Political Quotes

“I also rise today to honor someone else. Today, I want to honor Marisol Velez, known as Pinqy Ring. She is a rooted, revolutionary Puerto Rican emcee from Chicago, decolonizing minds as a rapper, as an educator, as a mentor, and as a speaker. As a cultural worker and disruptor, Pinqy's music ignites our imaginations and sustains our struggles against displacement and erasure. As an educator and mentor, she shapes the next generation of creative changemakers through culturally rooted programming and radical care. Pinqy is a GRAMMY U mentor. She sits on the National Advisory Board for Music Will and serves as a U.S. Hip-Hop Cultural Ambassador to facilitate cultural diplomacy programming and conflict transformation music. In her roles, she is shaping the first-ever K-12 hip-hop guidelines with the Hip-Hop Education Center. On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my honor to commend Marisol Velez for helping young people find their truth unapologetically and share it creatively. Now, here in the House of Representatives, her name will live on. I congratulate Pinqy.”