COVID–19 American History Project Act

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4738, the ``COVID-19 American History Project Act.''

This bill directs the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish the COVID-19 American History Project which will collect and make publicly available individual stories and records of experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

The bill includes a requirement to collect video and audio histories and testimonials of those who were affected by the pandemic.

Madam Speaker, the United States will soon reach a grave milestone. As of 9 o'clock this morning, there have been 974,277 American deaths from COVID-19. In the coming weeks, we will reach 1,000,000 deaths.

However, I believe that only focusing on that horrific number, though nonetheless important, makes us forget about who we lost.

Therefore, with this time I would like to tell the stories of my fellow Houstonians who sadly passed because of this unprecedented public health crisis.

The stories I will be recounting are all courtesy of Houston Public Media, of whose journalists I have been a strong supporter.

Knowing that his daughter would be unable to walk at her college graduation commencement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Carlos Araujo-Preza threw his daughter, Andrea Araujo, a belated graduation celebration with her close friends and family in late October. She said he really put in the effort to give her the best ceremony he could.

Dr. Araujo-Preza always went out of his way to make sure his daughter and her brother were taken care of, despite a busy work schedule at Tomball Regional Hospital. The siblings and their father spent their weekends together binge-watching movies and TV shows together.

But in 2020, Andrea Araujo was forced to spend her 23rd birthday without her father.

Araujo-Preza was two weeks away from receiving his first round of the COVID-19 vaccine before he passed away. He died Nov. 30, 2020, at the age of 51.

He knew at a young age he was meant to pursue a career in the medical field. Coming from a family of doctors himself, Araujo-Preza was viewed as a loving caregiver and someone his patients could always rely on.

Araujo-Preza was the leading doctor at his hospital who specialized in plasma research, while also distributing COVID-19 vaccines to nurses.

``His colleagues were fans of him,'' she said. ``They loved when he came into work.''

He would go out of his way to give his personal phone number to patients and would accommodate their needs at any time of day. Araujo said her father would wake up as early as 3 a.m. to go into work. Araujo-Preza would sleep in the hospital for days and sometimes weeks at a time to always be on call for his patients.

Now, Araujo said she tries to live by a saying her father used to share in Spanish: ``The sun always rises the next day.'' Araujo-Preza would tell his children to not let daily challenges in life hold them back. Because, he said, as life goes on, you should too.

``I feel like people always say, `with time, things get better', but I've noticed it's quite the opposite,'' she said. ``Every day gets harder.''

That story was courtesy of Emily Jaroszewski at Houston Public Media.

The next story is one that is especially close to my heart: Dick Cigler from the University of Houston.

Those who were mentored by Dick Cigler would tell you he left a lasting impression as one of the most influential staff members at the Daily Cougar--a highly regarded champion of free speech at the University of Houston's newspaper.

``He taught us about the importance of journalism,'' said Tanya Eiserer, an Emmy-award winning reporter for WFAA in Dallas and former Daily Cougar student editor. ``He really taught us the importance of doing the right thing, doing it for the right reasons, and standing up for the underdog.''

Nowhere was that more evident than when, in the 1990s, a group of UH journalists wrote a series of articles challenging the decreased university budget for UH downtown students and the increased budget for subsidiary campuses.

Dick allowed the students to voice their concerns brazenly.

``He didn't try to, you know, tell us to back down,'' Eiserer said. ``He ran interference, and they knew that we were an independent news operation.''

Eiserer remembers Cigler as being a listening ear and a guiding mentor when she transferred from Baylor University to UH. She regarded him as one of the people who helped her become the reporter she is today.

``I learned how to be a journalist at the Daily Cougar,'' said Eiserer. ``I would not give that time back for all the money in the world.''

Cigler worked as Director of UH's Student Publications department, now known as the Center for Student Media, for 23 years until his retirement in 2010.

His impact on the Daily Cougar can be felt to this day.

Cigler died on Jan. 24, 2021, at the age of 79. He leaves behind his two daughters Kerri Runge and Michelle Cigler.

That story was courtesy of Myrakel Baker at Houston Public Media.

The last individual I want to mention is someone who is a local hero but should be a national one. That person was John Bland.

More than 60 years ago, a group of Texas Southern University students took seats at the lunch counter at Weingarten's Supermarket at 4110 Almeda Road, knowing they wouldn't be served.

It was Houston's first sit-in, and that spring, Black college students in cities across the country forced the beginning of an end to racial segregation--at lunch counters, department stores, and city halls.

One of the TSU students at the sit-in was John Bland, a 20-year-old who spent the rest of his life working to advance civil rights and equal opportunity.

Bland worked as a bus operator at HouTran, now called Metro, and he spent more than 50 years organizing with the Transport Workers Union. He served as a vice president of the Texas State AFL-CIO, a president of the Houston chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, a precinct judge, and a member of the Houston Police Department Citizen Review Committee.

