[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H1484-H1489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                              {time}  1945
                   CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include material on the subject of my Special Order in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, as a co-chair of the Democratic Women's 
Caucus, I am pleased to lead this Special Order in celebration of 
Women's History Month. Throughout March, we recognize the women 
leaders, trailblazers, and pioneers who come before us.
  We have chartered a path forward that will lift up and empower young 
women and girls. The soul and moral compass of our Nation rests on the 
shoulders of women throughout this history.
  I am proud to fight every day so that we can improve the quality of 
life for women and girls in Michigan and across this country.
  As the co-chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus and the vice chair 
of the Congressional Black Caucus, I have made it a mission to put 
women issues and Black women issues front and center in this Congress.
  But before I go into the work that we have done and are doing in this 
Chamber, I want to recognize the inspirational women in my life who 
helped shape who I am.
  First, I want to acknowledge my grandmother, who, without a high 
school education, taught me the value of education, taught me the value 
of being a woman, of being a wife, of being a mother. She is my rock 
and my foundation. She taught me that being a woman and being a Black 
woman in America ``is to be fearless, Brenda,'' to never apologize, and 
be accountable for everything that I do, and that I work hard, get my 
education, and keep my faith in God. There was no door I could not walk 
through or no table that I did not deserve to sit at. She had strength 
and confidence in something I carry with me every single day.
  Then there is my shero, Shirley Chisholm, who paved the way for Black 
women like me to be in Congress. She proved every day the power that 
women had to change their community. Shirley Chisholm always said: ``If 
they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.''
  And, my goodness, the majority of women who represent us here in 
Congress are carrying their own folding chair.
  So we have our first woman, our first Black American, our first 
Asian-American Vice President, who has coined the phrase: ``The first, 
but not the last.''
  We stand on the shoulders, all of us, of giants. We continue to build 
the foundation so that the next generation of girls and young women can 
stand on our shoulders. Look at this Congress. There are over 140 
Democrat and Republican women in the House and the Senate, the most 
ever in the history of our country.
  That translates to the work we are doing in this Chamber to better 
the lives of women and girls. If you look at today, we voted to pass 
the equal rights amendment resolution and the Violence Against Women 
Reauthorization Act. These are the steps in the right direction. We 
have come a long way, baby, for full equality, but we still have work 
to do.
  We, unfortunately, have a system in America that often suppress women 
and does not support women. But we know that, ``A woman is like a tea 
bag,'' like Eleanor Roosevelt said, ``you never know how strong she is 
until she gets in hot water.''
  And I know for a fact that women have continued to stand up against 
every barrier. You point to this pandemic and you see how women, 
especially women of color, have borne the brunt of this health and 
economic crisis. But we keep moving and we will continue in this 
Congress to fight for the women in America.
  This is our responsibility, and I am glad that we have women leaders 
across the Federal, State, and local governments that we have looked up 
to. Every woman in this Congress today recognizes that the next 
generation is looking at us and asking us to stand up.
  Our Vice President of the United States, our Speaker of the House, 
and half of President Biden's Cabinet, and even on the other side of 
the aisle, the chair of the House Republican Party, all are women. We 
are making success, and I know that we can do so much more.
  I continue to work, and I want to know that when women succeed, 
America succeeds, as our amazing Speaker of the House reminds us.
  I am so glad to share this hour with some of our amazing women 
leaders who will continue to tell us, while we have a month dedicated 
to women's history, we make history every single day.
  I would like to ask for my first speaker to come to the podium.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier).
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, my 
friend, my colleague, my co-chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus.
  I rise tonight in honor of Women's History Month and the heroic, 
trailblazing women of our military, who have risked their lives for our 
country in the advancement of women's equity and equality.
  Women have been on the front lines fighting for America's values and 
freedom since the founding of our Nation. Our foremothers blazed a 
trail for women like Loretta Walsh, who, in 1917, as America teetered 
on the brink of entering World War I, heard and answered the call to 
serve. Loretta became the first woman to enlist in the U.S. military in 
a position other than nursing and was our first female chief petty 
officer.
  I also want to recognize Captain Kristen Griest and Lieutenant Shaye 
Haver, the first women to graduate from the Army Ranger School; 
Marcella Hayes, America's first Black female fighter pilot; and Mary 
Edward Walker, the first female U.S. Army surgeon who served in the 
Civil War and the only woman to receive the Presidential Medal of 
Honor.

