Recognizing Frank Chapman

Floor Speech

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Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by commending a liberation leader, Frank Chapman.

Frank's political education began in St. Louis, where he experienced the violence of racism and repression and was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 50 years in prison during his twenties. Yet Frank has always been an organizer and educator.

Frank taught himself law and launched a movement to desegregate the prison, where Black prisoners had faced brutal and inhumane treatment. The bars in prison didn't break him or limit his spirit. On the contrary, it propelled him to fight for the liberation of those imprisoned and all people.

After his release, Frank established himself as a fixture in the struggle for liberation in Chicago and beyond. Whether through his leadership in the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, his successful campaigns for community control of the police, or his solidarity with immigrant communities in the fight to protect our neighbors from ICE, Frank has consistently fought to defend the most fundamental of our collective human rights and our shared liberation.

Mr. Speaker, this week carries profound significance for Frank. It marks the 50th anniversary of his release from prison.

I am honored on behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District to commend Frank Chapman for his lifelong commitment to building the beloved community, championing civil and human rights, and practicing solidarity across our intersections, our identities, and our issues.

I thank and congratulate Frank for all of his efforts, and all power to the people. Recognizing Juliet De Jesus Alejandre

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Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor my constituent, Juliet De Jesus Alejandre.

Juliet is a triracial Latina who honors her African and indigenous ancestry with roots in Ecuador and Puerto Rico. She is a healer, organizer, poet, visionary, and she is the current executive director of Palenque LSNA.

Juliet's love for Black, Brown, indigenous, and immigrant communities and her bold vision of collective liberation is deeply rooted in healing, joy, and solidarity, especially among young Latinos and ``madres immigrantes''; ``immigrant mothers.''

To fight erasure, she connects young leaders to their history and genealogy. To fight displacement, she builds collective ownership. To fight dehumanization, she offers mutual support and collective care.

Through her artistry and creativity, she invokes our ancestral histories as she casts visions that help us to imagine new ways forward that leave all of our communities better and stronger.

On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my honor to commend Juliet De Jesus Alejandre for her bold, loving, and creative leadership that builds people power to shape our future because we know ``el pueblo unido jamas sera vencido''; ``the people united shall never be defeated.''

Mr. Speaker, I thank and congratulate Juliet for all of her work.

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