Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of burdened borrowers throughout the Massachusetts Seventh Congressional District and borrowers everywhere.

I rise today on behalf of the third grade teacher who spent a decade in the classroom, month by month making their student loan payments; on behalf of the mother juggling three part-time jobs, trying her best to stretch her paycheck to cover rent and to pay down her student debt; and for the one in four Black borrowers who will have their student loans fully canceled under President Biden's historic plan.

You see, Mr. Speaker, student debt cancellation can and will change and save lives. This isn't hyperbole. It is reality.

A diverse coalition of voters came together to press for cancellation, critical payment pauses, and updates to the essential Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Under this cruel measure, 260,000 public service workers could see their debt reinstated--nurses, educators, firefighters, and military servicemembers.

Let me make it plain: The President has the legal authority to cancel student debt.

Let me say this. I took out loans, and I paid off those loans. It took me 20-plus years while being a caregiver to my mother and while working three jobs sometimes. I took out those loans, and I paid them off, but I want an easier road for the next person.

The cost of higher education has increased by 150 percent, so I do not call it student debt forgiveness because borrowers have done nothing wrong. They don't need to be forgiven anything, but they are deserving of and do need relief.

Mr. Speaker, to anyone who seeks to mislead the public and to use the court's harmful measures to gut essential relief, take a seat. The people deserve and demand this relief.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this measure because it is nothing more than an attack on D.C. statehood and a barrier to confronting the crisis that is police brutality.

When I hear from D.C. residents on this vote, they all tell me the same thing: Republicans need to keep their hands off D.C.

The residents of the District of Columbia elected the members of their council to determine what laws will govern their city. D.C. residents did not elect the sponsor of this bill or any of the Republicans who are in favor of violating D.C. home rule.

Unanimously, those duly elected council members passed police reform legislation and the Mayor signed it into law. It is clear why: because it will help save lives.

Now Republicans are violating the District of Columbia's right to self-govern. It is hypocrisy. It is cruelty. It is another demonstration of Republicans standing in the way of progress, especially when Black lives are in danger.

The families and friends who are robbed of loved ones at the hands of police deserve laws and policies that hold officers accountable and improve public safety.

That is why I oppose this measure and urge my colleagues to vote ``no.'' Democrats are already on the record supporting these modest, commonsense reforms. Your constituents are taking note. Do not be misled by the misinformation and fear tactics on the other side of the aisle.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in solidarity with our children across the Nation.

I want to speak plainly to our trans kids: You belong. You are enough. You deserve to show up fully in this world. You deserve joy and every single opportunity. You are perfect just as you are. In the classroom and on the soccer field, you should not be subject to discrimination. You should be able to just be a kid. I will always be in your corner.

To anyone who supports this cruel bill, shame on you. If you want to advance policy on behalf of our kids, this isn't it. Ban assault weapons so they can live to the last school bell. Get off your soapbox and stop politicking with our kids' lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Transgender Day of Visibility.

I am introducing my bill, the Name Accuracy in Credit Reporting Act, legislation that is informed by the lived experiences of transgender and nonbinary people throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and our country.

My bill will rectify the inequities and inaccuracies in credit reporting, which disproportionately impact transgender and nonbinary people.

During their transition, many transgender people choose to legally change their names. However, even after their legal name change is finalized, their credit report continues to deadname them, or refer to them by their prior name.

Deadnaming a trans person in their credit report comes with many harms to one's mental health and financial well-being. When external entities like potential lenders or employers receive the inaccurate credit reports, transgender folks are exposed to discrimination and harassment in credit services, housing, and employment.

Further, some trans and nonbinary consumers have reported that when they change their name, the credit bureaus fragment their credit report, resulting in a loss of credit history and a drop in their credit score.

My bill will improve accuracy in consumer reporting and increase access to housing, jobs, and credit for transgender and nonbinary people by preventing their unfair denials that result after a name change.

