Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the gentleman from New Jersey and the gentlewoman from Illinois but I want to specifically say Chicago. I join…”

“I thank the gentleman from New Jersey and the gentlewoman from Illinois but I want to specifically say Chicago. I join my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I think this is, again, an important statement of the value of the Congressional Black Caucus. I am glad our tone is such that we are compassionate, we have emotion, but we are detailed. With the remaining time, let me try to be concise on the value of the Congressional Black Caucus in American history, its place in this Congress to be the provocative orators and articulators of the conscience of this Nation. Let me first of all say that I have been privileged but certainly have mourned May 15, when all of us paid attention to fallen law enforcement officers who are honored here in the United States Capitol. Any number of us has gone to the grounds, and we have hugged those from our districts, we have honored families, and we have recognized the pain. I think many of you recall that there was an assassination of sorts of a deputy sheriff in Houston, a number of unfortunate assassinations or shootings of police in New York, and I saw the Nation mourn. I think it is important to say this because, often, when we say ``Black lives matter,'' it seems conflicted. People raise the issues that African Americans or the Nation seem to be hesitant about law enforcement officers, and that is not true. I want to thank the Congressional Black Caucus and Chairman Butterfield because we started out this year with a criminal justice agenda.…”