Sheila Jackson Lee: “``We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic…”

“``We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.'' Formulated by the people of the United States to create a more perfect union--we know these words. They are the core of our being. Our Nation of over 300 million people embraces diversity and individualism, has birthed a citizenry that speaks many languages, holds a plethora of deep religious beliefs, or none, and practices customs and traditions originating on distant shores. We are unique. African Americans, in particular, have a unique history embedded in slavery, discrimination, and the denial of our rights, but voting rights have been our refuge. Today I rise and say there is no option other than passing the John Robert Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. There is no option. We do not just survive; our Nation thrives because of our shared belief that helps us against all odds. It helped us in World War I and World War II and the conflicts in and around. It helps us in wars where we have lost our young men and women. We have a country formed out of many to become one people.…”