``When workers would doubt their ability to beat the odds and make change, Mr. Bland would say, `When we fought for integration in the 1960s, they arrested me 27 times, jailed me, and fined me, but that didn't stop us,' '' Hany Khalil, Executive Director of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, said.

Bland died on July 9, 2020, at the age of 80. He leaves behind his wife, Betty Davis Bland, and their two daughters and grandson.

That story was courtesy of Jen Rice at Houston Public Media.

I wish I could mention every Houstonian and honor their lives because they all deserve it. They were mothers, wives, fathers, husbands, sons, daughters, and so much more. They will all be missed and are not just another number.

It is for that reason, Madam Speaker, that I strongly support H.R. 4738 and urge my colleagues to support it as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4738, the ``COVID-19 American History Project Act.''

This bill directs the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish the COVID-19 American History Project which will collect and make publicly available individual stories and records of experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

The bill includes a requirement to collect video and audio histories and testimonials of those who were affected by the pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, the United States will soon reach a grave milestone. As of 9 o'clock this morning, there have been 974,277 American deaths from COVID-19. In the coming weeks, we will reach 1,000,000 deaths.

However, I believe that only focusing on that horrific number, though nonetheless important, makes us forget about who we lost.

Therefore, with this time I would like to tell the stories of my fellow Houstonians who sadly passed because of this unprecedented public health crisis.

The stories I will be recounting are all courtesy of Houston Public Media, of whose journalists I have been a strong supporter.

Knowing that his daughter would be unable to walk at her college graduation commencement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Carlos Araujo-Preza threw his daughter, Andrea Araujo, a belated graduation celebration with her close friends and family in late October. She said he really put in the effort to give her the best ceremony he could.

Dr. Araujo-Preza always went out of his way to make sure his daughter and her brother were taken care of, despite a busy work schedule at Tomball Regional Hospital. The siblings and their father spent their weekends together binge-watching movies and TV shows together.

But in 2020, Andrea Araujo was forced to spend her 23rd birthday without her father.

Araujo-Preza was two weeks away from receiving his first round of the COVID-19 vaccine before he passed away. He died Nov 30, 2020, at the age of 51.

He knew at a young age he was meant to pursue a career in the medical field. Coming from a family of doctors himself, Araujo-Preza was viewed as a loving caregiver and someone his patients could always rely on.

Araujo-Preza was the leading doctor at his hospital who specialized in plasma research, while also distributing COVID-19 vaccines to nurses.

``His colleagues were fans of him,'' she said. ``They loved when he came into work.''

He would go out of his way to give his personal phone number to patients and would accommodate their needs at any time of day. Araujo said her father would wake up as early as 3 a.m. to go into work. Araujo-Preza would sleep in the hospital for days and sometimes weeks at a time to always be on call for his patients.

Now, Araujo said she tries to live by a saying her father used to share in Spanish: ``The sun always rises the next day.'' Araujo-Preza would tell his children to not let daily challenges in life hold them back. Because, he said, as life goes on, you should too.

``I feel like people always say, `with time, things get better', but I've noticed it's quite the opposite,'' she said. ``Every day gets harder.''

That story was courtesy of Emily Jaroszewski at Houston Public Media.

The next story is one that is especially close to my heart: Dick Cigler from the University of Houston.

Those who were mentored by Dick Cigler would tell you he left a lasting impression as one of the most influential staff members at the Daily Cougar--a highly regarded champion of free speech at the University of Houston's newspaper.

``He taught us about the importance of journalism,'' said Tanya Eiserer, an Emmy-award winning reporter for WFAA in Dallas and former Daily Cougar student editor. ``He really taught us the importance of doing the right thing, doing it for the right reasons; and standing up for the underdog.''

Nowhere was that more evident than when, in the 1990s, a group of UH journalists wrote a series of articles challenging the decreased university budget for UH downtown students and the increased budget for subsidiary campuses.

Dick allowed the students to voice their concerns brazenly.

``He didn't try to, you know, tell us to back down,'' Eiserer said. ``He ran interference, and they knew that we were an independent news operation.''

Eiserer remembers Cigler as being a listening ear and a guiding mentor when she transferred from Baylor University to UH. She regarded him as one of the people who helped her become the reporter she is today.

``I learned how to be a journalist at the Daily Cougar,'' said Eiserer. ``I would not give that time back for all the money in the world.''

Cigler worked as Director of UH's Student Publications department, now known as the Center for Student Media, for 23 years until his retirement in 2010.

His impact on the Daily Cougar can be felt to this day.

Cigler died on Jan. 24, 2021, at the age of 79. He leaves behind his two daughters Kerri Runge and Michelle Cigler.

That story was courtesy of Myrakel Baker at Houston Public Media.

The last individual I want to mention is someone who is a local hero but should be a national one. That person was John Bland.

