Women's History Month
Floor Speech
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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to coanchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour along with my distinguished colleague, the Honorable Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
For the next 60 minutes, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people on women's history, an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, Congress, the constituents that we represent, and all America.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo).
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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the Honorable Gabe Amo from the great State of Rhode Island for his remarks.
Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield to the gentlewoman from Florida, the Honorable Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the Honorable Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick from the great State of Florida for her remarks.
Madam Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio, the Honorable Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.
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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the former Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman, the Honorable Congresswoman Joyce Beatty from the great State of Ohio for her remarks.
Madam Speaker, it is now my privilege to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey, the Honorable Congressman Payne.
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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the Honorable Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. from the great State of New Jersey. It has been a pleasure of mine to have worked with his father and to see his honorable son continue on in his tradition.
Tonight, in this great Chamber, we gather to honor and remember the contributions of women to the indispensable future of the American experiment with democracy. In particular, I rise to give special commendation to the role that Black women have played in the formation of American possibilities.
It is not such a stretch to suggest that America would be unlivable for a great many of its citizens were it not for the indelible work and prophetic imagination of women in this country.
Where would this country be without Eleanor Roosevelt, Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm, Diane Nash, Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi, the Honorable Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee?
Black women, and all women really, are the fabric that holds this Nation together because when men have followed their egos and ambition into war and repression, it was the women of this country who stood up to the madness, demanding ever more forcefully that the center must hold.
On this side of the aisle, we still believe that every woman should have the right to vote, the right to equal pay for equal work, the right for every opportunity and resources available to any man.
We believe that when at all possible no woman should ever lose her life giving birth to a child in the United States of America.
We believe that the maternal mortality rates of Black women are a moral indictment against the persistence of bigotry and discrimination in America.
On this side of the aisle, we believe in the right of every woman to control what happens to her body as a matter of reproductive justice, personal autonomy, and self-determination. How dare any man tell a woman what she can do with her body? How dare any government come in between a woman and her medical decisions? How dare any political party use a woman's body as an opportunity to get elected rather than respecting the fact that every woman is made in the image of God?
That is the difference between this side of the aisle and, I must say, the other side of the aisle. This side of the aisle gave the Nation Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first African-American woman to sit on the Supreme Court.
The other side of the aisle has spent the last 50 years trying to destroy Roe v. Wade. Even after they facilitated that disaster, they even are now trying to undermine in vitro fertilization, because that is the difference between this side of the aisle and the other side when it comes to issues that matter.
This side of the aisle produced the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, who was principally responsible for passing the Affordable Care Act that has allowed millions of people to come out of the suffering shadows and receive the healthcare coverage they deserve.
On the other side of the aisle, leaders of that party facilitated a racist lie regarding the birth certificate of the former President of the United States, President Barack Obama.
This side of the aisle facilitated the passage of Title IX. Many people are excited to see women playing basketball now, but that was part of the civil rights legislation that we hold dear. Title IX is a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools or any educational programs. Some have said that this law has single-handedly been the reason little girls all over America enjoy opportunities that their grandmothers never had.
On this side of the aisle, we believe that every child is precious and that every little girl is a gift from God, and on this side of the aisle we don't want our sons to have any more opportunities than our daughters get to enjoy.
On this side of the aisle, we fight to expand freedom, opportunity, and the securities of justice to every American regardless of race, class, gender, or sexual orientation.
I can't speak for anyone else, but on this side of the aisle, we believe the Bible when it says your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.
Let me remind you today that, as a son of the civil rights movement, I am keenly aware of the fact that the movement that made my election possible would have been improbable were it not for Black women. I stand on the shoulders of many of these remarkable Black women who through their insight, their grit and generosity support the weight of generations yet unborn.
I see them all over my home district in Chicago and the greater part of Illinois. I have encountered them in the churches on the south side. They raised me. My mother is one of them, as are my sisters. They say hi to me in the supermarket. They meet me all over the district to talk to me about our Nation, their needs, and their lives. They are the daughters of thunder and the children of light.
Today, I am honored to recognize them. Today, I proverbially tip my hat and genuflect in the presence of such unusual greatness.
I am grateful today for the women in this Chamber who are my colleagues. I am grateful for what they do and for what they represent. Let us never forget that at the founding of this great institution, at the founding of this great country in 1776, and at the ratification of our Constitution in 1787, it was never in the imagination of the Founders that a woman would sit in these Chambers or cast votes as a Member of this body. However, look at what determination and faith can do. Look at what hard work and love for justice can do. I celebrate each of the honorable women who serve in this Congress, and I pray that this country will continue to provide greater room and greater opportunities for the genius of this Nation's women so that they can flourish and we can live up to our highest potential.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick).
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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, you have heard from my distinguished colleagues about women's history and the many great contributions they have made.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), the Congressional Black Caucus chairman.
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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the tireless fighter, our leader, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chairman Steven Horsford, from the great State of Nevada. I also thank my coanchor, the Honorable Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, from the great State of Florida.
Madam Speaker, you have heard from my distinguished colleagues about African-American contributions to American history and Women's History Month, all issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, our constituents, Congress, and all Americans tonight.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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