The status quo is unjust, inaccurate, and unsafe for transgender and nonbinary people. We know that the credit bureaus can easily make these changes. They do this every day when people change their name to get married. It is past time that we realize trans justice is economic justice.

My bill has the support of key advocates and trusted voices, but most importantly, it is endorsed by transgender and nonbinary people who have been impacted by these issues. I am a firm believer that the people closest to the pain should be the closest to the power, driving and informing the policymaking.

On this Transgender Day of Visibility, may we, as Members of Congress, renew our efforts to condemn transphobia in all of its forms. The rhetoric is harmful, the policy is violent, and it stands to harm our most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

May we stand with trans students who deserve to learn in a school environment free from hate. May we stand with the parents who are raising trans children fighting to make a safer world for them. May we stand with the community organizers, movement builders, and status quo disrupters who are on the front lines of trans liberation. May we do more than espouse the values of equality and freedom but actually practice them to include all people.

When we say Black lives matter, that must include Black trans lives. In the fight for human rights, we must affirm that trans rights are human rights. When we evoke the words of Fannie Lou Hamer that nobody is free until we all are free, that must include our siblings in the trans community.

No doubt, the trans community, our neighbors and loved ones, have experienced disparate harm, hardship, and violence. But the transgender community is certainly much more than their pain and trauma. I thank them for showing up every day as their authentic selves and living their lives unapologetically. I thank them for the roles they play every day as public officials, as small business owners, as veterans, and more.

This is true across our country, including in my district, the Massachusetts 7th.

Organizers like Tre'Andre Carmel Valentine, who advocates for trans and nonbinary folks and has established a leadership academy to create new opportunities for employment and education.

De'zyre Dupree Lewis, who serves as a lead community health worker helping residents throughout the district access needed care.

Armani Pasqual, another leader who is dedicated to transformational change and manages a reentry program and combats hunger among those experiencing housing insecurity.

They, and so many others in the trans community, are rightfully taking up space while simultaneously creating space, utilizing their talents and skills to shape the Massachusetts 7th and beyond into a stronger and more beautiful place to live.

I am truly humbled to serve as their Congresswoman, and I will never stop fighting for bold and intentional policy solutions that promote and support their healing, safety, and justice.

Mr. Speaker, I am so appreciative that we have male colleagues like you who do see this as a shared fight, and we appreciate your leadership and partnership in this moment.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my sister in service, my partner in good, on so many issues of consequence, Representative Cori Bush, for your leadership, your ingenuity, and your partnership. I never grow tired of your saying: St. Louis and I rise. I know every time that you say that, St. Louis and those that are the most marginalized, ignored, left out, and left behind are being advanced in that moment--that justice is on the way.

As Black women who have earned the right to be Members of this august body, we find ourselves at the intersection of both race and gender. Some of the most profound and most impactful policies come directly from our lived experiences.

Each day as we walk these sacred Halls of power, we see statues and portraits of White men that serve as reminders of the inequality and the lack of parity in these Halls in our Nation's past and present.

For centuries, the contributions of Black women have been excluded from the narrative and marginalized in history, but not today. Today, there will be no erasure. We will give all the flowers to Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, and Pauli Murray.

Black women, they believed, are inherently valued, and our equality is a necessity. They advocated for the ERA to codify those truths in our Constitution. Ratifying the ERA is not only about history, it is about the here and now. Black women are still organizing at the forefront of the women's rights movement. Zakiya Thomas, Christian Nunes, Melanie Campbell, and Fatima Goss Graves are community builders and organizational leaders that are working daily to get the job done: Black women, justice seekers, truth tellers, pace setters, table shakers, always doing the work of liberation, even when our own was often sacrificed.

I feel especially encouraged and emboldened that Black women are a part of the multigenerational and multiracial coalition leading and working in an intersectional way to advance policy change.

This Congress, I introduced a joint resolution to finally make the equal rights amendment the 28th amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, but I did not introduce it alone. I was joined by Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove, Madeleine Dean, Sylvia Garcia, Abigail Spanberger, and, of course, my partner in good, my sister in service, and co-chair of the Equal Rights Caucus, Representative Cori Bush.

