Bonnie Watson Coleman: “I thank my colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus for taking this time to acknowledge this champion. Today, I…”

“I thank my colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus for taking this time to acknowledge this champion. Today, I rise in recognition of the late Shirley Chisholm, who was born 100 years ago last Wednesday. A child of immigrants raised in Brooklyn, Shirley Chisholm would go on to become the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first woman ever to seek the nomination for President from either major American political party. The values she championed throughout her career still serve as noble guiding principles for us all today. She ran unequivocally, unashamedly, and unreservedly on antipoverty, antiwar, and antiracist platforms. She spoke plainly, forcefully, and with a moral clarity that cut through the smoke-filled rooms where men made deals for us on behalf of themselves. Now maybe more than ever, our country is in need of the strength of a Shirley Chisholm. As I close, I will say everyone has a Shirley Chisholm story, and I thank God I have one, too. I spent the day with her talking about the building of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women. She asked me--no. She said to me: Bonnie, I need you down here in D.C. to work with us on the national level. Little did we know what God has prepared for you. I am because she was. I am grateful to God. Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Brown).”