  The strength and courage of these women and so many more like them 
reinforces what we already know: There is nothing women cannot do.
  When women are in positions of leadership, our country is in better 
hands. I believe that this is especially true in our military.
  I honor General Ann E. Dunwoody, our Nation's first female four-star 
general; Admiral Michelle Howard, the Navy's first female four-star 
admiral and first African American to command a U.S. naval ship; and 
Air Force General Laura Richardson, the first female commander of a 
combatant command.
  These women have served our Nation honorably. They now must open new 
doors for a generation of women to fulfill their dreams to serve our 
country under safe conditions, free from sexual assault and harassment.
  All of these women warriors volunteered for duty and risked their 
lives while fighting rampant misogyny, including attacks from talking 
heads on national TV--who have never served our country--and racism for 
the women of color. Their unflinching courage has paved the way for 
thousands of women serving in our Armed Forces today. Our military is 
stronger and this country is safer because women serve.
  We honor these military women's achievements today on the House 
floor. May we never forget their sacrifice, duty, and dedication. May 
they elevate a new generation of women in the military, free from bias, 
racial discrimination, and sexual assault.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my amazing co-chair for 
everything she does.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman 
Schultz).
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  I rise today to honor our foremothers who first demanded equity in 
and outside the home, along with the sheroes

[[Page H1485]]

of today who still battle for it amidst this deadly pandemic both on 
and behind its front lines.
  The onset of COVID-19 pushed so many brave women into the deadly 
viral fires. It also foisted upon too many of them an inordinate share 
of unpaid caretaker and teacher roles once they were safe at home.
  Throughout all of history, it is women, especially those of color, 
who bear the harshest health and economic burdens and fallout from such 
national crises.
  The data is clear: Only a full recovery that prioritizes women can 
reverse this ``she-cession'' we are in.
  That is why I proudly supported the American Rescue Plan, which 
provides much-needed help to women across this country. This relief 
package includes historic expansion of the child tax credit to help 
lift children and families out of poverty, and provides paid-leave tax 
credits to help more women stay in the workforce.
  It also makes the investments needed to safely reopen schools and 
keep the childcare industry afloat so women and families can pay for 
care and get back to work.
  And with the inclusion of $1,400 stimulus checks per family member 
and extended unemployment assistance, women can finally regain their 
footing as equal partners and breadwinners.
  Yet, even among these many challenges women have faced over this last 
year, we cannot overlook that, for the first time in history, we have 
sworn in a Madam Vice President. The historic inauguration of Vice 
President Harris will inspire countless girls to higher ambitions, and 
it marks a milestone for all women of color whose work, leadership, and 
vision went unrecognized for far too long.
  In the Jewish faith, one of our most important tenets is the concept 
of l'dor v'dor--from generation to generation. It is our responsibility 
to lift up the women of tomorrow and ensure that the world provides 
every opportunity for them to succeed.
  This Women's History Month, while we honor and remember the women who 
have carried us through this and other past national calamities, we 
also celebrate that the shoulders we now stand on provide an even 
clearer vision of the equity and fairness for which we all strive.
  Women are the changemakers, the visionaries, and the leaders of the 
future. Today, we celebrate a world in which my two daughters and all 
young girls everywhere have bold, limitless visions and dreams that are 
now truly possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida 
(Ms. Lois Frankel), my co-chair.
  Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding, my sister in good trouble.
  This is Women's History Month, a time to reflect the gains women have 
made; the struggles we continue to face; and the strong, fearless, and 
selfless women who have and continue to pave the way.
  I have often lamented, as have many of my colleagues here, that for 
women to reach their full potential, we must be in charge of our own 
reproductive destiny. No one should have to call their Governor or 
Member of Congress for permission to access contraception or abortion. 
And even after the landmark decision Roe v. Wade, it is a constant 
battle to protect a hard-fought right to legal abortion.
  We have seen Republican administrations and Republican States 
legislatures create obstacle after obstacle to prevent women from 
achieving reproductive freedom, blocking access to legal abortion and 
even contraception.
  We have seen private citizens, under the guise of protecting lives, 
threaten abortion providers, including assassinating physicians that 
provide abortions.
  And then there are the angels on the ground who, day in and day out, 
protect our precious right to reproductive freedom.
  With this background, I want to highlight a courageous woman in my 
hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida, who has made and continues to 
make history as a great champion of women's reproductive rights. She is 
one of the bravest people I know, someone I am proud to call a friend. 
Her name is Mona Reis.

