Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: “Mr. Speaker and Members, I stand here today as chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus to say thank you to…”

“Mr. Speaker and Members, I stand here today as chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus to say thank you to America, thank you to the president and CEO of NBC News network, as well as the president and CEO of CBS News network. I had an opportunity to meet with them last week. They did the right thing. Our country is in peril. We need to bring our country together. Thank you very much for the senior staffs of both of those organizations and for the people of America for standing up and speaking out. We are in trying times at the moment, and there is much we must do to bring our country together and make our families stronger. Kudos, most gracious love, to the women of the Rutgers' basketball team, 10 young women, all honor students, child prodigies, dedicated and working to make life better for themselves and for America, to get to Rutgers, to stay there, to achieve academic excellence, and, yes, then to excel. Also, kudos to the University of Tennessee women's basketball team, the NCAA women's basketball champions. This is the 35th anniversary year of title IX. Title IX is the legislation 35 years ago that was enacted that would make an equal playing field for women in sports and athletics. We will celebrate title IX and have been all year.”