Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this Sunday, in the State in which I was born and raised, New York, a man drove 3 hours and 200 miles to terrorize members of a local Black community. This man shot 13 people, 11 of which were Black.

This was not a random act of violence. This was a domestic terrorist attack, an act of hate ignited by replacement theory rhetoric that is fueled by white supremacists, FOX News, and, indeed, some of my Republican colleagues.

This false, ignorant, race-baiting theory, called the great replacement, has been used in multiple race-based domestic terrorist acts, including the synagogue attack in Pittsburgh and the El Paso shooting attack in 2019.

There are a number of my Republican colleagues who spew this vile and venomous rhetoric. The silence of Republican leadership and their ranks in condemning this rhetoric that is not just ripping our country apart but contributing to the death of Americans shows that they are no longer the party of Lincoln or even the party of Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Speaker, the Virgin Islands and its people speak of great resilience. We are a people rich in history and agriculture, struggles and triumphs in the face of disenfranchisement.

March 31, 2022, marked 104 years that the Virgin Islands of the United States have been part of the United States. Our islands were acquired by the United States in the costliest per-acre sale in U.S. land purchase. We became the most easterly point of the United States, and served to protect the Caribbean Basin and the Panama Canal, particularly during World War I.

The sale of the Danish West Indies pulled Denmark out of depression and gave them the capital resources, gold bullion, necessary for them to become the happiest country that we know today. The brutal slavery and serf system that they inflicted on my ancestors, however, was not a happy time.

During the transfer of ceremonies on March 31, 1917, the people of the Virgin Islands, my people, were citizens of no country. All four of my grandparents were alive and living on the island of St. Croix at the time of the transfer.

Only qualified Danish citizens living in Denmark were able to vote in the plebiscite.

Of my eight great-grandparents, I believe one may have met the land and income requirement mandatory to be able to vote. Only one would have been able to vote for his destiny.

And after the purchase, those living in the territory, my grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, my family, were citizens of no country, nowhere, for 10 years.

Yet, after becoming citizens, Virgin Islanders came immediately to Washington and petitioned, pleaded to be part of the draft. You see, Virgin Islanders, like the other territories, serve and give the ultimate sacrifice in far greater number per capita than those Americans on the mainland. We wanted and still are willing to take on the responsibility, not just the privilege.

Until the United States began ownership of territories, largely comprised of minority, Black and Brown people, disenfranchisement of territories was a temporary condition. From the 1787 Northwest Ordinance until the acquisition of Puerto Rico, lands were deemed territories with the expectation that they would become States.

The disenfranchisement and unequal treatment of people in the Virgin Islands are de jure law. The Insular Cases decided at the turn of the century in the Plessy v. Ferguson-era by the Supreme Court, established a doctrine of separate and unequal status for overseas territories.

However, the disenfranchisement and unequal treatment continues today through court cases in the Bush, Obama, Trump, and now Biden administration, through their oral and written arguments to the Supreme Court, as well as my own colleagues, Congress' unwillingness to grant equal treatment requests made by representatives from the territories.

My fight in Washington has been to level and create equity, to counter the many ways that such disenfranchisement affects our lives, Federal funding, healthcare access, veterans' benefits, structural damage after natural disasters due to longstanding unequitable funding.

It is my deepest honor to be grounded by my history, my parents, and my ancestors from the Virgin Islands, many of whom have played an integral role in the history of this Nation, long even before we were a part of this country; from Denmark Vesey, leader of the Charleston, South Carolina, slave revolt; David Levy Yulee, the first Jewish Senator in the United States; William Leidesdorff, the founder of San Francisco; Edward Wilmot Blyden, one of the founders of Liberia; even today, my predecessor, the first female physician of this body as a Member of Congress, Donna Christensen; and even this weekend, NCAA Women's Basketball Champion, Aliyah Boston.