  Mona's mission began early on in life, as a teenager. Six years 
before Roe v. Wade, she participated in a Florida's Girls State program 
that gives teen girls an opportunity to run the Florida State 
Legislature, and she actually introduced a bill to legalize abortion in 
the State. Of course, it didn't pass.
  But this was just the beginning of a lifelong career and a commitment 
to protecting a woman's right to choose, from working at the first 
outpatient abortion clinic established in Florida in the 1970s to, now, 
building her own outpatient clinic, the Presidential Women's Center, 41 
years ago.
  She has been fighting to make sure that all women, no matter their 
age, race, or economic status, are able to access full reproductive 
care, including abortion.
  Her clinic has treated more than half a million women for things like 
prenatal care, HTDs, family planning, and pregnancy termination.
  This has been a fulfilling but sometimes dangerous mission. Every 
week for 40 years, the clinic is surrounded by protesters who taunt 
patients as they enter for care.
  In 2005, her clinic was burned to the ground in an arson attack, but 
she has continued to provide high-quality and compassionate care 
despite the fact that she has had to endure so much.
  Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman for allowing me to talk today.
  It is an honor to recognize Mona Reis, an unsung heroine who 
continues to make our communities a safer and a healthier place for 
women and girls. It is an honor to know her, to thank her, to celebrate 
her as we recognize Women's History Month.

                              {time}  2000

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, it is also significant to note that the 
majority of the diversity in Congress is represented by the women 
Members of Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn 
B. Maloney), a fighter for the ERA.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. 
Lawrence for her extraordinary leadership.
  In 1921, exactly 100 years ago, just after ratifying the 19th 
Amendment, the suffragists set their sights on another constitutional 
change. The vote was not enough for them. They knew we needed to put 
gender equality into our Constitution.
  So, these women, among them my relative Alice Paul, wrote the equal 
rights amendment. It was first introduced in Congress in 1923 in 
celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the 
first women's rights convention in our country. It was introduced in 
the House by Representative Daniel Anthony, nephew of the great 
suffragist leader, Susan B. Anthony, to honor her work, as well as the 
work of many others, like the great suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady 
Stanton, also of New York.
  Today, during Women's History Month, we honor these women as 
constitution-makers. But verbal praise alone is not enough. We must 
also carry out their wishes. Because now, a full 100 years later, the 
equal rights amendment is still not part of the U.S. Constitution.
  I thank Jackie Speier and all the women and like-minded men in this 
Congress that voted to move the equal rights amendment forward.
  Eighty-five percent of U.N. member states have constitutions that 
explicitly guarantee equality for women and girls. These constitutional 
guarantees have enabled national legal reforms that eliminated 
discriminatory laws and helped usher in new laws protecting girls and 
women. Where once the U.S. was a leader on gender equality, when it 
comes to our Constitution, we are now far, far behind.
  Today, we must fulfill the hope of our suffragist foremothers and 
make equality a reality in our Nation's most fundamental document.
  I must say, throughout this struggle I have always said: Where are 
the women? When I walk around the Mall, they have museums for 
everything, but not women. It is hard to empower women if we don't even 
recognize them. So this Women's Caucus put in a bill to create a 
national women's museum on the mall. I thought this would be easy. It 
took us two decades to finally pass it last year, but it is now going 
to be built. It was a priority of this caucus, and we made it happen.

