Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight my bill, H.R. 3385, the DiasporaLink Act. This critical piece of legislation would request review of the feasibility of an undersea fiber-optic telecommunications cable established between the United States and Africa linked in the Virgin Islands of the United States.

This bill offers a significant opportunity to deepen economic connections and aid American regional security by establishing high- speed, secure telecommunications data connection from the American soil to the African Continent. The U.S. territory of the Virgin Islands, which is strategically positioned in transit zones to fight transnational crime and protect U.S. national and regional security, will prove to be a mutually advantageous location.

With increased terrorism and Russian, Chinese, and other adversarial nations on the African Continent, U.S. interests, the need for direct linkage is mandatory. The United States undersea cable linked in the Virgin Islands, which is already a hub, is within our national strategic interests.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to honor my ancestors as we approach the 175th anniversary of our emancipation--the self- emancipation of the enslaved people of the Danish West Indies.

It is ironic that now in the United States, right now, there is a war being raged to censor and erase history and heritage, not just of Virgin Islanders but for Black and Brown people in this Nation.

The bloody insurrection of American revolutionaries to attain their freedom is celebrated, yet the history of resilience and strength, the story of the African Diaspora in this country, is attempted to be taken away.

Shackled and bound, over 120,000 of my ancestors, men, women, and children, were stolen and trafficked from the shores of Africa to the islands of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John in the Danish West Indies, now known as the Virgin Islands of the United States.

From the early 1650s until 1848, the Danish subjected the people of the Virgin Islands to the atrocities of chattel slavery. Forgotten today, the Danes were notorious for having some of the most grueling and inhumane conditions in the Caribbean. Under these conditions and the watchful eye of the Danish, the people resolved to mobilize and seize their freedom.

On July 3, 1848, 9,000 enslaved and freed people on the island of St. Croix collected en masse at Fort Frederik and demanded their immediate and indefinite liberation. Under the superior leadership of Moses ``General Buddhoe'' Gottlieb, they had coordinated, strategized, and executed a plan for freedom.

Overcome by the people, the Danish surrendered by the declaration of the Danish governor.

The Virgin Islands became one of only two places to ever successfully gain their freedom through an organized slave revolt, armed insurrection, in the history of the Western Hemisphere. They would wait for no man to unshackle their chains.

This is what it means to be a Virgin Islander, to overcome the most harrowing of circumstances, to reclaim the power that which is kept seemingly out of reach, and to wait for no one to give us freedom, equity, or prosperity.

Malcolm X at the founding rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity stated: ``A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talents, takes pride in its own history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself.''

We, the people of the Virgin Islands, must not sit idle expecting that the same system that oppressed our ancestors, that continues to deny us rights, will solve the very problems of its creation. We don't need to look for others to solve our problems. We have within ourselves, within our own diaspora, all the answers to heal ourselves and grow.

Throughout the Virgin Islands and the United States and beyond, we are doctors, engineers, writers, educators, builders, economists, organizers. We are a people of immeasurable talent, borne from a history of strength and resilience, possessing a rich and vibrant culture capable of good things,

all of which are squandered if we continue to allow our mental slavery to bind our true freedom.

We may have the scars of countless injustices, but Virgin Islanders also have the blood of our ancestors that organized and were willing to give up all for freedom of self-definition and their own determination of their lives.

Mr. Speaker, 175 years ago, our ancestors abandoned their sense of ``I'' and adopted ``we.'' Through ingenuity, bravery, and unity, they rejected the brutal reality forced upon them and reclaimed the power to manifest a present and future of their will and their creation.

We are the heroes of our own story. This is from which we are born. It is in our blood to rise.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in recognition of Caribbean American Heritage Month. This June, we acknowledge and celebrate our diverse Caribbean-American contributions to this Nation's history for the 17th year.

Personally, I am so proud of my Caribbean lineage and want to honor the universal pride that all Caribbean people share across the United States.

Historically, Caribbean Americans have been key players in the development, growth, and richness of this country.

Originally entering the United States in bondage, Caribbean people endured the brutalities of chattel slavery for centuries but fought for and attained liberation.