Our contributions to this Nation are undisputed, and 104 years after our transfer from Denmark to the U.S. possession, our claim to full and inviolable rights as citizens of this country are long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for all the good work that they have done to support American small businesses during the pandemic.

Democrats working with President Biden have helped businesses to keep their lights on and employees on payroll.

Biden's plan has enabled a remarkable rebound in small business activity with small business demand for labor and inventory near record high.

The share of small businesses that have created new jobs in the first quarter of this year is higher than at any point in the Trump administration.

Democrats are continuing to drive stability and growth in small businesses. H.R. 3807 is in furtherance of that. The bill provides $13 billion to establish a Hard Hit Industry's Award Program to provide awards to small businesses across all industries and sectors that were hardest hit by the pandemic, regardless of industry or business.

My colleagues and I are proposing solutions focused on assisting small businesses, the true engine of our Nation's economy, to rebuild and help our economy be better than before.

Mr. Speaker, today, I congratulate Virgin Islander Aliyah

Boston, a college basketball player for the South Carolina Gamecocks, on her win against UConn in the NCAA championship, leading the Gamecocks to their second national championship.

Aliyah was also named the Wade Trophy winner, AP Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Women's National Player of the Year.

Go ahead, Aliyah. Thirty consecutive double-doubles.

Her love for basketball was inspired by her sister, nurtured by her mother and father, the sacrifices that they have made and that she has made to be the player that she is.

Hats off to her. We love her. The Virgin Islands is rooting for her next year and every year to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the CROWN Act, Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, H.R. 2116, which I urge this body to pass this Friday in the House.

I stand in support for all the girls and women who need the freedom to be who God made them, to be their beautiful selves from the tips of their toes to every twist, wave, and coil of their beautiful hair.

Fifty-three percent of Black mothers, whose daughters have experienced hair discrimination, say their daughters experienced the discrimination as early as 5 years old.

Eighty-six percent of Black teens who have experienced hair discrimination state that they experienced it by the age of 12. Trauma means that teenage girls are missing a week of school per year due to their hair dissatisfaction.

As a small girl, I remember after school telling my mother about a man joking about my perfectly coifed, round Afro. Her lioness reaction gave me the strength to endure microaggressions I received when I wore my hair in locs, then cornrows or braids as an adult.

These biases continue to perpetuate unfair scrutiny, and I stand and ask you all to stand with me for my daughter and for others like her to be their most glorious selves.

Madam Speaker, last week I shared a series of historical facts for Virgin Islands History Month, which falls in the month of March. Today, in celebration of International Women's Day, I proudly recognize the indomitable spirit of women from the Virgin Islands.

This year, the theme of International Women's Day is centered around the bold hashtag ``Break the Bias.'' For decades, women have worked to break the bias in communities, workplaces, schools, universities. We learn about different historical figures in history, but often we forget to give recognition to the lesser-known women whose stories and contributions help to propel the historical narrative.

First on my list, I want to recognize the most influential and enigmatic writer of Harlem Renaissance, Nellallitea, or as she was more commonly known, Nella Larsen. With a father from the Danish West Indies, what is now the Virgin Islands, while working as a nurse and librarian, she wrote two instant success novels, Quicksand in 1928, and Passing in 1929, which made its screen debut on Netflix in 2019. Nella was the first African-American woman to receive the prestigious Guggenheim fellowship award for creative writing.

Also on my list is an individual who has a series of firsts for Virgin Islanders, Ruby Rouss. Ruby Rouss was a Crucian known for breaking the bias throughout her short life journey. She broke the mold for what was considered possible for women during her time and was the first of many things:

She was the first female member of the drill team at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

She was the first Black woman to be permanently assigned to the staff of General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Parole officer, probation officer, legislator, leader, Ruby Rouss was a woman who advocated for those most in need, spoke out against injustice, and was true to her belief that women belong in politics.