[[Page H1486]]

  I just want to close by saying that our Smithsonian Women's History 
Museum will inspire visitors of all ages and all genders for 
generations to come.
  I am so glad to join my colleagues for tonight's Special Order to 
celebrate the historical achievements of women and to look forward to 
creating a more equal future for all and preserving this history and 
the contributions of women in the new Smithsonian women's museum, which 
is now going to be built on the mall due to this Congress and this 
Women's Caucus.
  I thank all of my colleagues that helped this happen and helped the 
passage of the ERA today.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I can't wait for that museum.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), 
another leader and fighter for women's rights.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to 
thank the Democratic Women's Caucus, Congresswomen Frankel, Speier, and 
Lawrence, for hosting this Special Order on Women's History Month.
  I want to thank Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for insisting that 
Black women and women of color be seen in this body.
  Last year, we celebrated the centennial of the ratification of the 
19th Amendment, which gave some women the right to vote. We know that 
women of color were not able to vote until decades later, and Black 
women fought until they got suffrage in 1965.
  I am proud that this January, my bill, with the support of both 
Republicans and Democrats here in this body and in the Senate, passed. 
It is called the Women's History and Nineteenth Amendment Centennial 
Quarter Dollar Coin Program Act, and it was signed into law. This 
measure will ensure that prominent women from American history can be 
honored on our circulating quarter dollar coins.
  The currency we use is one of the most important shared ways that we 
have in memorializing what is important to us as Americans. Making sure 
that prominent American women are featured on our coins is an important 
step in recognizing the contributions women have made in furthering 
civil rights and making our country a more equitable place.
  As the mint solicits public input for these coins, it is my hope that 
diverse American women will be chosen and depicted, celebrating our 
Nation's leaders, thinkers, and innovators.
  Last election also brought a record number of women in Congress, and 
there are, I believe, 120 women now in the House. I know my mentor, the 
first African-American woman elected to Congress, Congresswoman Shirley 
Chisolm, would be so proud. Yes, we brought our folding chairs, but I 
have to just tell you, we are here to stay.
  I salute my late mother, Mildred Parish Massey tonight, who blazed so 
many trails. She instilled in her three girls that women are equal to 
men, from day one.
  She was one of the first 12 Black students to integrate the 
University of Texas at El Paso. She was the first Black female civilian 
at Fort Bliss, Texas, to work there for years, and she was the first in 
so many segregated places.
  But you know what? She told my sisters and me that ``can't'' is not 
in the dictionary and that we can fulfill our dreams. But in doing 
that, we have to break these barriers so that others can enter, and she 
insisted that we open the doors for other women and girls.
  It is so important that we celebrate Women's History Month and honor 
the women trailblazers who came before us. Not only should we celebrate 
women, but we should also ensure that they are protected and granted 
equality. I can't think of a better way to honor Women's History Month 
than for this body to pass bills to guarantee and enshrine women's 
equality. It is a shame we have to do that.