My home, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and Haiti are the only two places to organize a slave revolt that led to successful freedom from that revolt in the history of the Western Hemisphere.

Caribbean-American history is one of struggle and of triumph. Descendants of these heroes and heroines would later search for greater opportunities here on the mainland, as well as elsewhere.

Wherever we have gone, we have led to become pioneers and revolutionaries of our times. Some of the most influential Caribbean- American figures have indisputably driven change and progress in this Nation and continuously aid in its endeavors to achieve freedom and prosperity.

Our unique and colorful cultures, traditions, and stories have enriched and helped transform U.S. history such as the invaluable contributions in government, academia, athletics, business, the arts and sciences, and so many more which have shaped the fabric of this Nation.

Members of our leadership, such as Colin Powell, a descendant of Jamaican parents, who shattered racial barriers as the first Black National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State. The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell was a dedicated Army general, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice, following in the footsteps of the first notable Caribbean American, Alexander Hamilton.

Susan Rice, Shirley Chisholm, and, of course, our present Vice President, Kamala Harris, all share Caribbean heritage and have served this country as political figures. We honor them and the legacy they have left.

Journalists like Karine Jean-Pierre, who is the first Black and Caribbean American ever to become a press secretary for a U.S. President, and others such as Joy Reid, Yamiche Alcindor, and Abby Phillip are Caribbean-American women who continue to disrupt the media by uplifting and amplifying Black voices.

Our contributions are not limited to those within the rule of law. Caribbean Americans have a long history of social activists, free thinkers, and revolutionaries.

Everyone recalls Denmark Vesey who led the slave revolt in South Carolina, a free man who died to free others.

Hubert Harrison, a fellow Virgin Islander and New Yorker who was often left in the shadows, was considered the father of Harlem radicalism.

Men like Malcolm X, whose mother was from Grenada; Marcus Garvey of Jamaica; Kwame Ture, formerly known as Stokely Carmichael, founder of the Black Panthers, was from Trinidad; and James Wendell Johnson, who wrote ``Lift Every Voice and Sing,'' whose family was from the Bahamas, all played crucial roles in the civil rights movement, and they left lasting impacts on this country.

The Caribbean-American experience has inspired countless works of art. A people rich in imagination, they are continuously at the forefront of exceptional and innovative artistic expression.

Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Haitian of Puerto Rican descent, was a leading figure in the neo-expressionism movement.

Musicians and actors such as Harry Belafonte, Cicely Tyson, and Hazel Scott are visionaries in their field.

We continue to credit much of our scientific advancements to individuals

such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, who everybody looks to and applauds, the son of a beautiful Puerto Rican sister, a renowned astrophysicist, author, and science communicator, recognized for his ``extraordinary role in exciting the public about the wonders of science.''

In athletics, an abundance of individuals have had monumental success and shown grace and leadership, such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a son of Caribbean immigrants.

Two other athletes, in particular, that I cannot stop mentioning from the Virgin Islands are: Tim Duncan and Aliyah Boston.

This month provides an opportunity to reflect on the past, act in the present, and envision the future. We applaud Caribbean American Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, we are days away from defaulting on our debt for the first time in our Nation's history. Extreme MAGA Republicans have needlessly manufactured an economic crisis and refuse to release their grip on the American people.

Why do I say the American people? Because the cuts that they want are going to cut 7 million jobs, deprive millions access to Medicare, and slash critical funding for education and food for children. For what? For the shameless protection of tax cuts that they put in their bill that have added $3 trillion to the debt that they now want to cover off of the backs of the American people.

Shameless. They are shameless.

This flagrant disregard for the lives of everyday Americans and the economic stability of our country demonstrates the House GOP's corrupt and misguided priorities. Do not deprive our elders and children to meet the demands and the insatiable greed of your constituents, the rich American people.

Mr. Speaker, this week I was pleased to introduce legislation to adopt the Revised Organic Act of the Virgin Islands and its amendments as the constitution of the Virgin Islands of the United States.

My legislation provides for the adoption of the Revised Organic Act, as it has been approved by Congress, signed into law, and amended, as the constitution of our territory.