More than 60 years ago, a group of Texas Southern University students took seats at the lunch counter at Weingarten's Supermarket at 4110 Almeda Road, knowing they wouldn't be served.

It was Houston's first sit-in, and that spring, Black college students in cities across the country forced the beginning of an end to racial segregation--at lunch counters, department stores, and city halls.

One of the TSU students at the sit-in was John Bland, a 20-year-old who spent the rest of his life working to advance civil rights and equal opportunity.

Bland worked as a bus operator at HouTran, now called Metro, and he spent more than 50 years organizing with the Transport Workers Union. He served as a vice president of the Texas State AFL-CIO, a president of the Houston chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, a precinct judge, and a member of the Houston Police Department Citizen Review Committee.

``When workers would doubt their ability to beat the odds and make change, Mr. Bland would say, `When we fought for integration in the 1960s, they arrested me 27 times, jailed me, and fined me, but that didn't stop us,' '' Hany Khalil, Executive Director of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, said.

Bland died on July 9, 2020, at the age of 80. He leaves behind his wife, Betty Davis Bland, and their two daughters and grandson.

That story was courtesy of Jen Rice at Houston Public Media.

I wish I could mention every Houstonian and honor their lives because they all deserve it. They were mothers, wives, fathers, husbands, sons, daughters, and so much more. They will all be missed and are not just another number.

It is for that reason, Mr. Speaker, that I strongly support H.R. 4738 and urge my colleagues to support it as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the House considers H.R. 4738, the COVID-19 American History Project Act.

The last 2 years have been unimaginable for every single American. As COVID-19 ravaged our Nation, we lost nearly 1 million citizens to this devastating virus.

For countless families, those deaths were not just a number on the news but the visceral loss of a loved one: a grandparent, a husband, a wife, a mom, a dad, a sister, a brother, a daughter, or a son.

My own family faced the pain of this pandemic as we lost my husband, Luke, just days before he would take a seat in this very Chamber.

Studies tell us that when a person dies, approximately nine people from

their inner circle, their family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors suffer profound grief.

This bill is dedicated to them, the now nearly 9 million Americans who live every day with newfound emptiness and suffering.

For families like mine, that loss means an empty chair at the dinner table, a son who won't be able to go fishing with his dad anymore, and a daughter who won't be able to dance with her father on her wedding day.

But this bill also values our people's personal experiences during the pandemic which will help inform the collective narrative. Their accounts will facilitate healing and give hope to the generations of Americans to follow.

The COVID-19 American History Project Act will task the Library of Congress to record, collect, and keep the stories of Americans impacted by the pandemic, personal accounts from those who survived this virus, from those who lost loved ones, and from our healthcare heroes, the doctors, nurses, technicians, ambulance drivers, and custodians who served on the front lines of this pandemic, and to whom we owe an enormous amount of gratitude.

This bill will allow us to use our voices as citizens to write the history of this time. Personal stories are powerful and can promote healing while also helping others who are hurting.

Medical research tells us that sharing a story through verbal or written means has a cathartic effect on a grieving individual. I know from my own life experiences that when we tell our stories of tragedy and loss, that is when true healing begins.

It is time for the American people to heal. It is time for us to finally put the fear and divisiveness of this pandemic behind us. It is time to let the values of hope and peace guide our Nation once again.

Mr. Speaker, I believe it is fitting for this bill to come up for a vote on the first day this House begins to reopen.

As we welcome the American people back inside their House, let us also welcome the countless stories of those we lost throughout these last 2 years.

Every day when I look into my toddlers' faces, I see their dad's amazing spirit, and I find comfort in knowing that his greatest legacy will live on through them.

But it is my children's generation and those not yet born who will need to know the personal history and indelible impact of this pandemic, and it should be written by the very people who lived it and were impacted directly.

My husband, Luke, loved history and had a tremendous passion for preserving our shared American heritage. His knowledge of the past profoundly shaped his public service.

I think of the hours he spent poring over historical documents, writing and publishing the stories of the people who came before us.

Let us preserve today's stories, not just to write a record, but to inform the decisions of those who will stand in this Chamber decades from now and chart the course for our Republic.

It is the dawn of a new day in America, one where we can finally begin to move forward from COVID-19. And while we vow never to forget the great suffering and loss so many of us endured, we stand emboldened by the collective healing of the American spirit.

The Library of Congress' mission is to engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.

Let us amplify the voices of the American people. Let us use their stories and experiences to write this history, and never let us forget those we lost.

In closing, I am reminded of a quote from Rick Warren who said, ``Other people are going to find healing in your wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts.''

Mr. Speaker, it is time for to us let our country heal. It is time for us to share our stories.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4738, the COVID-19 American History Project Act. I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Julia Letlow of Louisiana, for championing this important legislation.