  One important action we can take to do that is to remove barriers to 
ratifying the equal rights amendment. I have to thank my good friend, 
Congresswoman Jackie Speier, for her leadership on these efforts. It is 
way past time we do that.
  For 244 years, women have not been able to claim the full protections 
and opportunities afforded by the Constitution. Women and girls face a 
devastating wage gap, gender-based violence, inadequate access to 
healthcare, pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, the list goes 
on. Yet, our Constitution does not explicitly protect them, and women 
of color have had to fight twice as hard.
  I thank Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for leading the Special Order 
tonight. It is an important moment for women in this country.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congresswoman Lee for 
being a voice for women year after year after year.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. 
Schakowsky), who has been one of our fighters from the beginning.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin my remarks about Women's 
History Month with a little quiz. Who was the first woman of color to 
serve in this body, in the United States House of Representatives?
  I think I hear somebody saying maybe it was Shirley Chisolm. Shirley 
Chisolm certainly was a groundbreaking leader, but she was not the 
first woman of color. It was a woman named Patsy Mink.
  Patsy Takemoto Mink was born in the territory of Hawaii in 1927. She 
became a lawyer at the University of Chicago. That is my hometown. Not 
frequent for women to do that. In fact, she couldn't get a job, so she 
set up her own practice.
  But she got really interested in politics, and she served in the 
territorial House and Senate. And guess what? She was the first woman 
ever to be in that body. She was a groundbreaker.
  In 1964, 5 years after Hawaii became a State, Patsy ran for the 
United States Congress, the first woman of color and the first Asian 
American and the first woman to represent Hawaii.
  She championed early childhood education, introduced the first 
childcare bill in Congress, and she was a groundbreaker by introducing 
title IX. This was legislation that itself was groundbreaking. An 
amendment to the Higher Education Act, title IX, ensured that women 
could not be excluded from participating in school activities or 
participating in collegiate athletics. Believe me, this was not an easy 
bill to pass.
  That same year, she actually did run for President. That was about 2 
years before Shirley Chisolm did. A very short race. She was an anti-
Vietnam war candidate. Then she dropped out to run for Senate and lost 
that race.
  But she came back to the United States Congress to serve once again. 
I have to tell you that I had the pleasure--when I came here in 1999, 
Patsy Mink was here, a fierce and tiny woman whom you could not resist.
  I want to say today that we need to lift the name of Patsy Mink 
higher. People don't know who she is or who she was or what she 
accomplished for women. I am determined that we will do something in 
this House of Representatives to acknowledge and honor the great work 
of Patsy Mink.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Ms. Adams), who has been a trailblazer in her own right.
  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Michigan 
and all of the chairs and the co-chairs of this committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the women of the United States House of 
Representatives for Women's History Month. This Women's History Month 
marks the 101st year of women's suffrage in the United States.
  Despite the fact that women have had the right to vote for 101 years, 
we still don't have equal justice under the law. That is why earlier 
today, we passed a resolution to remove the arbitrary deadline for the 
ratification of the equal rights amendment, because there is no 
expiration date on equality.
  Yet, to this day, women are still paid less for our work, face 
workplace harassment, and are discriminated against, simply because of 
who we are.
  Women who work full-time, year-round, still make 82 cents on the 
dollar for men's earnings. Fighting against these disparities and 
ensuring our Federal Government and policies are reflective of the 
whole country is why having women at every level of government is so 
important, in our House, State houses, and, yes, even in the White 
House.
  So this month, in particular, we draw strength and inspiration from 
those

[[Page H1487]]

who came before us and those remarkable women working among us today, 
from Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman to serve in Congress; to 
Nancy Pelosi, the first and only woman Speaker of the House; to Kamala 
Harris, the first female, first African American, and first South Asian 
American Vice President in United States history. She was sworn in by 
the first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor.
  A hundred years ago, only one woman, Alice Mary Robertson, was 
elected to serve in Congress. Currently, a record 144 women were 
elected to this Congress, with 120 women in the House of 
Representatives alone.