While the Revised Organic Act presently serves as the main governing document of the Virgin Islands, we have been unable to enact changes on a territorial level. If the Revised Organic Act and its amendments are adopted as the constitution by Federal law, it would then free the Virgin Islands to make further amendments without congressional engagement or approval.

As such, my legislation includes an amendment process to allow the Virgin Islands to revise the constitution once adopted.

In May of 2020, the Virgin Islands legislature passed bill 33-0292, which included a referendum on the general election ballot on calling a constitutional convention to adopt the Revised Organic Act. This proposal was approved by 72 percent of people voting on this measure.

There is a clear public preference for the adoption of a constitution for the

Virgin Islands. My legislation enables a base constitution to be enacted and a local process for self-determination and a level of autonomy in our constitutional maturation.

I am asking all Virgin Islanders to speak with individuals you know who can help support this act, and I am asking Members of our diaspora living in the mainland to lobby their current congressional and Senate Representatives for support.

Preventing Further Growth of the Virgin Islands National Park on St.

John.

Mr. Speaker, this week I introduced legislation to prohibit the net increase of federally owned land in the Virgin Islands National Park Service on St. John. The Virgin Islands National Park boundary encompasses nearly two-thirds of the island of St. John. Within the park boundary, there is both federally owned and privately owned land. There is a finite amount of land for the residents of St. John who are already confronting housing shortages. This legislation takes the necessary steps to prevent an increase in land owned by the park.

This legislation prevents any net increase of federally owned land in the park. Individuals and entities would still be able to donate or exchange land with the park, but if the Virgin Islands National Park acquires any land, an equal acreage of land must be conveyed out of Federal ownership.

The legislation includes stringent guidelines to ensure the park does not utilize bureaucratic processes to cause excessive delays. When the park elects to sell Federal land to avoid an increase in net acreage, it must offer the land for sale within a year at fair market value. Six months after the land is first offered for sale, if it is not under contract or sold, then the price is reduced by 10 percent each month.

This legislation addresses the concerns I hear consistently from Virgin Islanders about an ever-expanding presence of the park on St. John. The park has a responsibility as stewards and also as partners of the Virgin Islands. That has not always been the case.

Unfortunately, often the park seems to be solely engaged in protecting land, not the people who were the original inhabitants of that land or the people brought over as enslaved people who fought for freedom and through sweat and toil were able to obtain land on that island.

Albeit sometimes well-intentioned, what they have done is effectively crowded out Native people in furtherance of neocolonial bourgeois wildlife ideals acting under the assumption that the local people-- interestingly, people of color--cannot care for the land themselves.

As we look at the history and the future of the Virgin Islands National Park, our decisions must be intentional to support St. John and the entire Virgin Islands, which includes its land, its people, its history, its culture, and our future.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Alcohol Awareness Month.

This Nation is in the midst of a war for the protection and longevity of our children. We have found ourselves battling epidemics at an unprecedented magnitude, many of which are plaguing our youth: violence, suicide, mental health, and, most notably, substance abuse.

Alcohol use among youth is more prevalent than tobacco or illicit drugs. The dangers of underage drinking are significant, as they can drastically increase the likelihood of alcohol dependency later in life, cause a decline in academic performance, and increase engagement in harmful behaviors such as the use of other drugs and impaired driving.

In addition to the adverse mental health effects, it puts children and young adults in jeopardy of developing health risks that negatively affect the brain, liver, and endocrine system.

We have already lost too many young lives by not taking necessary protective measures. Research shows that a lifetime of conversations between parents and their children can prevent underage drinking. Let's all do our part to protect our children.

Mr. Speaker, we have now concluded 100 days of Congress, yet my colleagues across the aisle continue to prioritize political grievances and political theater at the cost of the American people. Many are more concerned about policing women's and girls' bodies than they are about protecting the lives of all American citizens.

The recent attempt to deny women access to FDA-approved medication because of its use in medical abortions is yet another attack on Americans' personal freedom.

This week H.R. 734 coming to the floor is a threat to young girls across this Nation and their right to privacy. The GOP claims that they are taking action to protect our children, yet they fail to address one of the greatest threats to our children: gun violence.

