[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4018]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE NEVADA WOMEN'S HISTORY PROJECT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2006

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor The Nevada Women's 
History Project for their contributions to the community in promoting 
awareness of the historical contributions of Nevadan women.
  The Nevada Women's History Project (NWHP) was founded in the fall of 
1994 to provide visibility and support for the gathering and 
dissemination of history about the roles and contributions of Nevada 
women of every race, class and ethnic background. The NWHP is a 
statewide organization, with active regions in the North and South. 
Currently the group has over 200 members.
  On March 5, 2005 the second statue from the state of Nevada, that of 
Sarah Winnemucca, was placed in the United States Capitol. The NWHP was 
the main factor in placing the statue, by raising the funds to make the 
statue and lobbying the Nevadan Legislature to give Sarah this honor. 
The NWHP has gone further to recognize Sarah by placing a replica of 
the original statue in Reno, Nevada. A second replica statue, which 
will reside in Las Vegas City Hall, will be dedicated on March 25.
  ``Life Among the Piutes,'' is Sarah Winnemucca's powerful legacy to 
both cultures, the Native Americans and the whites. It appeared in 
1883, the first book ever published that was written by a Native 
American woman. Following the oral tradition of her people, she reaches 
out to readers with a deeply personal appeal for understanding, 
recording a portion of the history of the far west from the Native 
American perspective. The book was a monumental achievement, recording 
the Native American viewpoint of whites settling the west, told in a 
language that was not her own and written and published by a woman 
during a time when even white women were not allowed to vote. The 
achievement of her book is second only to the work she performed 
everyday to promote understanding across cultures. I applaud the NWHP 
for their efforts to recognize her.
  This year the NWHP is publishing a book entitled ``Skirts That Swept 
the Desert Floor.'' The book contains the biographies of 100 women from 
Nevada that were instrumental in shaping all aspects of Nevada's 
history. This unique encyclopedic collection pays tribute to an 
otherwise unrecognized group of individuals whose stories should not be 
overlooked.
  Mr. Speaker I am honored to recognize the Nevada Women's History 
Project on the floor of the House, today. I commend them for their 
service in recognizing the women in our history that have made special 
contributions to help make Nevada the great state that it is.

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