                              {time}  2015

  I am proud to say that when I was elected and sworn in in 2013, I 
became the 100th woman. However, there is still a lot of work to be 
done; 144 out of 535 Members is just 25 percent. That is just not what 
our country looks like. Women make up over 50 percent of this Nation.
  Women's History Month is a reminder of the importance and the urgency 
of that work and the need for us to continue breaking those glass 
ceilings.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. I thank the gentlewoman and thank her for being the 
100th woman to enter into Congress.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez).
  Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining, please?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman has 31 minutes remaining.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. I thank Mrs. Lawrence so much for gathering us 
all here tonight in celebration, because celebration is what we must 
do. We must celebrate not just Women's History Month, but everything we 
did today. We must celebrate that we passed the extension of the ERA, 
that we passed the Violence Against Women Act, that we passed the 
American Rescue Plan with all of those wonderful provisions that will 
lift women and children out of poverty.
  I come from a place where for many years they didn't give us the 
vote, they didn't give us statehood, and there was much discrimination. 
But it was also a place where women and women of color have a long and 
proud history of transformative leadership, and I honor a few of them 
today.
  One hundred years ago the suffragist Adelina Otero-Warren helped lead 
the charge to ratify the 19th amendment in New Mexico. After her 
success, she became the first Latina to ever run for Congress. 
Unfortunately, she wasn't successful, but 100 years later I am the 
first Latina to represent my district.
  In my family, my grandmother, Isabel Lopez Leger helped to integrate 
the segregated city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, refusing to move when the 
neighbors realized she was a small, Brown, Spanish-speaking Hispana.
  My big grandma, as we called her Ganga, Abelina Romero Lucero, 
understood how central the vote was to achieving equity and 
representation for our communities, making calls to mobilize voters 
from her hospice bed. She was a Democrat until she died.
  My mother, Manuelita de Atocha Lucero Leger, was punished for 
speaking Spanish in the schoolyard. She took this bigotry and turned it 
into advocacy, and she and my father helped pass the 1973 New Mexico 
Bilingual Multicultural Education Act because she knew that language 
was so essential to ``our culture and heritage,'' ``nuestra cultura y 
herencia,'' and identity.
  New Mexico also claims Dolores Huerta, who proudly taught us that, 
``yes, it can,'' ``si, se puede.''
  I close with New Mexico's beloved daughter, Secretary Deb Haaland of 
the Pueblo of Laguna. New Mexico has shed tears of joy over her 
confirmation. She takes to the Department of the Interior a fierce 
voice borne of resilience and the love of community and our Earth which 
she inherited from the 34 generations of New Mexican women before her.
  Women's history is still unfolding, for we have hard work ahead of 
us, don't we? Women of color, especially, are disproportionately 
impacted by the pandemic, health disparities, and economic hardship. So 
I am so thankful to be here with my ``sisters,'' ``hermanas'' to 
celebrate our history and to recommit ourselves to the hard work we 
have ahead of us.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. I thank the gentlewoman so much. We are standing on 
the shoulders of Deb Haaland and my amazing mentor and friend, Marcia 
Fudge, who have left the Halls of Congress to go to the White House to 
lead the administrative staff.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath), a 
community organizer who put her boots on and walked the streets, and 
made change, and then blessed us by coming to Congress to continue the 
fight.
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I want to first and foremost give a great 
sense of thanks and debt of gratitude to my colleague, Brenda Lawrence, 
for bringing this Special Order hour today, as we are really 
celebrating womanhood. That is truly what we are doing tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, this month we celebrate the amazing and just absolutely 
inspirational women that are all around us. As it has been said over 
and over again, you know, so many amazing women reside right here in 
this body, and I have to personally say, I have never met in my 
lifetime a greater number of courageous and intelligent and just 
amazing women that are so committed to democracy and protecting their 
constituents and their communities, and I feel very humbled and honored 
to actually get to serve with each and every one of them.
  Whether it be a mother or a scientist, a Congresswoman or the Vice 
President of the United States, we are eternally thankful for the work 
that women do to help us thrive here at home and across the globe.
  This week I had the opportunity to speak with four amazing women who 
are fighting for change in my community in Georgia's Sixth 
Congressional District.
  Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid has become the first African 
American and first woman to serve in her position on the Board of 
Commissioners.
  Aixa Pascual has dedicated her career to engage and advocate for 
Georgia's Latino population.
  And after 15 years of teaching, Charisse Davis joined the Cobb County 
School Board to implement ideas that she learned from her experience as 
an educator.
  Dr. Colleen Kelley, a physician at Emory University School of 
Medicine, has worked on the Moderna vaccine trial at Grady Hospital.
  I truly want to thank these incredible women for all of the amazing 
work that they have done in our community, because it not only serves 
my community, my district, Georgia, but also the rest of the Nation.
  I wish everyone a truly happy, happy Women's History Month. But I 
have to honestly say, as I am sitting here today listening to all of my 
colleagues talk about the amazing women that we know and amazing women 
who have done so much work throughout the course of history, I would be 
remiss if I did not mention my own mother, Wilma Cecelia Holman. I owe 
her such a great debt of gratitude because she was one of the very 
first women, Black women in Illinois to receive a master's in nursing 
and to actually teach nursing. So I know that everything that I am, all 
of my courage, my strength, my imagination, my creativity, my drive, 
and my willingness to put my boots on and get down in the dirt, in the 
trenches for the people that I love and care for in my community comes 
from her.

