Summer Lee: “I first acknowledge and thank our convener, the gentleman from Illinois. I thank the bold and brave women, our…”

“I first acknowledge and thank our convener, the gentleman from Illinois. I thank the bold and brave women, our colleagues Cori Bush and Ayanna Pressley who have put together this convening as well. And I also thank all the women on whose shoulders we stand, particularly those who brought an intersectional perspective and urgency to the fight for all women throughout this country, but also adding on to that urgency, a reminder that it is Women's History Month in the year 2023, and yet we pretend to be surprised that a document written by rich, land-owning White men in the 18th century does not protect my rights. We pretend to be surprised that a document that saw my Black ancestors as property until the 19th century legally does not yet empower people who look like me. We are oh so surprised that a document that did not allow women the right to participate in our democracy through voting, let alone the right to have land or a bank account until the 20th century is in need of an update. Well, I am not surprised. Actually, I am pissed. I stand today as one of the vice chairs, the new vice chairs of the ERA Caucus to demand the obvious need for a constitutional amendment so that our future daughters and granddaughters, mine and yours, are not discussing what we failed to do in the 21st century. Yes, I stand today frustrated that it is not obvious to all elected Members of Congress that the rights of all women, and specifically Black women, need to be protected.…”