Sarah McBride

Mr. Speaker, today, in recognition of Hunger Action Month, I rise to honor the Food Bank of Delaware for the extraordinary work they do every day on behalf of Delawareans.

We often call Delaware a state of neighbors. To me, that means more than simply living beside one another. It means recognizing that we have a responsibility to one another--that when a neighbor is struggling, we do not look away. We step up. We lend a hand. We make sure no one has to face a difficult moment alone. Few organizations embody that spirit more fully than the Food Bank of Delaware.

Roughly one in seven Delawareans experiences food insecurity. That is an unacceptable statistic, especially in the wealthiest, most developed Nation on Earth. No student should have to learn on an empty stomach. No parent should have to skip a meal so their children can eat. No senior should have to choose between groceries and medicine.

Ensuring that our neighbors can meet their most basic needs is not simply a question of

charity. It reflects our values. That is why I am so inspired by the work that is done at the Food Bank of Delaware. I have visited the Food Bank several times, and I am always impressed by the dedicated staff, volunteers, and community partners who go to great lengths to ensure that someone they may never meet has nutritious food on the table.

That is what being a state of neighbors looks like in practice: It is people choosing to take responsibility for one another, not because they have to, but because they understand that the well-being of our neighbors is connected with our own.

I have long been proud to support the Food Bank in their work, and I remain committed to working alongside them to confront hunger and strengthen food security across our state.

Hunger Action Month is a perfect opportunity to recognize how critical this work is, but our responsibility to one another extends far beyond any single month. Ending hunger will require sustained commitment from all of us--government, community organizations, businesses, volunteers, and neighbors; and a shared refusal to accept hunger as inevitable.

So today, I want to thank everyone at the Food Bank of Delaware, including President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky for her leadership, and every Delawarean who supports their mission. They remind us that a state of neighbors is not simply something we call ourselves. It is something we choose to be every time we show up for one another.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Food Bank of Delaware and all those working to end hunger across the First State during Hunger Action Month and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, last month, the Delaware Community Foundation celebrated 40 years of contributing to the social and financial health of the First State.

Initially pioneered by my predecessor in this Chamber and our former Governor, Pete DuPont, the Delaware Community Foundation is one of the top 100 community foundations in the country and has spent the last four decades infusing financial support into critical initiatives, community partners, nonprofits, and education for Delawareans across our State.

Today, DCF is led by my friend and neighbor, Stuart Comstock-Gay, a community leader who is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all Delawareans.

Over the last 40 years, DCF has engaged in philanthropy, community collaboration, and thoughtful investments in medical research, scholarships for students, nonprofit support, and improving health equity.

DCF, like community foundations across the country is a critical driver of investment that can and have made a difference in the lives of every Delawarean.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate DCF on this tremendous milestone, and I thank them for their decades of enduring support and community impact that have shaped the lives of countless Delawareans.

Remember 9/11

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the lives lost 25 years ago on September 11, 2001. What started as a beautiful Tuesday in September turned into a day of horror, as nearly 3,000 lives were lost in the deadliest terrorist attack against our Nation in history. Two and a half decades later, our hearts go out to all those for whom that day brought a fateful call, for some from a loved one in a plane or trapped in a burning building and for others, in the hours or days after, to learn that their missing parent, child, or sibling had perished.

Across our country, Americans will gather for this somber commemoration to pay tribute to the lives lost in Lower Manhattan, Northern Virginia, and western Pennsylvania, and to recommit to the charge echoed so often in the aftermath of the attacks to never forget.

Let us never forget the tragedy and loss of that day nor the heroism that illuminated a nation in one of its darkest hours. As planes were hijacked, fires raged, and fear struck in the hearts of Americans everywhere, heroes literally ran into the fire and charged a cabin, sacrificing themselves to save others; first responders flocked to the Twin Towers and into the Pentagon to save lives; and firefighters, police officers, medical providers, and ordinary citizens confronted death and destruction to save as many lives as they could.

As the long effort to find those missing began after the towers fell, many left their own families to focus full time on digging through smoldering rubble to find as many survivors as possible. Many who dedicated months of their lives to that rescue mission saw their own lives cut tragically short from the toxins they inhaled at Ground Zero.