This weekend, in my home of the Virgin Islands, gun violence riddled our streets, taking the lives of young people in a place that does not manufacture guns and has strict gun laws. Most of the guns that are confiscated in these actions are brought in illegally from places that do not have strict gun laws.

Instead of pursuing an agenda aimed at violating Americans' rights, please, let's work on protecting Americans' right to life outside the womb. I strongly urge my Republican colleagues to reevaluate their priorities for the sake of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, this is the close of Virgin Islands History Month. Throughout the Virgin Islands this past month of March, young children have learned about extraordinary Virgin Islanders.

They have learned about Alexander Hamilton, who comes from the island of St. Croix, and learned about this being the only place in the United States on which Christopher Columbus actually set foot.

They learn about the inventions and work of Virgin Islanders in our history, but they also learn about the oppression, about the brutality under Danish rule.

They learn about Alexander Hamilton, his fieriness coming from the fact that he was deemed an illegitimate child and his parentage was constantly questioned.

Last week, House Republicans passed H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights Act. Under that act, much of that history would be forbidden. Much of that history would be erased.

That is the American story--of resilience, of oppression, of the constant

fight for freedom, of the change that we all are coming together as Americans.

Let's not erase all of our history.

Mr. Speaker, when my Lord, my savior, Jesus Christ, was on this Earth, He said: Suffer the children to come to me and do not deny them.

Unfortunately, this week, my Republican colleagues are bringing forward a bill, H.R. 5, the so-called Parents Bill of Rights, which will not teach our children to love, not teach them tolerance, not teach them the plethora of issues and ideas that extend to all Americans.

It will bring culture wars into our classrooms. It will deprive our students of accurate and fact-based education. It will not teach them tolerance and love.

Americans everywhere overwhelmingly agree that Congress should focus on tangible assistance that will improve student outcomes, not polarizing culture wars. The pandemic has already erased years of learning from our children, and nothing in this legislation will address that issue.

We have not had one hearing on gun violence in our classrooms. Instead, we are prioritizing MAGA talking points over improving student outcomes.

Let's get back to the people's business. Let's teach tolerance and love to our children. Let parents open their hearts and their children's hearts to what needs to be done.

Mr. Speaker, it is so exciting to be up here and to be able to have this discussion.

I want to thank the minority leader, my colleague and good friend, Mr. Hakeem Jeffries, for allowing me this time to direct everyone's attention to the importance of this month.

I know that it is Women's History Month, and we have been hearing so much about this. But what an honor it is for me to stand in front of you today because it is also Virgin Islands History Month.

I stand on the shoulders of strong Virgin Islanders who came before me, a people who are known for their courage, leadership, sacrifice, and, most importantly, their resilience.

The Virgin Islands are known for so much more than just white sandy beaches and as a popular vacation destination. I tell people all the time, there are more than just the beaches. There is a reason why seven nations have fought, fought, and done what was necessary to attempt to own these beautiful islands.

We are made of culture-rich lands and a diverse history. Though not always pretty, there is great beauty in

our past that shaped our present and directs us toward our future.

Like most Caribbean countries, the Virgin Islands history begins with the story of precolonial inhabitants of the island and, of course, of slavery, and even beyond that to a rich history of people, of families, of communities working and striving every day.

Many people are unaware that the Virgin Islands is the only place that is part of the United States where Columbus actually set foot. Many other places he just looked out and said, I am going to name it this or that or the other. But the Virgin Islands and, in particular, the island of St. Croix is the place where he actually had resistance from the inhabitants who lived there, and we know that from his own logbooks, from people on the boat who fought, who recognized that the Caribs that were there were putting up a resistance to these men coming in 1492.

In 1733, on the island of St. John, we have recorded the first major slave insurrection in the western hemisphere. The individuals and people there were so incensed at being enslaved that they organized themselves, actually overthrew those who had enslaved them, and held the island for a year before the Danes could organize with the English, the Spaniards, with others to fight back and take back the land.

I am so grateful that in this last Congress, this body, in a bipartisan way, were willing to support a recognition of that. This year, there will be a plaque put up at Ram Head on the island of St. John, the site of where the organizers brought themselves together and made the determination that they would rather commit suicide than go back to slavery. Ram Head is the location where they engaged in collective suicide by jumping off of the cliff rather than going back to slavery.