When the equal rights amendment was put forward 100 years ago, the coalition was not as diverse nor as inclusive. As a Black woman who has experienced firsthand many of the daily indignities of an unequal society and heard stories from my mother, Sandy, may she rest in peace and power, who throughout her career had to train men who were paid more and promoted over her--I know how transformative the ERA will be for millions of women and our LGBTQ siblings across this country.

It is long past time the Constitution affirms our equality--and our very existence--in the eyes of the law. The ramifications run deep as women face daily sexism, pregnancy discrimination, pay inequities, sexual violence, and persistent legislated attacks on our bodily autonomy.

We need the ERA now. I stand proudly with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus, and my co-chair of the new ERA Caucus, to demand that Congress does its job, pass our resolution, and codify the equal rights amendment into the U.S. Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that in short order there will be a calendar one day that will cite: On this day in history, the ERA Caucus was established. I look forward to the day that there will also be a calendar that notes: On this day in history, the ERA was passed.

Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for my sister in service here, my indefatigable colleague from Wisconsin, who leads on so many issues of consequence, especially in the space of anti-poverty, the stabilization of family, and women's health. I appreciate her.

I am so glad that we could take the time to pay tribute to the women who have come before us who have kicked open doors, broken ceilings, powered movements, blazed a trail, been role models, mentored us by their example, and more intentionally poured into us, if we had the privilege to serve alongside them. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Moore as well for her sisterhood and her mentorship.

Mr. Speaker, neither my mother, Sandy, or my father, Martin, raised me to ask permission to lead. I do believe that a parent is a child's first and best teacher. Instead of traditional bedtime stories of princes and knights in shining armor, my mother read me the powerful speeches of Black Congresswomen like Barbara Jordan and Shirley Chisholm.

Since my formative years, I have felt this soul tie to Shirley Chisholm, long before my work led me to this Chamber. In fact, my first office here as a freshman in the 116th Congress was formerly Shirley Chisholm's office.

Not only was Shirley--and I don't say that to be anyway disrespectful by not referring to her as a Congresswoman--but she is, in fact, so iconic that you can just say her first name and it is clear who you are talking about. Not only was Shirley a first, the first Black woman elected to the House of Representatives, she was disruptive, she was brave, she was a trailblazer, in fighting injustice she was an inspiration.

Very often, iconic leaders can be singularly defined by one great speech and some powerful quotes. I think it is tempting to do that with Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, but it would be a disservice to do so.

While certainly she was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to pursue the U.S. Presidency, let the record reflect that Shirley Chisholm was an effective legislator in her own right, serving here for seven terms.

She was the daughter of immigrants from Barbados and Guiana. She has blazed the trail for every Black woman in this body, including myself today, as the first person of color and the first Black woman to ever represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Everyone, including Vice President Kamala Harris, owes her a debt of gratitude. Her contributions go well beyond that. During her time in these sacred Halls of power, Shirley played a critical role in advancing policies that support our most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

As a member of the Agricultural Committee, Shirley was pivotal in enacting the SNAP program, which helps feed over 42 million people each year. She was also one of 13 founding members in 1971 of the Congressional Black Caucus, which today boasts its largest membership in history. She was also a founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus.

Everyone wants to be a part of something when it is already established, but it takes a certain kind of grit, vision, and determination to be the founder of something. Shirley was both a visionary and a doer, and tenacious in the actualization of these caucuses, which live on today.

Shirley Chisholm was a forceful champion for the equal rights amendment, a cause I am honored to lead, in partnership with my colleagues and movement allies in the House today.

In her words, in the words of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, spoken

right here in the people's House, she said of the ERA: ``It provides a legal basis for attack on the most subtle, most pervasive, and most institutionalized form of prejudice that exists. Discrimination against women, solely on the bases of their sex, is so widespread that it seems to many persons normal, natural, and right.''