My very own chief of staff, Angeline Muckle-Jabbar, comes from a long lineage of powerful women from the Virgin Islands. One such woman in her family was Ann Marie Shrader from St. Croix, who was at the forefront of pivotal changes that were taking place in the 1970s at the FBI National Academy. She was one of only two women to graduate from the academy in 1972.

And, of course, bringing it forward, I would be remiss if I did not include the Virgin Islands' very own Aliyah Boston who, through her excellence in the NCAA women's basketball league, continues to break the bias. Aliyah posted a record-breaking 23 consecutive double-doubles this season. Miss Boston's team, the South Carolina Gamecocks, are currently the number one overall seed for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

All of these women faced deliberate or unconscious bias, and yet they prevail. As a Black woman, I think about my own mother and all the mothers who, every day even when it wasn't common to work, they sacrificed, occupied spaces where they were underrated, underappreciated, marginalized.

Women continue to face tremendous obstacles across a number of spheres. For example, managerial and leadership positions continue to be male dominated, with women holding approximately 27 percent of managerial roles. In the business world, on average, women hold 19.7 percent of corporate board seats. Of that number, 6.7 percent are chairs, and only 5 percent are CEOs.

The importance of representation for women in leadership, politics, law enforcement, and across every sphere is evident. In politics alone, evidence shows that more women in public decision-making and public policy produce policies that benefit women, children, and families in general. Loans given to women's businesses exponentially support families and communities. We need women.

On this International Women's Day, I pay homage to the women who have come before me and the ones who stand beside me, and I send special prayers and strength on International Women's Day to the women of Ukraine, those fighting on the front line, those bringing support and comfort to children and elders and bringing them to safety, all of the women in Ukraine, especially today.

Let us all continue the great work to break the bias and advance the cause of women's rights in our communities, our government, and our world.

Madam Speaker, the nation of Ukraine is dealing with an alarming crisis, a war. I have been overwhelmed by the number of images and stories of families trying to escape the terrors and war crimes being unjustly committed against the people of this country. Since February 24, more than 870,000--now we understand more than 1 million-- Ukrainians have fled the country.

However, within that exodus are disturbing reports of mistreatment of Black families, Africans, and Asians as they try to evacuate a deadly war zone. This is unacceptable.

My office has been working with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus--Chairman Greg Meeks of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Barbara Lee of the Appropriations Committee--to determine the veracity, the specifics, and the extent of the allegations.

While we stand with Ukraine and encourage America's commitment to the Ukrainian Government, any engagement of the United States and American dollars appropriated to humanitarian efforts or lethal weapons must guarantee that all refugees, all fleeing, are treated equally. We will not move from that position.

Mr. Speaker, let me start by saying that I am a proud Virgin Islander. I stand on the shoulders of strong Virgin Islanders who came before me and who are known for their courage, leadership, sacrifice, and, most importantly, their resilience. We are known for so much more than just white sandy beaches and as a popular vacation destination. We are made of culture-rich lands and a diverse history.

March is Virgin Islands History Month. Though not always pretty, there is great beauty in our past that has shaped the Virgin Islands of our present. Like most Caribbean countries, the Virgin Islands' history, too, begins with the story of pre-Columbian inhabitants of the islands and of slavery.

Almost 3,000 years prior to Christopher Columbus landing in 1493, Native American tribes, such as the Ciboney, the Caribs, and the Arawak Indians, have long inhabited the islands.

In 1493, when Columbus attempted to land on the island that I live on, St. Croix, he was repelled at Salt River, where he met the Carib Indians who kept him and his troops from landing and making landfall there.

The period of Columbus' visit ultimately set the course for seven other European flags to claim the Virgin Islands and, unfortunately, brought demise to the indigenous people.

Today, they are found on reserved lands, and only for a few islands, and no longer exist in the Virgin Islands.

Much of our global history was built upon slavery and colonization, especially in the Caribbean islands. By the early 1700s, the Virgin Islands was no stranger to enslavement and European colonization.