  Mrs. LAWRENCE. I thank the gentlewoman from Georgia.
  I know there is a tradition that says, as long as you say the names 
of your forefathers, they will never leave you. So I just want to 
introduce into the Record Etta Cranford, who was my grandmother. At the 
age of 55, she inherited a 3-year-old and 5-year-old when my mother 
died, and she gave everything she had until her death to ensure that I 
would be a strong Black woman in America.
  I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon).
  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Lawrence for 
bringing us together for this Special Order hour.
  In honor of Women's History Month, I rise to celebrate the League of 
Women Voters nonpartisan work to encourage active and informed 
participation in our democracy since 1920. Founded shortly before the 
ratification of the 19th amendment, the League has always believed in 
women's power to help create a more perfect democracy.

[[Page H1488]]

  In recent years, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania has 
worked to combat 21st century voter suppression tactics, including 
strict voter ID laws and extreme gerrymandering.
  In 2018, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a decision in the 
League of Women Voters v. Pennsylvania that declared our congressional 
districts had been so extremely gerrymandered that they violated our 
State constitution. In doing so, that decision created districts, 
including mine, that are more compact, contiguous, and constitutional. 
The League of Women Voters' decision paved the way for the election of 
four women, myself included, to serve in our State's congressional 
delegation at a time when there were none.
  From the first suffragists through the present day, I want to applaud 
the League of Women Voters for its ongoing work to empower voters and 
defend our democracy.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. I now yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
(Ms. Manning), a woman who has made a difference. I am looking forward 
to the brilliance of her future.
  Ms. MANNING. I would like to thank my colleague from my hometown for 
holding this Special Order and for all she has done on behalf of women.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to celebrate Women's History Month by 
highlighting the multiple and irreplaceable roles that women play in 
our communities.
  Generations of women have worked to balance jobs with raising 
children and caring for aging loved ones. This isn't new. Women have 
always disproportionately shouldered the burden of caring for family. 
But for the first time, this pandemic has highlighted the toll these 
various roles take on women, as so many have been forced to leave the 
workforce to care for others.
  Over the last year, 2.3 million women have left the workforce, a 
nearly 3 percent drop in female participation in the labor force. 
Several factors have contributed to this drop, but none more than the 
closing of childcare facilities and schools.
  The American Rescue Plan is helping women recover from this pandemic 
and return to work by bolstering the childcare sector, increasing the 
child tax credit, expanding paid leave, and safely reopening schools.
  We must treat women with dignity and respect and put into place 
systems that allow women to care for their families and excel at work. 
I proudly voted to support the American Rescue Plan because it is an 
important step in the right direction.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Ms. Ross).
  Ms. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Lawrence for her 
leadership and for organizing this Special Order hour on this 
incredible night in this incredible month of Women's History Month.
  I also want to point out that all three women from the North Carolina 
delegation participated, and that is true sisterhood.
  I rise today to highlight an extraordinary North Carolinian in honor 
of Women's History Month, Reverend Nancy Petty.
  Nancy is a trailblazer in the community. As a member of the LGBTQ 
community and the faith community, she has championed marriage equality 
and brought these welcoming ideas to her own church, Raleigh's historic 
and progressive Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. I worshipped virtually 
with Pullen just last Sunday.
  A kind and compassionate person, Nancy often preaches inclusivity and 
understanding. She has focused on facilitating interfaith dialogue with 
Raleigh's Muslim community and has partnered with the Jewish community 
on social justice advocacy.
  She truly represents the best of our community, and I am honored to 
call her a friend and a neighbor. She has inspired a generation by her 
example to treat others the way you would want to be treated.
  I am so pleased to recognize Reverend Petty for this Women's History 
Month and the example she sets for us all.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina.
  I now yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild), our 
final speaker tonight, who came to Congress with a mission. She has 
made her voice heard, and she has made such a difference. We welcome 
her as not only a woman Member of Congress but as an amazing 
Representative.