Mr. Speaker, Black women like Shirley Chisholm have done the work of preserving and defending our democracy for centuries, but for far too often our contributions are ignored, erased, or rendered a footnote in history. It is not lost on me that the first time the ERA was put forward, women of color were not even part of the conversation.

Today, there will be no erasure. We stand on the shoulders of folks like Shirley Chisholm, leading a multiracial, intergenerational coalition to advance this priority.

Mr. Speaker, when asked how she wanted to be remembered, Shirley Chisholm said she wanted to be remembered as a Black woman who lived in the 20th century and dared to be herself--a catalyst for change.

Today, during Women's History Month and every month, we honor women like Shirley, we follow in their footsteps, and we continue running, winning, leading, legislating, and taking up all the space with our full authentic selves, just as Shirley taught us.

May she rest in peace and power. Happy Women's History Month.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and my dear friend from Pennsylvania for making this Special Order hour a priority. I know your constituents and the people of this country appreciate it.

I rise today on behalf of the people across our Nation seeking access to abortion care. While there are many forces and people at work who seek to spread lies and misinformation, let me set the record straight. Abortion care is routine medical care. Abortion care is safe. Abortion care is a fundamental human right. Abortion care is healthcare.

One in four women in this country seek abortion, women that you know, love, work, and worship with. Right now, a pending court case in Texas aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire Nation.

Over 40 percent of abortion care in this Nation is medication abortion, a simple and safe protocol where patients are prescribed two medications to end a pregnancy.

A single man--a far right Trump-appointed judge in Texas--stands to make a decision that could strike down the FDA's approval of one of these drugs and restrict access to care to millions; a frightening precedent.

Imagine for a moment if a judge was poised to strike down access to another safe and effective drug routinely used as part of medical care like Tylenol or Advil. We would call it out for exactly what it is: inappropriate overreach, overreach that will cause harm.

Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago and has since been used by more than 5 million people to safely end their pregnancies both in their homes and at health centers.

Earlier this year, following dedicated advocacy by myself, my colleagues, and advocates across our Nation, the Biden administration permanently lifted in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone, allowing retail pharmacies to stock the medication and further expand access to medication abortion.

This medication is safe and necessary. Not only should abortion care be available, but what type of abortion care a patient receives should be decided between a patient and their doctor, not some partisan court.

At a time when abortion access is already out of reach for millions after the fall of Roe, taking mifepristone off the market would further compromise abortion access across the country, including in States where the right to an abortion is protected, like my home State of Massachusetts.

This case is another emboldened rightwing judge trying to take away our bodily autonomy. Again, mifepristone is safe, it is effective.

For people across our Nation who are seeking care, you can go to

AbortionFinder.org to navigate how to get the medical care which you seek.

This is a deeply volatile and hostile time to be a person in America in need of reproductive healthcare.

I will never stop pressing for our full humanity and bodily autonomy. My body, my choice. Your body, your choice.

Mr. Speaker, I thank, once again, my dear colleague, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania. We are so glad you are here in Congress. Again, I am grateful for this Special Order hour.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of over 40 million people from all walks of life burdened by our unjust student debt crisis--the grandparents, the Black and Brown folks, women, students, members of the LGBTQ community, workers, parents, teachers, young people, and more, everyone who organized, mobilized, and shared their stories to make the case for national student debt cancellation.

After years of advocacy, President Biden heeded our calls. With the stroke of a pen and clear legal authority, he canceled student debt and opened a path for millions to get ahead, make ends meet, build generational wealth, grow their families, purchase homes, and narrow our shameful and growing racial wealth gap.

But callous and spiteful Republican officials and their allies on the courts are, once again, poised to stand in the way of progress. They see the transformative power of canceling student debt. They see how sorely needed it is. They see how powerful it is. So, they are choosing obstruction, even for their own constituents.

