Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. A couple months ago, as Claudia mentioned, my good friend from New York's 22nd District invited me for a tour of two of upstate New York's historic sites impacted by Harriet Tubman. Harriet has been one of my heroes since I was 12 years old in the seventh grade. This was my first visit to Peterboro. What a remarkable experience it was to see firsthand the property of my longtime hero, someone who once was the property of someone else. I encourage everyone who visits the northeast to make this stop as part of your trip. I thank my good friend for her invitation and for sharing this time as we discuss courageous Americans who understood the blessing of freedom. I rise today to honor of the extraordinary life and unmatched legacy of Harriet Tubman, one of the most notable abolitionists in American history. As many of you know, Harriet escaped the horrors of slavery and through her work during the abolitionary movement overcame unspeakable odds to secure the dreams of future generations. My great-great-grandfather Silas Burgess came to America shackled in the belly of a slave ship. He was sold on an auction block in Charleston, South Carolina, to the Burgess Plantation. In his youth, he escaped to west Texas along the southwestern route of the Underground Railroad.…”