Elijah Lewis: “we are here today to honor one of our colleagues, Representative Juanita McDonald of the 37th District of California.…”

“we are here today to honor one of our colleagues, Representative Juanita McDonald of the 37th District of California. Representative McDonald was an extraordinary woman. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama at a time of racial violence and overt displays of the most open and systematic forms of racism. But she did not let that hold her down or hold her back. She went to college in California, she became a teacher in the Los Angeles school system, and throughout her career she used education as an instrument for change. She was a great teacher, and she used the power of knowledge and her commitment to human understanding to break down institutional barriers and to reach across the aisle. I think that is why she made so many strides as a Member of Congress. She knew gaining mutual understanding was the only way to build coalitions and lay all differences aside. That's why her creativity and skillful leadership became legendary. She was the first Democrat to chair the Congressional Caucus For Women's Issues and she used that power to build a coalition between the women of the Supreme Court and the women of Congress. She knew the differences in their roles as public servants didn't matter. She believed all women in government shared a common bond. She took concerned women of Congress to meet delegates to the United Nations to unify the global struggle against the exploitation of women and girls.”