While this far-right Supreme Court deliberates and continues to leave our borrowers in limbo, let me make it plain: Student debt cancellation will change and save lives. While there are those who seek to play with your life, Democrats are here fighting to change and save lives with policies that go as far and as deep as the hurt is.

The President's authority to cancel student debt is clear. The administration's legal case is sound. The only question is, will the Supreme Court uphold the law? It must.

Mr. Speaker, 40 million people stand to benefit from this transformative plan, including over 100,000 people in my district, the Massachusetts Seventh. We can't stop and we won't stop fighting to deliver this critical relief the President promised.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rhetoric and resolution from across the aisle; our colleagues, who, once again, seek to make history for all the wrong reasons.

I rise on behalf of every little girl who sees herself in the leadership of Congresswoman Omar. She is a mother, daughter, refugee, advocate, skilled policymaker, a duly and decisively elected third-term Member to the U.S. House of Representatives.

I have spent time in the Minnesota Fifth. I have seen her pull her community through grief and loss. I have seen her stand arm-in-arm on picket lines with our educators and our nurses. I have seen her pass historic legislation to feed our babies in our schools.

She has built coalitions, given constituents in crisis a sense of agency and centered the most marginalized in word and deed.

No matter how embattled, no matter how racially profiled, no matter how targeted, she has pressed on for peace over militarization, human rights at home and abroad, a world where an education is a fundamental right and where gender equity is recognized. I want to live in that world. Let me make it plain: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar is right where she belongs. Her work in Congress is needed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to these cruel efforts to terminate emergency declarations for COVID-19.

We are still very much in the midst of a public health crisis. Moreover, one in five adults who have had COVID-19 are suffering from prolonged health impacts known as long COVID.

Those living with long COVID experience debilitating symptoms which impede their daily lives, from fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, muscle contractions, and heart palpitations. These symptoms are often hard to diagnose, leaving millions feeling as though their pain is invisible.

In Massachusetts' Seventh District, I hear these stories daily. Abruptly ending these public health declarations would jeopardize the health insurance of vulnerable community members, leaving many without barriers to care that quite literally threaten their lives.

As we strive for a healthcare system and an economy that works for all, it is imperative that we center the voices of COVID long-haulers still reeling from this pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to physically record my vote on Ocasio-Cortez No. 73 amendment to H.R. 21. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 69.

Madam Speaker, as chair of the Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, I rise to make plain exactly what is going on here. This is not a debate about political violence. Political violence and the violent rhetoric that drives it is a persistent threat; my staff, my family, and I know that intimately. Everyone should condemn it.

Our colleagues across the aisle continue to say the quiet part out loud in their selective contempt for political violence.

This resolution seeks to deny necessary medical care from those who seek it. Abortion is healthcare and a fundamental human right.

Across the Nation, those seeking care are met with intimidation, violence, and even loss of life. Imagine walking through a screaming crowd to get to a medical appointment. Imagine being a doctor or a nurse dedicating your life to helping others, and day after day your workplace receives violent threats, and you fear for your life.

But that is not what the other side of the aisle is concerned about. No, today, they are seeking to mislead the American people. They are trying to conjure up hateful rhetoric, spreading misinformation about crisis pregnancy centers.

Let me make it plain. Crisis pregnancy centers are no place to go for reproductive healthcare. They are sham clinics that coerce folks seeking to terminate a pregnancy or to access the full range of reproductive health services.

Madam Speaker, to those pressing these divisive anti- choice resolutions, we see right through you.

Madam Speaker, abortion is healthcare and a fundamental human right, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning in solidarity with the

millions of student loan borrowers across this Nation who slept a little easier last night knowing that essential student loan debt relief is on the way.

I am thinking of every person who has pulled me aside in community and dropped their eyes to the floor as they describe the financial burden and shame they were carrying, crushed by student debt--the teachers, the electricians, the nurses, and, indeed, even the grandparents, our elders, some 76 years old on fixed incomes whose benefits were garnished.

The coalition that rallied around our calls to cancel student debt is as broad and diverse as this Nation because so, too, are the families personally impacted by this economic justice issue.

