Peter Visclosky: “I am pleased to participate today in this special order to commemorate Black History Month. In March, we will celebrate…”

“I am pleased to participate today in this special order to commemorate Black History Month. In March, we will celebrate Women's History Month, and, in that vein, I would like to pay tribute to a number of African-American women who have overcome adversity to achieve great success. African-Americans have made great strides since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. However, we have a ways to go before the economic disparity between the African-American community and the rest of America is eliminated. Black women, in particular, still struggle in disproportionately high numbers with the challenges of raising children while living in poverty. Fortunately, we can look at shining success stories in the African-American community to show young people how to improve their lives and communities. In the words of the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan: "We need to change the decaying inner cities from decay to places where hope lives." A pioneer in American politics, Barbara Jordan was the first black State senator in Texas history, and the first woman from Texas, as well as the first black, to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after Reconstruction. Barbara Jordan was a champion of freedom and of the Constitution.”