Barbara Lee: “I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding and for her tremendous and steady leadership in bringing us…”

“I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding and for her tremendous and steady leadership in bringing us all together during these very important Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hours. Yes, Congresswoman Chisolm made history as the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. She was the first. I am the 20th. That is since 1789, mind you, when the first Congress went into session. She also was the first Black woman and the first woman to run for the Presidency of the United States of America. Throughout her seven terms representing New York's 12th Congressional District, and mine just happens to be California's 12th Congressional District, Shirley worked across the aisle to advocate for her constituents and to pass bipartisan reforms. She focused on tackling issues of food insecurity and economic justice. She was known as Fighting Shirley. She was a fearless advocate for American families who served as the founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. There are a couple of stories I would just like to mention tonight. When I came to Congress, there had been no real recognition of Shirley Chisolm, and I decided to introduce a resolution to honor her. I called her from right back there, the Cloakroom, and, of course, the resolution was on suspension.…”