[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA

  (Ms. PLASKETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight a major 
legislative win which was the designation of the National Heritage Area 
Act for my home of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.
  I thank Senator Angus King for his support, who introduced the Senate 
companion bill, which was signed into law by President Biden.
  St. Croix, with its place of landing, is the only place in the United 
States in which Christopher Columbus actually set his foot. It is home 
to native Caribs, as well as Taino Indians, who engaged and fought with 
Christopher Columbus. It is the home of Alexander Hamilton. We have a 
history of enslavement and struggle to maintain our African ancestors' 
culture on that island.
  Seven nations have owned the U.S. Virgin Islands at one point or 
another, adding to a rich blend of many cultures and ideas; the epitome 
of Americanism, how the innovation and continual change in our country 
takes place.
  St. Croix's National Heritage Area designation is the culmination of 
nearly 20 years of advocacy and work. We look forward to what it brings 
to our island.

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