No Flowers for Ukrainian Women on International Women's Day
Floor Speech
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Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Speier and Representative Marcy Kaptur. It is a solemn privilege to be with them tonight as we lift up the people of Ukraine, as we lift up the women and children of Ukraine on this International Women's Day.
It is a sad day. It is a solemn day around the globe, and I hope that the people of Ukraine know that we are heartbroken and determined alongside of them.
I will begin by saying, ``Slava Ukraini. Slava Heroyam,'' and recognize this International Women's Day.
I am the co-chair of the bipartisan Women's Caucus, and on behalf of that caucus, I stand here to lift up the people of Ukraine, in particular, the women and children in their suffering.
I want to say personally for me--I am speaking for no one in this case other than myself--I don't believe that we are actually witnessing a war here. I believe we are witnessing a series of war crimes; that we are witnessing a series, the world is witnessing a series of atrocities. There is no justification for this attack on the sovereign nation of Ukraine. These are war crimes, and they are Mr. Putin's alone.
I represent the Fourth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. It is Montgomery and Berks Counties, suburban Philadelphia, proud home, in both Jenkintown, Abington, and in Bridgeport and other areas of our community, to terrific Ukrainian-American members of my community.
I have known them for my entire time of public service: As a State representative for 6\1/2\ years and now in my fourth year in Congress. I have always been proud to call them my community members, but sadly never so proud as I have been in the last 3, 4 weeks, as they prepared for this horror that we all hoped would not come.
Just a few days ago, I was with the Ukrainian organizations and volunteers at the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center in Abington, many of whom still have close family and friends in Ukraine. And, in fact, the children there made me this beautiful headband; made for me and for many others. What was fascinating that day is everyone was coming together, community coming together--not just Ukrainian Americans, but others--to say we will not stand for the horror that is going on. The globe, the world will not stand for the atrocities, the murderous brutality of Mr. Putin on sovereign people.
One woman who started a donation drive was amazed. She went to U-Haul and bought 30 boxes, and she wondered if they would be able to fill those 30 boxes with donations of humanitarian food, medicines, blankets, clothing, and others. Well, I think there were about three container trucks later. The place was teeming with people, volunteers of all stripes, towering with boxes of donations and people furiously and very hopefully sorting those things. It was an amazing snapshot of what I already knew about the Ukrainian-American community. They are leaders in Montgomery County. They are leaders in this country. They are leaders we are watching and witnessing in this world. Their generosity and strength, their determination is extraordinary, and we cannot imagine the pain and suffering as they watch their homeland, they watch their family, their neighbors, their friends struggling with this set of atrocities.
No amount of warnings from the Biden administration and our intelligence could have prepared us for the sheer brutality and devastation we have seen. Mr. Putin expected that he would quickly topple Ukraine's young democracy. He was wrong, and he will be forever wrong, as we have watched in all the resilience and the heroism of the Ukrainians, especially President Zelensky.
Over the weekend, President Zelensky got on a call with Members of Congress, both House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, hundreds of us. What a man of determination and dignity. I took notes. He said to us: We just want peace. We want to hold and kiss our children. We want to go to work. We want to sip coffee at our kitchen table. We want to be neighbors with the Russians.
What bravery. What dignity. And yet this war has brought on him and us a humanitarian crisis, with the number of people fleeing Ukraine already exceeding 2 million. But death, displacement, and destruction must not be forever. We must provide necessary aid, weapons, medicines, food, fuel, refuge in a bipartisan universal way. I know we all in Congress will continue to do all we can.
Ukrainians worldwide, please know we are here for you. You are welcome here. God bless Ukraine.
The U.N. has recorded 406 civilian casualty deaths. Sadly, I think it will be far more than that. An 18-month-old boy was killed in his home after he was shelled by Russian forces; 13 civilians killed in an air strike on the town of Makariv, their bodies recovered from the rubble; a 26-year-old woman killed while attempting to deliver supplies to a dog shelter in Buka; eight people killed during Russian shelling while trying to flee the town of Irpin--children, mothers, civilians; a preschool in northeastern Ukraine hit while civilians took shelter, killing three of them, including a child and wounding another.
These tragedies are inspiring a Nation and the many women in it, and I applaud the women of Ukraine fighting to keep their country free and the women of Russia protesting and speaking out against Mr. Putin, even at the risk of imprisonment and worse.
I think of Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.N., whom we have met with this past summer and this last week--what a tower of strength; and Julia, a teacher and volunteer who wept and said, ``I just want to live in our country, and that is all,'' as she waited to be deployed to fight Russian troops.
Putin will forever be a pariah. The globe recognizes him for the murderous, brutal dictator that he seeks to be.
Yet, I have hope. I have hope in the Ukrainian people and the globe that has recognized the horror that is this series of war crimes.
Representative Speier, thank you for heading this tonight. Slava Ukraini. Slava Heroyam. God bless Ukraine.
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