On the island of St. John, a Ghanaian by the name of Breffu is credited with leading the first and one of the longest-lasting rebellions in the Americas on the island of St. John. She empowered more than 150 enslaved Africans to fight for their freedom and held that island for over 6 months, where the Danes had to bring in the Spanish Armada and the French fleet to get the slaves back in line.

Several years, almost a century, later, in 1848 on the island of St. Croix, slaves led a rebellion, an armed insurrection, which led to the emancipation--15 years before the United States emancipation. The Virgin Islands and Haiti are the only two places to gain freedom through violent overthrow.

The celebration of V.I. Emancipation Day on July 3 marks this day. Virgin Islands' history does not end with just the bleak stories of European colonialism and forced slavery. We have so many celebrated heroes, from individuals who were the founders of San Francisco; Denmark Vesey, who led the rebellion in South Carolina; Hubert Harrison, the great socialist mind who was the thought leader for Marcus Garvey; Edward Wilmoth Blyden, who was the founder of Pan- Africanism; Nella Larsen, one of the Harlem Renaissance writers; Ruby Rouss, who was an aide-de-camp to Eisenhower; Sam Ebbesen, a general and friend of Colin Powell.

Without that history and those individuals, we would not be the Virgin Islands we are today, which I am proud to represent and call my home and my heritage.

Throughout the month of March, let us celebrate our heritage and our history and look to our future.

Happy Virgin Islands History Month.

Madam Speaker, in the past several months, Democrats have advanced the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, along with, most recently, the COMPETES Act, which will increase American innovation, start making more critical products in America, and turbocharge American scientific and technological leadership.

With those bills in mind, I thought it was particularly important during Black History Month to pay special tribute to four bold, brilliant, and Black minds who have contributed in various ways through their inventions to innovation and to infrastructure in America.

First, let's meet the ``Father of Transportation Technology,'' better known as Garret Augustus Morgan. Born in Paris, Kentucky, and later moved to Ohio, Morgan was a Black American inventor. Witnessing a fatal car crash was essentially the catalyst in Morgan's invention of the three-position traffic signal, which is the predecessor to the modern- day traffic light. Though the stop-and-go signals had already existed, Morgan advanced the invention to include a third position that stopped traffic in both directions and allowed pedestrians to safely cross the road. Talented as he was, Morgan's other inventions included a version of the gas mask, grooming products, sewing machines, and much more.

Madam Speaker, a second inspiration was a Black American, better known as ``Brave Bessie,'' and to others as ``Queen Bess.'' The sky was anything but the limit to this Texas native, Bessie Coleman. Fueled by rejections and constant noes, Coleman's determination and diligence allowed her to soar as she was accepted into the Caudron Brothers' School of Aviation in France, and earned her international pilot's license on June 15, 1921.

Becoming the first African-American woman pilot in 1922, Coleman was best known for performing tricks in the air in both the United States and Europe. She passionately encouraged other women to learn to fly, both figuratively and literally, by touring the country, giving lectures, teaching flight lessons, and performing flight exhibitions.

A real go-getter was Arcola Philpott, who earned her place in transportation history in 1944 when the Los Angeles Railway hired Philpott to be the first Black woman streetcar operator. Philpott opened the door for both women and African Americans to operate streetcars in Los Angeles. Just weeks after hiring her, Los Angeles Railway hired its first Black motorman. Philpott's time as the first Black and streetcar operator represents just a small portion of the impact she had.

Originally from Chicago, she graduated from Loyola University with a degree in social science and performed welfare work prior to moving to Los Angeles. When she returned to Chicago, she worked as a nurse and a researcher at the University of Chicago's history department.

And finally, Benjamin Banneker, the Black architect who helped design the capital city. Banneker was hired by the first President, George Washington, and came highly recommended by Thomas Jefferson. He designed the layout of Washington, D.C.'s, streets, parks, major buildings in two days. Known for many well-deserved accomplishments and contributions through his lifetime, he later became a reputable architect, mathematician, engineer, and even an astronomer.

