privilege and a joy to serve with my friend Kamala in the 
Senate. She has been pivotal in women's history. Aside from her 
groundbreaking role as our first female Vice President, she is the 
first woman, first South Asian American, and first African American to 
serve as attorny general in California's history. When looking back on 
her achievements, she often quotes her mother, who would tell her, 
``Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are 
not the last.'' I could not agree more.
  While Vice President Harris made history and shattered the glass 
ceiling with her election victory this past November, there is still 
work we must do. The first step in leveling the playing field between 
men and women, today and for future generations, is to pass the Equal 
Rights Amendment, ERA. Justice Ginsburg once said that if she could 
choose an amendment to add to the Constitution, it would be the Equal 
Rights Amendment. That is because she would like her granddaughters,

[[Page S1273]]

when they pick up the Constitution, to see that notion--that women and 
men are persons of equal stature--as a basic principle of our society.
  To this day, the Constitution of the United States, our Nation's key 
document and supreme law, does not consider men and women of equal 
stature. For example, the Constitution does not protect equal pay under 
the law. Women, especially women of color, are earning significantly 
less than their male counterparts for the same work. Women make up a 
majority of the population, yet are underrepresented in our government 
institutions and the business world.
  The ERA has reached the necessary 38-State ratification threshold for 
this landmark legislation to be added to the Constitution of the United 
States. The ERA would solidify and protect the rights of women where 
our legislation currently falls short. The ERA would raise the standard 
of scrutiny with which the courts analyze cases of discrimination on 
the basis of sex and send the vital message that women and men are 
citizens of equal stature in the United States.
  I have introduced bipartisan legislation in the Senate, S.J. Res. 1, 
with the senior Senator from Alaska, Ms. Murkowski, that would remove 
the existing deadline and allow us to bring this meaningful legislation 
to the finish line once and for all.

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