[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3732]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, before I take my 5 minutes, I just want to 
commend my good friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson), for the 
leadership he has provided on behalf of missing children in our country 
and the focus that he has given the United States Congress on this very 
important issue. I know, from observing him work and the passion he 
brings to the subject, that there would not be half the focus that 
there is in the United States Congress if it were not for him and the 
hard work that he is doing in elevating this issue and educating the 
rest of us, as well as our administration and the rest of the country, 
with what a serious problem it is. So I thank the gentleman and ask him 
to continue the good work. I want him to know that there are many of us 
who are with him every step of the way.
  Madam Speaker, tonight I rise in honor of Women's History Month. In 
1987, Congress passed a resolution designating the month of March as 
Women's History Month, and a time to honor, and I quote, ``American 
women of every race, class and ethnic background who have made historic 
contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless 
recorded and unrecorded ways.''
  For 2002, the theme of Women's History Month has been ``Women 
Sustaining the American Spirit.'' To celebrate this month, I would like 
to honor four of the numerous women from Wisconsin's history that have 
sustained the American spirit.
  First, I would like to recognize Ada Deer. Ms. Deer, a Native 
American activist, was born in Keshena, Wisconsin. Nationally known as 
a social worker, scholar, teacher, and political leader, Ms. Deer was 
the first female Chair of the Menominee Nation and the first woman to 
serve as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She continues her work 
today as a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
  Next, I honor a woman if not well-known to my colleagues is certainly 
well-known to a lot of our children, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Ms. Wilder 
was born in a small town on the banks of the Mississippi, Pepin, 
Wisconsin, which is in my congressional district. Her early years in 
this area became the basis for her first book, ``Little House in the 
Big Woods,'' written when she was 65 years old. This was the first of 
many successful books that comprised the ``Little House'' series, which 
is still read by many children today.
  Belle Case LaFollette is another woman whose contributions to 
Wisconsin's history cannot be overstated. Though it was her husband, 
Fighting Bob LaFollette, who held office, Belle was a political force 
in her own right. Born in Juneau County, Wisconsin, she was the first 
female graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. Throughout 
her life she was a tireless advocate on behalf of women's rights and 
human rights in general.
  Finally, I would like to highlight the work of Georgia O'Keefe, born 
in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Ms. O'Keefe was one of the first nationally 
recognized female American artists. After attending high school in 
Edgewood, Wisconsin, she studied in New York City, then left the city 
to become supervisor of art in the Amarillo, Texas, school system. It 
was in the natural floral landscapes of the Southwest that she 
discovered the subjects of her most famous paintings.
  Each of these women has had an impact not only on Wisconsin's 
history, but also on the history of our Nation as a whole. Whether in 
art or literature, activism or teaching, they deserve our remembrance 
not only during the month of March but throughout the rest of the year 
as well.

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