Roberto Clemente Commemorative Coin Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, throughout my life, I dealt with a lot of identity issues. I was adopted at birth. My mom came here from Cuba in the late 1960s. My dad was born in Kansas but is a musician deeply rooted in Black and Latino music. My biological mother is Lebanese and Puerto Rican, and my biological father is Haitian, so I have got a lot going on.

I never quite knew who I was in terms of my identity, and I dealt with this throughout my whole life. There were times in my life where I despised my Blackness. There were times in my life where I despised my Latino heritage.

I bring up my own story because there are so many times where I felt lost, but sometimes you have got to see someone who looks like you fly to know that you can, too. One of those people for so many Black Latinos and Afro-Latinos is Roberto Clemente. He wasn't just one of the best ever to play the sport, but he walked in this tradition that is deeply rooted in the Black tradition and the Latino tradition of deep solidarity--not solidarity as an empathy but solidarity as a verb.

``Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.'' That is a call to action for all of us.

I am proud to support this bill. I am proud to support any time that we can uplift Black Latinos in this country who have done so much for this country and so much for this world.

Ms. De La CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close if the gentlewoman is prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

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