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Floor Speech

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Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a son of Oakland, California, my constituent, Ryan Coogler, whose film ``Sinners'' has earned 16 Academy Award nominations, the most of any film in Oscar history.

Ryan Coogler was born in Oakland, California, raised in Richmond, and educated at Saint Mary's in Berkeley.

He first came to national attention by putting a human face on the murder of Oscar Grant. He is the youngest director to helm a billion- dollar film. Now, with ``Sinners,'' he has given the world the work of prophetic cinema.

``Sinners'' deploys the imagery of Southern Gothic horror to excavate the truths this Republic has long preferred to bury.

Vampirism became a metaphor in the film to uplift systems that fed on Black life, body, and spirit since the founding of this country.

It is the full humanity that he lifts up in this movie, the humanity of Black folks building community and clamoring and claiming joy under apartheid conditions.

Alongside Ryan Coogler, our district celebrates Oaklanders Delroy Lindo and Raphael Saadiq for their nominations. They are three Oakland artists, and one extraordinary film.

Mr. Speaker, we are so very proud of Ryan Coogler.

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