Sheila Jackson Lee: “I am delighted but sad but empowered but anguished but yet fulfilled but yet rising but yet encouraged but yet ready to…”

“I am delighted but sad but empowered but anguished but yet fulfilled but yet rising but yet encouraged but yet ready to fight this evening. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her distinguished leadership and friendship. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted as well with the gentleman from Illinois for his shining leadership and transformational changes that are happening in and around his district in Chicago. I am honored to be here with my other colleagues that are here. I thank Chairman Horsford and Chairwoman Beatty, emeritus of the Congressional Black Caucus, and I am honored to again call the Congressional Black Caucus the conscience of the Congress, and, yes, the conscience of the Nation. We can say that because in our midst we have had the Honorable John Lewis. Mr. Speaker, I want to go down memory lane just a bit. As I do so and before I speak to the irony of the connection of the Tennessee Three to the historical record. Does anyone remember the Georgia 33, as we have brought to highlight? There were 33 Black legislators right after the Civil War, 1866 to 1868, proud and standing tall because they had some way of gaining the right to vote and the people there--the freed slaves, after the 13th Amendment was eliminated ending slavery in the United States--our freed slaves could vote. Property owners, as I believe. They elected 33 Black legislators, and they were proud.…”