[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4506]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMEMORATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE GARCIA

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 21, 2013

  Mr. GARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Women's History Month. 
This celebration is so important because it provides us with an 
opportunity to recall the many ways in which women have shaped our 
Nation's history. It provides a time to reflect on their fight to 
achieve equality but also the work that remains to ensure that we are a 
society where our daughters have the same opportunities as our sons. 
During this month, I can't help but to be reminded of the countless 
women who have had an indelible impact on our Nation's history.
  My home state of Florida was the beneficiary of the tireless work of 
one such woman, Marjory Stoneman Douglas. A writer, journalist, 
environmentalist, and feminist, Ms. Douglas lived a life of purpose and 
resolve until she died at the age of one-hundred and eight.
  Among her many worthy endeavors, was her tireless advocacy for the 
Everglades. With her seminal work, The Everglades: River of Grass, Ms. 
Douglas transformed the public's perception of the Everglades from that 
of an inhabitable swamp, to a vital facet of South Florida's ecosystem 
and a true national treasure.
  Her work as an advocate for the less fortunate and for the Everglades 
continues to reverberate throughout Florida and the nation.
  It is women like Ms. Douglas who make the United States what it is 
today. Their commitment to their communities and to their country 
continues to bring our Nation closer to realizing the ideals on which 
it was founded.
  Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate the women who have shaped our history, 
I remind my colleagues that while the month of March may come to an 
end, the fight for equality continues for our daughters, sisters, and 
mothers.

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