In 1848, the Virgin Islands, on the island of St. Croix, is also the place where individuals organized, worked together, and overthrew, completely, slavery well before the Emancipation Proclamation was made here in the United States. It is one of only two places, the Virgin Islands and the island and the people of Haiti, who were able to obtain their freedom through violent and organized overthrow.

We are blessed as Virgin Islanders to celebrate Virgin Islands history, as well as the same month as women's history, because Virgin Islands history is not complete, of course, without women.

To begin, I must first acknowledge the record number of women, as well as the record number of people of color currently serving in this Congress. This record represents a 59 percent increase from the 96 women who served in the 112th Congress. Women in this body have come a long way. I am thrilled to continue to break glass ceilings as well, as we impact history.

For decades, women of all backgrounds have worked to break barriers in communities, workplaces, schools, universities. We often forget to give recognition to the lesser-known women. The great Shirley Chisholm, who was the first Black woman to serve in this body, famously said: ``If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.''

I say let's take it a step further. Forget the seat, give women the whole table and watch what happens.

As a Black woman, I think about my own mother and all mothers who every day, even when it wasn't common to work, they sacrificed, occupied space where they were underrated, underappreciated, and marginalized.

Without that history and those individuals, we would not be who we are today, which is why I am proud and I am honored to represent my home, my ancestral home, of the Virgin Islands.

During this Virgin Islands History Month and Women's History Month, I proudly recognize the indomitable spirit of women like Mary Thomas, one of the organizers of Fireburn; Anna Heegaard, who was the woman who spoke to the Danish Governor at the time and convinced and talked with him about emancipation; Bertha Boschulte, one of our educators; Arona Petersen; Senator Ruby Rouss, who was one of the first aide-de-camps of General Eisenhower during the war, a Virgin Islander; Edith Bornn, Lorraine Berry, one of the great legislators on our island, who were early trailblazers who championed women's freedom, equality, and power for Virgin Islanders.

While the faces of power are growing and there is still work to be done, it is refreshing to look back to gain inspiration and encouragement from Virgin Islanders who have gone before us as these women faced deliberate, unconscious bias, and yet they prevailed.

We should note the importance of representation for women in leadership, politics, law enforcement, across every sphere is evident. In politics alone, evidence shows that more women in public decisionmaking and public policy produce policies that benefit women, children, families, in general.

Women are more inclined to work across the aisle with colleagues, to work in a bipartisan fashion, to negotiate. As a lawyer, I know that the best contracts, the best negotiations are when everybody has to feel a little bit of pain for it to be the best. Women are willing to do that.

We know that loans given to women's businesses exponentially support families and entire communities than loans given to men. We need women.

Let us all continue the great work, all of us. That includes men who are brothers, sons, fathers. We need you all to break the bias and advance the cause of women's rights in our communities, our government, and our world.

Throughout the month of March, let us continue to celebrate heritage history as we look to our future. Happy Women and Virgin Islands History Month.

I want to rise and highlight a few influential women that have helped shape Virgin Islands history during Virgin Islands History Month. Now, of course, so often in the Virgin Islands, we talk about the men and the men have done amazing things.

The Virgin Islands has produced great actors and artists like Camille Pissarro, one of the founders of French impressionism; actors like Kelsey Grammer and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. We have tremendous athletes in our past like Horace Clarke, Elrod Hendricks, and, of course, my own cousin, Elmo Plaskett, all having served in professional baseball; Peter Holmberg, a native St. Thomian has done amazing things in sailing, as well as the Jackson family, father and sons are tremendous boxers.

Everyone knows us for having had Tim Duncan, one of the greatest, the GOAT, NBA players in history, and musicians like Alton Adams, the first naval bandmaster; Dion Parson, who has worked at Jazz at Lincoln Center and has one of the most amazing jazz ensembles; and Jon Lucien, another great artist.

These are all tremendous. The men are great, but let us first talk about a few of the women in Virgin Islands history.

