[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 9, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3998-H3999]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING JAQUIE ALGEE
(Mrs. Ramirez of Illinois was recognized to address the House for 5
minutes.)
Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor and celebrate Jaquie
Algee, a powerful and loving champion for justice, humanity, and
solidarity.
As the daughter of civil rights activists from the south who marched
alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jaquie's political education
began at home. She was raised on the stories of neighbors fighting side
by side to defend their dignity and to realize their collective
liberation. Those early lessons shaped her consciousness and became the
foundation on which her impressive life's work is built.
[[Page H3999]]
For decades, Jaquie has organized people to build power, to
demonstrate solidarity, and to stand up and fight back against
injustice.
Whether as the board president and founding member of Chicago's
Women's March, her work with the Poor People's Campaign, or her current
service as the vice president of external relations for SEIU
Healthcare, Jaquie has not only been on the front lines for some of the
most significant struggles, but she is the light that has guided our
movements with fierceness, joy, authenticity, and powerful love.
The work she holds closest to her heart unfolded over two decades ago
after the murder of her son and only child, Kenneth. Kenneth was a
victim of gun violence. As an assignment of love, Jaquie helped
organize one of the biggest marches in the Nation's Capital that the
Nation had ever seen: the Million Mom March on Mother's Day of 2000. In
front of the White House, she held up Kenneth's picture, honored her
son and every single child we have seen lost to gun violence.
For Algee, marching is a sacred act. When we march, we resist
despair. When we stand up and press on, we demonstrate that we will
keep fighting until we are, in fact, victorious. When we lock arms, we
remember that we are not alone.
That is the gift of Jaquie Algee. For so many of us, she has
motivated us to persist, to face the light, to never give up, and to
hold out hope because we, in fact, are not alone. Whenever she can be,
she is right next to us, arm in arm, marching on.
On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my honor
to commend Jaquie Algee for her lifelong commitment to building the
beloved community, championing civil and worker rights, and practicing
solidarity across our intersections, across our identities, and across
our issues.
I thank Jaquie Algee for being a spiritual mother for me. We know
that all power is to the people.
Celebrating Life of Kevin Gonzalez
Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life and legacy of
Kevin Gonzalez, my 18-year-old constituent who was a U.S. citizen boy
who lived his last few weeks of life fighting to be reunited with his
parents, showing us all the power of love.
(English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)
Born in Chicago, Kevin was a U.S. citizen whose family was separated
after his parents, Isidoro and Norma Anabel, were deported to Mexico.
To keep their family together, Kevin moved to Mexico. But during a
recent visit to Chicago, he became ill, was diagnosed with terminal
colon cancer, and began undergoing treatment.
After Kevin stopped responding to treatment, his parents sought
permission to travel to the U.S. to see their son. Their visas were
denied by DHS. Desperate to reach their son, they tried to return to
him the only way they knew: by crossing the border. But instead of
being reunited, they were detained by CBP for a month.
That is when Kevin showed us the power of love. He fought--even as he
lay dying--to be reunited with his parents. He spoke out. And while a
community came around him to reunite him with his parents, Kevin's love
kept him alive until he could see them one more time. He waited for
them. And he passed away less than 24 hours after reuniting with them.
Kevin's example invites us to love one another in a way that defies
borders and death and authoritarians and all those who would separate
our families and seek our destruction.
So, on behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my
honor to commend Kevin Gonzalez. May we honor his memory by fighting
for a more compassionate and just world that honors our shared humanity
and dignity.
____
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life and legacy of Kevin
Gonzalez--my 18-year-old constituent, who showed us all the power of
love.
Kevin, nacido en Chicago, era ciudadano estadounidense; su familia
fue separada despues de que sus padres, lsidoro y Norma Anabel, fueran
deportados a Mexico. Para mantener a la familia unida, Kevin se mudo a
Mexico. Sin embargo, durante una visita reciente a Chicago, enfermo,
fue diagnosticado con cancer de colon terminal y comenzo a recibir
tratamiento.
Cuando Kevin dejo de responder al tratamiento, sus padres solicitaron
permiso para viajar a Estados Unidos y ver a su hijo. El Departamento
de Seguridad Nacional (DHS) les nego las visas. Desesperados por llegar
hasta el, intentaron reunirse con su hijo de la unica manera que
conocian: cruzando la frontera. Pero, en lugar de reencontrarse, fueron
detenidos por CBP durante un mes.
Fue entonces cuando Kevin nos mostro el poder del amor. Lucho--
incluso mientras moria--por reencontrarse con sus padres. Alzo la voz.
Y mientras la comunidad se unia para lograr ese reencuentro, el amor de
Kevin lo mantuvo con vida hasta que pudo verlos una vez mas. Los
espero. Y fallecio menos de 24 horas despues de haberse reunido con
ellos.
El ejemplo de Kevin nos invita a amarnos unos a otros de una manera
que desafia las fronteras, la muerte, a los autoritarios y a todos
aquellos que pretenden separar a nuestras familias y buscan nuestra
destruccion.
Por eso, en nombre del Tercer Distrito Congresional de Illinois, es
un honor para mi reconocer a Kevin Gonzalez. Honremos su memoria
luchando por un mundo mas compasivo y justo, que respete nuestra
humanidad y dignidad compartidas. Descansa en paz.
Mrs. RAMIREZ. May Kevin rest in power. I thank him for showing us the
power of love, the power of a boy who just wanted to be reunited with
his parents one last time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Schmidt). The gentlewoman from Illinois
will provide the Clerk a translation of her remarks.
____________________