Sydney Kamlager-Dove: “I give thanks and appreciation to the gentlewoman from Florida for holding it down during this Special Order hour for…”

“I give thanks and appreciation to the gentlewoman from Florida for holding it down during this Special Order hour for the CBC, and I thank the gentleman from Illinois for doing the same. Mr. Speaker, today, we stand on the shoulders of a giant, a giant who stood just 5 feet 3 inches tall but had the power to shake the Nation. Shirley Chisholm wasn't just the first Black woman elected to Congress. She was a force of nature who shattered barriers and dared anyone to stop her. Spoiler alert: They couldn't. In a world that told her no at every turn, Shirley said: Watch me. Watch me. She ran for Congress. She won. She became the first Black woman to serve in this very body, a body that, let's be clear, wasn't exactly rolling out the red carpet and still kind of doesn't. Did that stop her? Absolutely not. She showed up, took her seat, and if there wasn't a seat, Shirley brought her own folding chair, slammed it down, and said: Let's get to work. She made history. Along the way, she didn't just break the rules; she rewrote them. She fought for civil rights, women's rights, and economic justice. She did it all without ever compromising who she was or in what she believed. Shirley didn't come to Congress to blend in. She came to lead, to challenge, and to remind the world that power belongs to those bold enough to claim it. And lead she did, fearlessly, unapologetically, and always with her eyes on a better and more just future.…”