Bonnie Watson Coleman: “I thank the leader of our Special Order hour, the magnificent, exquisite, and always on point the Honorable Sheila…”

“I thank the leader of our Special Order hour, the magnificent, exquisite, and always on point the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee for her work on H.R. 40 and reminding us every day that within that word ``reparations'' is repair and our opportunity to study how we can repair the pain and the injustice that was accorded to our community. I need to recognize my leader, Joyce Beatty, because under her leadership she has amplified our voice is our power. And on whatever level we decide that we must speak and we must act, Joyce Beatty has reminded us that our voice is our power because the Congressional Black Caucus believes in exercising that power on behalf of communities that have been underrepresented for so very long, whether it is environmental justice, social justice, criminal justice reform, housing, or just whether or not the whole system needs to be examined as it impacted us. I thank the chair of our caucus, who took us through a journey that reminded me, as I was sitting there, of the good work that we have been able to do. I tell you that I feel like I am standing here in a very sacred space, and I want to speak in the spirit that flows through us that was left by Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, John Lewis, Elijah Cummings, and Alcee Hastings, and so many more that have gone before us and have opened the doors and pushed through the doors so that we might be here this evening to address you.…”