The first one I can think of is Eulalie Rivera. Ms. Rivera was born on August 2, 1907, in Frederiksted, St. Croix, to Carl Rohlsen and Henrietta Williams. During her lifetime, Ms. Rivera played a tremendous role in the Virgin Islands.

In her autobiography ``Growing Up in St. Croix,'' Ms. Rivera gives an account of her life that portrays the attitudes and culture of the Virgin Islands at that time, from witnessing the transfer of the Virgin Islands from the Danish West Indies to the Virgin Islands of the United States, a change in ownership and culture, to rumors of being the first woman to ride a bicycle on St. Croix.

Eulalie's mother passed away during childbirth, so she was raised in homes for children, where she was instilled with a love of learning. Ms. Rivera dedicated more than 30 years to the education system in the Virgin Islands and taught at the Christiansted kindergarten, the Diamond School, La Grande Princess School, and the Claude O. Markoe School.

She was instrumental in helping the Caribbean culture and Virgin Islands culture by helping to create such activities as the St. Croix Christmas Festival. She served as the president of the Women's League of St. Croix, supervisor of the Lutheran Church Sunday school, founder of the Independent Citizens' Movement political party, charter member of the St. Croix Business and Professional Women's Club, and as a member of the Frederiksted Democratic Club, the Frederiksted Hospital Auxiliary, the Virgin Islands League of

Women Voters, the Committee on Aging, and the Friends of Denmark. She was busy. She loved her home.

In 1974, the Grove Place Elementary School was renamed after her. She was a beloved ancestor and elder.

I also recognize Eileen Petersen. Eileen Ramona Petersen was born on St. Croix and holds the distinct privilege of being the first woman to serve as a judge in the United States Virgin Islands. She is also one of the few women jurists throughout the Caribbean region.

I can recall Judge Petersen telling me about the fact that, after she was nominated and confirmed in the Virgin Islands as a judge, the men thought that they would get her, and she did not have an office. She didn't have internal chambers in which to work.

Every day at lunchtime, she would take all the files from her courtroom and go sit in her car to work on the cases before then going back to court and making decisions because there was no place else for her to work.

That did not stop her from doing her job, executing justice and doing what was right. Judge Petersen was the first-appointed judge of the municipal court, now the Virgin Islands Territorial Court, by then- Governor Melvin Evans in 1971.

She became a practicing lawyer in 1967 in Washington, D.C., and she returned home to the Virgin Islands to give that education, that mind, so much that she had learned, back to her people. She became an assistant attorney general under Attorney General Francisco Corneiro. After 20 years of service on the bench, she resigned and is now in her retirement.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention another judge who is still with us, the Honorable Denise M. Francois.

Denise Francois was born on St. Thomas, obtained her bachelor of arts from Amherst College, and continued at the University of San Diego School of Law, where she received her juris doctorate. She was admitted to the State Bar of California, the Virgin Islands Bar, and the U.S. Court of Appeals.

She was a partner in a law firm on St. Thomas, where she worked for the people. In 2013, she was appointed judge of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. She has chaired the Advisory Committee on Rules and aided in drafting the Virgin Islands Rules of Civil Procedure and the Virgin Islands Rules of Evidence. She is still blazing a trail as a great jurist and legal mind.

I love libraries, and I love books. Of course, I would have to speak about a librarian and archivist, Ms. Enid Maria Baa, for whom the library in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, is named. She pioneered librarianship within the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean and internationally.

She developed her love of library work when she was young. As a newly graduated student of the first high school in St. Thomas, she helped establish the first high school library.

Her interests and professional ambition led to several advanced degrees, including Hampton Institute and Columbia University.

During and after her studies at Columbia, she held professional positions at the university, at the United Nations Library, and at the New York Public Library in their reference division. After coming back home, she was appointed director of libraries and museums under Governor Archibald Alexander in 1954. Second to head the Caribbean Organization's library in Puerto Rico, she has been an editor and archivist.

Enid Maria Baa has done so much work to make sure that our history, the words of people and books, are available to all.

Many people forget about the smallest island--well, Water Island is the smallest--St. John, where there is so much work to be done and where people have worked so hard together. There was a woman who was born in June 1908, Myrah Keating Smith. She passed away and is with the elders since 1994. She was a pioneering nurse and midwife. She was the only provider of healthcare on the island of St. John for almost two decades.

