Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding, and I thank, with deep appreciation, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson…”

“I thank the distinguished chairman for yielding, and I thank, with deep appreciation, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. I am delighted to be an original cosponsor, and I thank the Committee on the Judiciary for really standing for these issues that are uniquely engaged in the Constitution and equality and justice but that would get no light of day had our chairman and our subcommittee chairpersons not thought that it was valuable and important. Mr. Speaker, let me say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, I am very glad for their recitation of the civil rights laws. And they are right: They are extremely important in protecting the civil rights of those who have been infringed upon. But they are not perfect, and they are not perfect as evidenced by the continuous, stark discrimination regarding hairstyles, particularly with African-American women and others. Mr. Speaker, let me just say, I realize that this is a tough business. But wear hairstyles such as what I wear and note the social media calling you monkeys over and over again. So, it is not just the fact that you wear a style that could be called a crown; it is the advantage that others who want to racially divide--do you know who they do it to? Our children.…”