We thank President Biden for taking action. We thank him for listening deeply and responding. With the stroke of a pen, he moved to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers, and this action is going to change and save lives.

In my home State of Massachusetts, the Department of Education reported yesterday that 813,000 student loan borrowers in Massachusetts stand to benefit from student debt cancellation.

I get emotional thinking about the profound impact this will have for our families, especially families that have been systemically denied the opportunity to own or build generational wealth. This is the type of transformative policy that sends ripples for generations. Student loan cancellation will change and save lives.

I thank my dedicated partners in this effort, Senator Warren and Senator Schumer; my colleagues in the House who have worked on this issue for years alongside me: Congresswoman Omar, Congresswoman Adams, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Jones, and our partners in the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, including Senator Warnock, Chairwoman Jayapal, Chairwoman Beatty, and Chairwoman Waters.

Our work to make education accessible and affordable across the Nation continues with urgency, and millions of families are going to start 2023 student loan debt-free thanks to the Biden-Harris administration. That is a beautiful thing.

Recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month

Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Massachusetts Seventh is one of the most diverse districts in the country due, in large part, to the rich Hispanic and Latinx communities who reside there: the Colombians, Salvadorans, and Ecuadorians in East Boston and Chelsea; the Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans in Jamaica Plain and the South End; and the Mexicans and Brazilians in Cambridge, Somerville, Everett, and beyond.

Many of these champions are on the front lines of fights that matter not just for their own community but for our very humanity. They are justice seekers and movement builders, and given the number of servicemen and -women and veterans, they are defenders of democracy and freedom.

Their sweat equity makes our country stronger and our policymaking more informed. I am proud to call them partners in the work to build a more just and equitable world because, Mr. Speaker, if the story of America is one of progress, then we owe it to the collective power, resilience, and collective advocacy of our Hispanic and Latinx siblings.

So to those in Massachusetts and across the country, and those on my dedicated staff now and in the past, from Aissa to Lona, to Luz, to Alana, to Ricardo, to Dagoberto, to Kayla, we thank you. This month and every month, we give you your flowers.

Recognizing Alopecia Areata Awareness Month

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize September as Alopecia Awareness Month.

Across the country, approximately 7 million people have alopecia, an autoimmune disease, which I live with, that attacks one's hair follicles.

People of all ages, genders, races, and from every walk of life are living with this condition. Thankfully, although this does not threaten our lives, it does not mean that it does not impact it.

Collectively, we are fighting for bold investments in skin disease research, comprehensive medical coverage, and meaningful public education to combat the stigma, discrimination, bullying, and, indeed, even depression and suicide ideation that so many of us experience.

Whether we are sharing a meal in the heart of the Massachusetts Seventh or sharing our stories, to someone who is newly diagnosed, we choose strength over shame and purpose over pain.

I can personally attest to the fortitude that defines our community each and every day. Although there is no cure, there is community. We work to create space so that all of us may show up in the world as our full and authentic selves.

This transformation that I live with is not one of my choosing, but it is one that I have learned to embrace unapologetically with the support of my loved ones, team, and broader community in my decision to not wear a wig, recognizing the power of that representation for the 7 million-strong alopecia community in this country.

That is why, this September, on the floor of the House of Representatives, I can affirm that alopecia is my superpower. I am free to be me. I commemorate Alopecia Areata Awareness Month.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to study the suicide crises among children living with chronic illnesses and conditions, including autoimmune diseases like alopecia.

Across this Nation, our children are carrying unprecedented amounts of trauma and grief in their emotional backpacks.

For an entire generation of youngsters living with chronic conditions, the solitude, grief, and uncertainty of the past 2 years have only exacerbated the emotional and mental health challenges that already weighed so heavily.

Like millions of Americans, I am living with the autoimmune disease alopecia. There are several forms of alopecia. I am living with alopecia universalis.