The sacrifice of those on the ground was matched by those in the air above Pennsylvania that morning, as the bravery of passengers on Flight 93 saved countless lives in our Nation's Capital. Once they realized the fate before them--targeting either the White House or the very building we stand in today--they decided to act. These passengers, who were strangers just 2 hours before, joined together to intervene in a cruel plot to attack the very symbols of freedom and democracy.

That was the power of the heroism on and after September 11. There were no strangers to those who risked everything to save anyone.

As I stand in this Chamber 25 years later, I remain as inspired by their service and sacrifice as I was as an 11-year-old watching on TV.

When I think about how scared all of us were on that day, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes from Mr. Rogers, who shared that when he was young and used to see something scary on the news, his mother would tell him to look for the helpers.

On that day and in the days and weeks that followed, helpers were everywhere. Heroes were everywhere. Mr. Speaker, 25 years later, let us not only remember, but let us also recommit ourselves to summoning just a fraction of the courage of the helpers in the wake of that tragedy.

May God bless the memories of those lost, and may we remember the enduring legacy of courage that saved lives two and a half decades ago.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an incredible Delawarean whose impact has long shaped the work of racial justice in Sussex County and across Delaware.

Charlotte King, who founded the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice in 2015, has committed decades of her life to fighting inequities across health, education, and public policy.

As we celebrate a decade of work by the Alliance, we honor and celebrate Ms. King's continued impact, her tireless commitment to neighbors, and ceaseless devotion to the betterment of Delaware.

Charlotte King has long been a barrier-breaker. During her time at St. John's University in the 1950s, she was one of the Magnificent Seven, a cohort of seven Black students who enrolled at the university amid the civil rights movement.

In 2000, she moved to the greatest State in the Union, settling in Lewes, where she began volunteering with the League of Women Voters and was struck by the lack of Black representation in Sussex County.

The weight of the untold stories and unheard voices of our Black neighbors is what drove Charlotte to found the Alliance.

The organization's primary purpose has been to showcase Delaware's history, identify how to support Black Delawareans, and how to empower all Delawareans to be stronger, better advocates for racial justice, and equality.

During her 8 years leading the alliance, Charlotte developed an organization that offered townhalls with civic servants, from local leaders and police chiefs, hosted educational seminars, and supported the development of both the Black Voices Magazine and the African American Film Festival.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Charlotte in her living room to hear the stories of her trailblazing life and discuss the ongoing need for progress in Delaware and nationally.

She is a bold leader, a bridge builder, and she continues to serve as a conscience for our State of neighbors.

In the last year alone, her work and impact has been honored. She was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame, honored by the Delaware Times with the Mitchell Award, and recently named one of the most influential people in Delaware.

At a moment when a coordinated attack on Black political power is unfolding before our eyes across the country, it is citizen leaders like Charlotte who embody that charge from the late Congressman John Lewis to get into good and necessary trouble in order to redeem the legacy and reclaim the story of this country.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize her in this Chamber today and applaud her years of service to Delaware and the powerful work she has done to move the First State toward justice for all.

Remembering Congressman John Lewis

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark both the anniversary of a profound loss and the reminder it serves at this moment in our Nation's story.

Six years ago, Congressman John Lewis passed away. He was a titan of the civil rights movement, who worked tirelessly to deliver justice, expand equality, and secure the right to vote for every American, including Black Americans.

Today, however, we are navigating a moment where the work he devoted his life to is increasingly under threat. We have seen executive actions that would make it harder for Americans to vote. We have witnessed renewed attempts to undermine confidence in our elections and intimidate those who administer them.

Right now in this very Congress, we are facing a renewed push to establish what amounts to a modern day poll tax on Americans.

Most recently, the Supreme Court has facilitated the dismantling of Black political representation in this Chamber and green-lit racial discrimination in voting so long as the proponents simply say it is for partisan purposes.

Congressman Lewis often spoke of his hopefulness for the future because he was adamant that tomorrow could be better and more just than today.

It is our job to pick up that mantle and continue that work.

In 2020, while commemorating the anniversary of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Congressman Lewis reminded us of his important rallying call, to get into what he called good trouble, to help redeem the soul of America.

Throughout his miraculous life, he never lost faith in the central ingredient of change, the necessary foundation of democracy, his belief in the capacity for other people to change, and, therefore, for our country to change.

He reminds us that hope is not reserved for moments when progress feels inevitable or easily attainable. We must harness it, most especially in moments like this one. When the reasons for hopelessness seem greatest, that is when the legacy of good trouble, necessary trouble, is most essential.