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached our shores, our lives were all impacted. Some of these changes were temporary, and some of them were permanent.

Congresswoman Letlow continues to live every day with the impact this pandemic has had on her family, and I am inspired by her courage and willingness to share her story. Unfortunately, her story is not entirely unique, and many families across this Nation have been forced to say good-bye to a loved one far too soon.

Their lives and memories deserve to be recorded, collected, and preserved so that this unprecedented pandemic is accurately understood by historians, students, and Americans from all walks of life.

Over the last 2 years, we have all felt fear of the unknown. In a lot of ways, when the pandemic hit, our Nation was caught off guard. This project will help ensure future generations can learn from the trials we have overcome and the triumphs we have been able to achieve.

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is the largest and most extensive library in human history, and I can think of no better place to house the personal histories, testimonies, written materials, and photographs of Americans whose lives were lost, those who bravely stood on the front lines, and also all those who demonstrated the American spirit through innovation, resilience, and compassion.

As Congresswoman Letlow has expressed, this project is about providing healing and hope for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 15 seconds to my colleague from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, against my better judgment, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Garbarino), my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Louisiana (Ms. Letlow), the sponsor of this piece of legislation and my good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I have been in this institution now and had the privilege to serve here for over 9\1/2\ years. And that was, by far, one of the most inspiring personal stories that I have had a chance to witness.

I can tell you, based upon what I learned about Luke Letlow from my colleagues like Garret Graves and Steve Scalise and Clay Higgins and others, was that Luke Letlow was so excited to be a part of what we sometimes take for granted here in the House.

I was a former staff member just like Mr. Letlow was, but his runoff election was right at the time between orientation, where I would have had a chance to meet him, and a chance for him to be sworn in. And that is when the tragedy that Congresswoman Letlow talked about her family facing took place.

Luke Letlow didn't get a chance to raise his right hand and be a part of this House, but his legacy will live on forever as part of this oral history project.

I cannot think of a better way for a mother to be able to give her children, in honor of their dad and her husband, the legacy that he deserves than by passing this bill tonight.

Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone in this institution to vote ``yes'' to preserve the legacy of not only Luke Letlow but of those whose families have been impacted the exact same way as the Letlow family by this pandemic.

Let's move beyond this pandemic but let us never forget. Let us remember our heroes, and let us remember those families, and let us remember how great our country is to be able to move beyond.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, over the last 2 years, everybody has a COVID memory. It might be the masks that were mandated on folks across the United States. It might be that cup of coffee that you tried to drink, forgetting that your mask was on. It might be how we have seen incredible evolution--

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois for his evolution in thought there and for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, over the last 2 years, we have seen just an absolutely incredible experience going through COVID. It might be the mask mandates that were thrust upon people, and as I mentioned, it might even be a funny memory of people trying to eat or drink coffee through their mask, as I know I have.

We have seen this evolution in the workforce where people are working remotely all over the United States, and we have seen millions and millions of people choose to leave the workforce.

This is something that has affected so many people. We have seen multi-generational businesses close, and we have seen fledgling businesses surge as a result of COVID-19, as a result of this pandemic.

We have seen the record speed at which vaccines, plural, have been developed under Operation Warp Speed. We have seen treatment protocols that have evolved. And, by some measure, we have seen up to a million Americans that have lost their lives.

Mr. Speaker, there is so much history behind COVID-19, behind this pandemic. There have been things that have been just absolutely remarkable, like the innovation in our pharmaceuticals, in developing vaccines, innovation in technology with the evolution of incredibly convenient technology like Zoom or Webex or GoTo Meeting or other technologies allowing people to videoconference, sometimes wearing shorts or pajama pants with their suit up top. This has been absolutely amazing, watching what has happened.

But perhaps, Mr. Speaker, the most powerful impact of COVID-19 is not necessarily the successes and failures, the misfires, the things that have worked well, but it has been our personal losses.

Mr. Speaker, the sponsor of this bill, Congresswoman Julia Letlow from my home State of Louisiana, lost just an incredible man, a man who had a servant's heart, a man who cared so much for those that couldn't necessarily fight for themselves.

Congressman-elect Luke Letlow was elected to represent the small communities around Louisiana and around this Nation, I will say it again, to fight for those that were, in many cases, incapable of having a voice by themselves that was needed to change policy. But, collectively, Congressman-elect Letlow was going to change that.

I want to thank Congresswoman Letlow, Luke's wife, and the Representative from that area, for having the leadership, for bringing this bill up, for making sure that we don't ever forget about all of the powerful lessons learned from COVID-19, that we don't forget about all of these powerful people, the heroes that lost their lives caring for others, in some cases; those people that were on the front lines trying to allow this country to continue, our economy to continue, our society to continue.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Letlow for her leadership on this legislation, and I want to thank her for recognizing all the lives that were lost in the history here. I urge adoption of the bill.