Navigating the world as a bald woman is disruptive to many. I am 48 years old, I am an adult, and I have built up some pretty thick skin, but there are days that even bring me to my knees because of the social stigmatization, the bullying, the taunting that I experience as an adult.

Although this does not threaten my life, that does not mean that it does not impact it. I was a caregiver to my mother in her cancer battle, and her very first concern and worry--even though she was fighting for her life--was, am I going to lose my hair.

This is something much more than cosmetic for all who are living with

this. Certainly, for women and girls, there is an added layer, in that this challenge defies societal norms of what is feminine, what is pretty, what is acceptable, and what is appropriate.

For the millions of children--again, I am a 48-year-old adjusted woman, but for the millions of children living with this disease, the challenges may sometimes feel too much to bear.

While there are public misconceptions that alopecia areata is purely cosmetic, the fact is the National Institute of Mental Health has found that alopecia areata has been linked to higher rates of depression, sadness, anxiety, and other mental challenges.

Some have offered: Why not just wear a wig? Well, I am working on that, too, because many of our children can't afford a medically durable wig. So for children who are just beginning their journey, growing comfortable in their own skin and finding their place in the world, these challenges can feel even harder.

Earlier this year, our alopecia community lost one of our own. She is not the first, but one of the most recent: Miss Rio Allred. May she rest in peace. She was 12 years old, and took her life by suicide because of the emotional turmoil and relentless bullying she faced every day in school due to her alopecia.

I have spoken to Rio's mother. I have heard her express the pain no parent should ever know. I asked her to tell me about Rio. She was a great big sister, a writer, a reader, was funny, and a light to the world and all around her.

Her mother has now established Rio's Rainbow, a foundation in her honor, and the mission of that, in Rio's honor, is that kids should feel safe being who they are. One life lost to the emotional distress associated with this disease, and any chronic condition for that matter, is one too many.

I make no appeal today for sympathy, but for empathy, for support, to be seen. I am not here just to take up space. I am here to create it. I choose not to wear a wig because I know what that representation means to the millions of Americans that are living with alopecia.

It is long past time that we study the troubling suicide crisis among children living with chronic illnesses and conditions, including those within our alopecia community, and invest in the early interventions and best practices necessary to save lives. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, which would do just that.

Mr. Speaker, for too long, our policies and financial systems have exacerbated inequities and disparities throughout our country. I rise in support of our disabled neighbors who have been subjected to a second-class standard of living.

By passing the Financial Services Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Economic Justice Act, the House will move one step closer to addressing these systemic injustices.

Today, I rise in support of a series of amendments I have offered to advance disability justice. My amendments will prohibit financial creditors from discriminating against consumers who are disabled and increase access to interpretation services, including American Sign Language.

My amendment will also hold corporations accountable to disclose the disability status, based on voluntary self-identification, of their board of directors and executive officers.

The status quo will not change until we recognize that disability rights are human rights and call out and address the barriers the disability community faces.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support my amendments and support the underlying bill.

Madam Speaker, my family and I have celebrated Juneteenth for decades, but this year marks only the second year that Juneteenth will be observed as a Federal holiday.

Some may wonder what is the significance of this day and why is national recognition long overdue and notable?

It matters, because as we celebrate Juneteenth--the emancipation of my enslaved ancestors--it is a truth-telling reminder of our Nation's history and founding, but also of what is possible.

When enslaved Black people and allies began the work of abolition, many considered the goal of freedom an improbable or impossible one, but because of their imaginations and sacrifice it did happen.

While we recognize that our fight for equity and justice continues today, on this day, we celebrate the Black family, our culture, our melanin, our resilience, our brilliance, and our joy. We affirm our humanity. We are more than hashtags, sobering statistics, deficits, disparities, and gaps. We are more than our labor, the resistance, and justice-seekers.

From the heart of Texas to kitchen tables in Roxbury, we celebrate the dedicated coalition of Black folks who organize to make this celebration a Federal holiday.

Black lives matter. Black healing matters. Black joy matters. Happy Juneteenth.