She was taught as a small child in homes, organizations of people on the island of St. John bringing children together in parlors and kitchens to learn. Her parents taught her themselves. At 14, they sent her on a boat to New York City and then by train to be taught at Tuskegee Institute.

After working for some years, she came home in 1931. By foot, boat, or by horseback when there were no roads or trails, she provided healthcare to the people of St. John.

Our history is rich. There is so much that we all can learn from people who were so resilient and who were so willing to give of themselves, to go out to learn and educate themselves and come back to give to the history and the future of the people of the Virgin Islands.

I am so grateful to be a part of that history and to be a Virgin Islander whose roots go back seven generations. It is my joy to come home on the weekends during district work periods and run into, most times, people who are my cousins, my family, and, more importantly, my friends.

In this month, during March, it is even more important for us to reach back to that history. This July will be our 175th year of emancipation from slavery.

It is important that all Virgin Islanders understand the importance of working together. When we tell the story to our children about our emancipation, one of the most amazing things is that, as the slaves were organizing, they really kept it to themselves what they had planned and the day that they designated, July 3, to march to the fort and demand their freedom from the Danish military.

As they reached the fort, the Danish soldiers began looking around and decided to put the cannons toward the crowd. They went to get the gunpowder to put in the cannons and realized that the gunpowder was all gone from the fort. The slaves, over a series of months, had surreptitiously and quietly removed all the gunpowder and replaced the barrels with molasses.

That takes people organizing and understanding that you can have no snitches to get something like that done and know that what was most important was them working together.

On that day, as they reached the fort in Frederiksted, the conch shell blew to give notice to the other slaves through the rest of the island. Everyone, from Christiansted at the other end of the island, out east, began marching all at once to try to demand their freedom.

When the governor realized that these slaves had organized in the manner that they had, he declared that all enslaved were now free in the Danish West Indies from henceforth on. The people of St. Croix not only liberated themselves but liberated their brothers, their sisters, and those who were on the other islands under Danish rule in St. Thomas, St. John, the Little Cays, all of the places throughout.

It is that resilience, that fortitude, which I am so grateful to have within my blood and to be a part of my history. That is now American history. That is a part of all of our history that we can all celebrate. That is an example for all of us.

That is not something to be shunned or to be ashamed of or for people to feel embarrassed about or sad. Many people would say that that could be banned in other locations. That is my history. That is a history that is now part of American history.

I am hopeful that we can all take that in, that we can all see examples for our own lives, whether we are Caribbean, Black, Hispanic, Latina, White, Caucasian, or whatever. It is a history for us all. I am so grateful for that history as we continue to live it each and every day.

To end, I also recognize outstanding Virgin Islanders who are doing amazing things today in the arts. We have Virgin Islanders who have been awarded some of the highest honors in these last months: Theron Thomas, Masai Harris, Cori Alexander, and Kyle Francis. Each received recognition at the 75th Annual Grammy Awards for their excellent work in the music industry.

Masai Harris, a native of St. Croix, was an integral part of the team that worked on reggae artist Kabaka Pyramid's second album, which garnered a Grammy for album of the year.

Theron Thomas from St. Thomas, a world-renowned producer and songwriter, received recognition for his songwriting on Lizzo's record of the year.

Both Cori Alexander and Kyle Francis, natives of St. Thomas, worked on the album ``Kingdom,'' which won best gospel performance.

I would be remiss if I didn't lift up our sister, native Virgin Islander Janelle James from St. Thomas, who won the 54th NAACP Image Award for best supporting actress for her role in ``Abbott Elementary.''

These are Virgin Islanders doing amazing things.

We might be a small place, but we think big. We live our lives big. We do not restrict ourselves just to the waters surrounding where we live.

In the words of the popular Rock City song that has as its authors individuals that I mentioned who received Grammy Awards: ``The world is ours, Scarface, even though we come from a small place. No matter where I'm at, I'm VI all day.''

