Political Quotes

“I rise as the son of a single mom and as the brother of four sisters. Unfortunately, I have heard stories of abuse and assault and neglect throughout my life. I also heard these stories from my students and the many families I served throughout my time in education. The consistency throughout these stories illustrate how there is no recourse and there are no safe spaces for women to go to when they are under assault and feeling abused. Madam Speaker, this past year, before joining Congress, I sat with a student and her mom in my office to call a domestic violence help hotline. And we stayed on hold for hours before anyone came to the phone. There was no housing for them to go to in support of their safety. So I rise to support this legislation, and I rise to denounce the sexism and patriarchy and misogyny that continues to exist within our political arenas and within our laws.”