Black people should be proud of their heritage, and all Americans should celebrate the achievements of Black Americans. Infrastructure within the United States would look incredibly different without the inventions, achievements, and innovations of these Black minds. It is important to document and share stories of lesser-known historical figures who also contributed their greatest efforts. Happy Black History Month.

Madam Speaker, today, I would like to honor Virgin Islander Alton Adams, Sr., and express my gratitude to the U.S. Navy for the creation of the Alton Augustus Adams Sr. Award for Emerging Composers.

Adams, born in 1889 in the Virgin Islands, was the first Black bandmaster of the U.S. Navy and led an all-Black Navy band during a period of racial segregation.

Adams played the flute and piccolo and composed songs such as ``The Governor's Own'' and ``The Virgin Islands March.'' In 1924, Adams toured the Nation with his band and won the esteem of fellow bandmasters, but his nomination for membership in the American Bandmasters Association was denied in 1936. Nearly 70 years later, he received the honor, in 2006, and has been recognized for his contributions.

Composers recognizing the work of rising composers whose work reflects the legacy of this leader can receive the Alton Augustus Adams Sr. Award for Emerging Composers.

I thank the U.S. Navy, and I thank Alton Adams. Have a blessed Black History Month.

Mr. Speaker, the 2020 election brought with it tremendous opportunities for the territories, particularly, after the devastation of unprecedented natural disasters in our global pandemic.

The American Rescue Plan of 2021 offered tremendous promise of full, robust recovery for our islands. Our island governments will now receive full Federal funding for important workforce development tax credits, like the earned income tax credit, child tax credit, and the child dependent care tax credit. This will be significant relief to budget and revenue offices in the territories.

In the Virgin Islands, my home, the earned income tax credit alone accounts for almost 40 percent of our tax returns in any given year. In addition, each of the territories have received at least $500 million in State and local government fiscal aid. These funds have broad eligibility, including to provide services threatened by declining revenue; make investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure; support public entities involved in transport of passengers or cargo; special purpose units of local government, or nonprofits that aid the homeless.

The Virgin Islands will also receive investments from the bold Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that became law in November. The

Mr. Speaker, Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans have repeatedly taken a stand against the truth and common sense by devoting themselves to the big lie, flip-flopping from previous positions with the aim of satisfying a virulent base to obtain power, defending the January 6 insurrection, and protecting violate radical extremists, passing dozens of anti-voting laws across the country, taking up dangerous and destructive efforts to take over and sabotage future elections, all with the aim of staying in power at the expense of democracy and what our Founders held dear.

The flip-flop continues with the filibuster. Let's be clear. Mitch McConnell has a long record of changing the rules whenever it suits him, and he continues to mislead about the filibuster. There have been more than 161 changes made to the filibuster in the last five decades, with the filibuster altered to pass trade deals, tax cuts, and Supreme Court justices.

The filibuster is not in the Constitution, and the Founders only mentioned supermajority for impeachment.

They must do better on the other side of the aisle and the other side of this Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, with the Build Back Better Act, we are investing in a strong economy, in jobs, and ensuring that children, families, and all of our communities can compete and succeed equitably in the 21st century.

This will tremendously benefit all districts, including districts whose Members will not vote for the bill. No doubt many of them will try to take credit for this as they stand against this transformative investment in our economic future.

Build Back Better fights inflation because it is paid for and because it helps working people return to work, increasing supply. Build Back Better reduces the deficit, as we have seen from scoring that has been released as we developed the package.

Americans overwhelmingly support Build Back Better because the American people broadly agree we face an urgent choice between Republicans who insist on keeping the economy that serves the wealthiest and the biggest corporations or the Democrats who are giving middle-class families a hand up at achieving the American Dream.

We have millionaires and billionaires paying lower tax rates than teachers, cops, and firefighters.

