Black History Month

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to first say thank you to our co-anchors; only freshmen in this House but certainly seasoned in the life that they have led. I thank Congressman Figures and Congresswoman Bynum, and to our Madam Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.

Mr. Speaker, tonight you will hear many stories of Black history, which is definitely American history. I rise today because Black sacrifice and excellence has shaped our Nation. We stand on the shoulders of many brave soldiers and Sojourners, but tonight I choose to salute living legends.

I salute the 62 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, four Black Members for the first time serving in our United States Senate, and 58 House Members in this Congress, the largest in our history. As we say in the Baptist church, we have come a mighty long way. From 1971, when 13 Members sat on this House floor, 12 Black men from across this Nation and one brave, courageous, bad sister, Shirley Chisholm. My, have we come a long way.

We come tonight, and we speak truth to power in this most unprecedented time in our Nation's history: a time when we are fighting for civil rights and justice, a time when we are fighting just to ask for an opportunity, for a broader talent base, something we call diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Programs like Medicaid and Medicare, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, FAA, and funding for HBCUs, historically Black colleges and universities, Federal jobs being taken away from individuals with little or no notice and promise of payment that has only fallen short or to be told that they would get it and found out only to be lies.

Tonight, we will answer what the people are asking for: What are we doing?

Well, I can tell you that the Congressional Black Caucus is standing up for justice.

I can tell you that the Congressional Black Caucus is going back into our communities, and we are holding teletownhalls.

I can tell you that we are responding to the American people because we know what is at stake. We know that if we will not stand up for them and fight for them that little might not happen. I can tell you that we are communicating. I can tell you that we are legislating. I can tell you that we are standing with the lawyers who are litigating. We are fighting to protect and pursue opportunities that give Black Americans the same advantages that White Americans have enjoyed since our Nation's founding.

Our history is made stronger and more vibrant. Just when Black Americans think that we are equal, we are still fighting for equal rights.

Here we are, from chaos and confusion with this administration, but we are still leading. Former chairs, now ranking members. If I did a roll call, Mr. Speaker, I would tell you that we have people like Maxine Waters, Bobby Scott, Bennie Thompson, and Gregory Meeks leading some of the most prestigious committees in this Congress.

I would tell you that we have so many people who possess law degrees that it would be like having a roll call of Who's Who to tell you that even in our freshman class--if I started by saying: Turner, Fields, Bell, Conaway, Figures, Sykes, McClellan, Lee, Crockett, Johnson, Sewell, Meeks, Neguse, Jeffries, and Bishop, who all possess law degrees.

We have some of the best orators in the country. I could say Ayanna Pressley, and I can tell you historians like Jim Clyburn. I could tell you that we are fighting because we possess those talents in fields because we have suffered along the way.

You have heard the stories of our parents. You have heard the stories of our grandparents. We just don't come tonight for a Special Order to tell you our stories, but we want America to know that we are suffering. We want America to know that we stand with them in this time when we are in trouble.

Just last night, I was on a call with Win With Black Women and Win With Black Men, a call that was prompted several months ago during the election when 44,000 Black women got on a call, and 50-some thousand Black men got on a call. Just as tonight, when a White woman joined us, White women and White dudes got on the call because we knew that America was in trouble.

Mr. Speaker, last night I am so proud to say, as I close, that we stood up for another sojourner, a sojourner who had been fighting for us as she went on air every night. We also say thank you to Joy Reid for what she has done and to let her know that we, too, are lifting her up.

We are also celebrating those who, too, will give us a voice, whether it is on traditional media, legacy media, social media, or podcasts. We are coming after those who are coming after us, Mr. Speaker. We want America to know that we will not be silent even against this administration. We will not sit down. We will protest. We will resist. We will do all the things that our forefathers did. We will do all the things that those shoulders that we stand on did.

What they did, we will do because this America belongs to us. We fight for justice, dignity, equity, diversity, and inclusion because we, too, are part of America. Black history is American history.

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