On the recordJune 1, 2015
I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois and also the gentlewoman from Ohio for joining us this evening. Her thoughts and comments are always salient and to the point, and we appreciate her supporting us in this effort. We sophomores have to stick together. It is just always a delight for me to be able to hear what Mrs. Beatty has to say in terms of the topics that we discuss. She has demonstrated true leadership in the CBC since her arrival. Mr. Speaker, this is the greatest Nation on the face of the Earth, and there are many issues, many mottos, many sayings that go along with this Nation. And one of them is that all men are created equal. But why do we continue to find such gaps in all people being created equal and the circumstances some communities find themselves in? Like anyone, young African Americans would like to grow up, educated well, raise their families, and eke out an income that sustains them and creates a quality of life that all people deserve. But that doesn't happen. We have the haves and the have-nots, the 99 percent and the 1 percent. And too often it seems like that is what our Nation is built on. Sure, we talk about equality, we talk about equal rights, but for some reason, in many instances, it just doesn't seem to fit the circumstance. Wages for working people have stagnated, as my colleague from New York said, over 15 years, but we have watched the top 1 percent make more and more money.…