                              {time}  2030

  Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, so many of the leaders we hear about are 
public figures, elected officials, people with loud voices in the 
community, but there are so many other kinds of leaders. In particular, 
in connection with this month's Women's History Month, I rise to pay 
tribute to some who are not often noticed, the extraordinary women who 
have battled the COVID pandemic on its front lines in my community and 
across our Nation.
  This historic crisis has devastated my community and communities in 
every corner of our country. More than 530,000 of our fellow Americans 
have died. Millions have lost their jobs. Unprecedented numbers of 
children and families have faced hunger.
  Women have experienced a disproportionate share of these converging 
crises. As a larger share of frontline workers, they have risen to the 
occasion, putting the health and safety of their neighbors ahead of 
their own.
  One woman in my community, the Greater Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, 
has done everything she can to make sure these heroes and our most 
vulnerable neighbors are not forgotten. Dr. Rajika Reed has served the 
people of our community for more than 20 years as a counselor, 
children's therapist, teacher, public health researcher, and 
epidemiologist. Most recently, Dr. Reed has served in one of the 
hospital systems in my community, St. Luke's University Health Network, 
first as senior director of epidemiology and strategy and now as vice 
president of community health.
  Dr. Reed has been instrumental in keeping our community informed 
throughout the pandemic. Dr. Reed has been particularly incisive when 
speaking about the disproportionate impact of COVID on various 
communities throughout the Seventh District, helping all of us 
recognize and understand how rapidly and drastically the stakes can 
change depending on a person's life circumstances.
  By grounding every conversation in easy-to-understand data, Dr. Reed 
has made sure that officials at all levels have a shared understanding 
of constituents' lived reality and the challenges they face, 
particularly the stark racial and economic disparities that have only 
grown during the pandemic.
  Still, throughout it all, Dr. Reed's warm and calm delivery has 
helped soften the blow of what was at times devastating news. Her work 
has helped mobilize my entire community around the shared mission of 
taking care of our own and putting the most vulnerable among us first.
  To Dr. Reed and women frontline workers in every corner of my 
community, including many low-wage workers who still don't have the 
support or pay they need, I stand with you. All of us stand with you 
today and every day.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have 
remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Michigan has 14 minutes 
remaining.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this moment to thank 
everyone who spoke tonight.
  I want everyone to know that women are making so many strides. We are 
currently on target to send women to the Moon. We are on target to make 
sure that women continue to be leaders in education and healthcare. I 
am proud to say that not only do we have a woman as our Vice President, 
but we also have a woman as our amazing Speaker of the House. We have 
six chairs of our congressional committees headed by women. We also 
have over, as I said, 194 women in Congress currently.
  With Women's History Month, sometimes the men will roll their eyes in 
the back of their head and say: Women, why do you need a month? 
Because, so often, the strides and hard work that it took for us to 
accomplish what was given to privileged men are often overlooked.
  I am proud to stand here today to lead this Special Order hour to 
honor the women, as Congresswoman Wild said, the ones who often don't 
get a platform, don't get a mic, and they just do the work every day.

[[Page H1489]]

  Women are the predominant group of educators. If you are educated in 
America, you were probably touched by a woman. Those who are in 
hospitals and went through COVID and all the suffering, the caregivers 
and nurses are predominantly women.
  We all owe a debt of gratitude to the mother who gave birth to us. We 
are often in the kitchens and other places that women are such strong 
leaders, but now we have women in the C suites. We have women 
manufacturing and designing. We have women in every area of America 
working.
  The only thing that any woman wants is the opportunity to have a seat 
at the table to be able to show her brilliance. As my grandmother told 
me, never apologize for your hard work, your brilliance, or your skills 
and talents that you have been blessed with. You use them, and you do a 
good thing with them.
  And as John Lewis said, get in good trouble. The suffragists taught 
us that the good trouble they went through gave us the right to vote in 
America.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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