Stop pretending you care about balancing the budget, the deficit, and the middle class. We saw what you cared for in the 2017 tax grab.

Mr. Speaker, vote to build back better.

Mr. Speaker, while in my district a few weeks ago, I spoke with my constituents about the Democratic Party's plan to build our country back better after the pandemic.

The people of the Virgin Islands agree with me that we have reached an inflection point. This is our moment to prove to the American people that their government works for the people, not just those at the top.

As President Biden always said, we need to reward work in this country, not just wealth. Build Back Better means creating millions of jobs while tackling the climate crisis and ensuring that America will not only compete but lead the way to the clean energy future. Meanwhile, its transformative investments in women and families-- including childcare, paid leave, home-based care, and universal pre-K-- will unlock the full economic potential of parents in the workforce. It also includes historic investment in workforce training, to connect workers to jobs.

Democrats have already made sure 40 million American families received a tax cut through the Biden child tax credit, which is helping cut child poverty in half. Build Back Better doubles down on those investments, resulting in one of the largest middle-class tax cuts ever. This is our opportunity to build back better.

Madam Speaker, during one of my floor speeches last week, I shared that President Biden's

Build Back Better plan embodied the vision of the American people and is the kind of legislation that assures our people, hardworking Americans across the country, that we will not abandon them in their time of need.

Now, I love history. And tomorrow is a very special day in the Virgin Islands. It is Contract Day. I can't help but make the connection between the landmark provisions outlined in Build Back Better, this transformational piece of legislation, and what is happening in our Halls of Congress as we come to the point of passing that, with the struggle that took place in my home on St. Croix on October 1, 1878. Then known as the Danish West Indies, on that day in history, almost 150 years ago, four brave, stalwart women led the St. Croix Labor Rebellion, also known to us in the Virgin Islands as ``Fireburn.'' We honor the memory and sacrifices made by our ancestors on this day, which we call Contract Day.

Now, after slaves in the Danish West Indies organized, fought, and took their freedom from chattel slavery in 1848, a new type of slavery was formed in a labor bill the following year to regulate the now free workers. The law stipulated a day wage and restricted and confined workers to remain on one plantation for the entire year. That location could only change on Contract Day, October 1.

Former slaves worked on the same plantation as before with little to no improvements in their living conditions, healthcare, no childcare, education, no change in income. These new restrictions forced the workers to bear an impossible, untenable burden. They soon realized that they were free in name alone.

The untenable working and living conditions along with the false hope that labor laws may change and then finding out that they were not going to change, ignited a protest that led to a rebellion in Fredriksted on the island of St. Croix. That movement was bravely led by four women who we immortalize in our history as the queens: Queen Mary Thomas, Queen Mathilde Macbean, Queen Susanna ``Bottom Belly'' Abrahamson, and Queen Axeline ``Queen Agnes'' Salomon, demanding all plantations improve workers' wages and repeal the Labor Act of 1849.

Many of the protestors were killed; hanged. The women were tied to a stake, covered in molasses, and burned, irony being that the same cane that they cut, made into sugar and molasses, would be the instrument of their cruel death.

The fight for appropriate pay, job creation, equity and improvement in working conditions, living wages, sanitary housing, clean drinking water, especially for those in need, continues today in America. And we are attempting to solve those with the provisions in President Biden's Build Back Better plan.

All people, they simply want support, a foundation for them to have a reputable shot at the American Dream. Women want meaningful jobs and the ability to leave their children in sanitary, clean, safe, affordable childcare; the ability to buy a home so that you can obtain equity for your children's college; to start a business.

When I think of my ancestors and how bravely they fought--some to their death--for the causes of equity and improved labor conditions, I am encouraged to continue advocating, championing, fighting for the changes that I believe the Build Back Better plan will bring us closer to, bring our Nation and those within it to those dreams that we all have.

I pray this same encouragement and spirit of boldness and perseverance for all of my colleagues who are standing with us in that fight.