Carrie Meek: “I am honored to stand before you today, balancing on the strong shoulders of those who have preceded us and those who…”

“I am honored to stand before you today, balancing on the strong shoulders of those who have preceded us and those who today tell us by word and deed that we are a proud, strong race of people. In fact, we are much like the old jack-in-the-box. Yes, the jack-in-the-box. You can push us down, clamp the lid shut, but when we hear the sweet refrain of the collective love and support of our black brothers and sisters, up we pop. Throughout history there have been black men and women who, although oppressed and suppressed, have risen up to inspire and uplift us. There are so many--men like Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey, Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Nelson Mandela--women like Harriett Tubman, Rosa Parks, Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Dorothy Height. I could go on and on. We have been kings and queens, slaves, farmers, educators, poets, scientists, entertainers, preachers, businesspeople, cabinet members, Congress men and women and Senators. We have come far by the sweat of our brow through perseverance and dogged determination and, yes, definitely, through suffering. And while black people as a whole struggled mightily, a section of us have had an added obstacle to overcome--that of being a woman.”