Let's continue to be VI strong and VI proud. Happy Virgin Islands History Month.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the role of the National Park Service in the Virgin Islands of the United States. While the National Park Service plays a vital role in preserving the natural and cultural resources and facilitating outdoor recreation throughout the Nation, I must acknowledge that the relationship between the people of the Virgin Islands and the National Park Service has not always been and is not the best.

On St. Croix, the park sits on some of our most sacred ground, and it is incumbent on them to appreciate and preserve that, of course, which is important, but also to make it accessible to those of us who are living there. On St. John especially, St. Johnians are concerned and have a history in which Laurance Rockefeller was able to take so much land. There are questions even today about who owned what land, how was it taken, and how did it become part of the National Park Service.

I have continually expressed concern about the National Park Service's hiring and staffing practices in the Virgin Islands. I have encouraged the recruitment of native Virgin Islanders who understand the historical context of park spaces and possess a greater degree of cultural awareness. While there have been some hires, I have yet to see meaningful progress, and extended vacancies of National Park Service positions are a concern.

Additionally, for the past 3 years, I have suggested the formation of just a community garden within the Virgin Islands National Park Service boundaries. Such action is authorized by the National Park Service management plan of 2006.

In fact, the Virgin Islands National Park Service general management plan of 1983 included the development of an approximately 2-acre garden plot.

The park comprises 7,259 acres, and to not have a plot for the people who live on that island to be able to garden, people who are locked around water, who have an inability to be able to get fresh fruit and vegetables to their families, it would also foster a better relationship between the community and the national park.

Last week, my office hosted a meeting to ensure that Virgin Islanders' voices--not just written comments--were received by the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and the Government of the Virgin Islands about the proposed Government of the Virgin Islands National Park Service St. John land exchange for the construction of a K-12 school on St. John. During this meeting, my office learned of the barriers and difficulties to submit a written statement during the final comment period.

Thankfully, the park allowed us to extend this until March 15.

While my office can advocate for the people of the Virgin Islands-- presently my office and Congress is not a party to the agreement--the land exchange between the Governor of the Virgin Islands and the National Park Service seems to be going through.

While I may not always agree with our Governor, in this instance I recognize that he is between a rock and a hard place presently as Virgin Islanders are quickly approaching their deadline for using Federal funding to rebuild the school. As we all know, the National Park Service process takes time.

Indeed, Senator Angus King, who last Congress headed up the Natural Resources Committee in the Senate, was only able to get the National Park Service to donate land in Maine after 30 years of advocacy.

The children of the Virgin Islands do not have that time.

Additionally, we are approaching the end of the Caneel Bay Redevelopment and Management Environmental Assessment public comment period. The National Park Service owns 70 percent of the island of St. John, making it one of the most pristine islands not only in the Virgin Islands but in the Caribbean.

The path forward for a resort at Caneel Bay must consider the socioeconomic and environmental impact on the Virgin Islands. Caneel Bay contains some of the best beaches in the world, and to not utilize the property as a world-class, five-star resort would put the Virgin Islands at a disadvantage for tourism dollars.

The path forward for Caneel Bay impacts not just St. John but the entire territory. If Caneel Bay is relegated to

a third-rate facility, it will have a cataclysmic impact on the Virgin Islands economy. From reluctance to place plaques at sacred places to rangers stopping people in public parades, among other things, the National Park Service has to do better in terms of how it deals with native Virgin Islanders.

Mr. Speaker, the work of Congress, and particularly the House of Representatives, is to advance the well-being, security, and economic growth of the American people.

Let me define for you, Mr. Speaker, who the American people are. For all of us as Members of Congress, that looks very different.

For me in my district, it means the young entrepreneur who is eager and excited about starting a new business, a startup company.

It is the middle-aged couple who have government jobs and who have worked diligently, scrimped and saved to buy a home, and are now looking for financing and support to send their children to college.

It is the veteran who has served this country and now has to navigate through the bureaucracy of the Federal Government to get those rights and privileges that, having served this country, he or she deserves.

It is the senior citizen and the retiree who are always watching their budget to make sure that they have enough to meet all of their bills and somehow get by.

Those are the people and the families whom I fight for. I know that, on my side of the aisle, those workers, parents, seniors, and young people are whom we, as Democrats, are fighting for. While we may come from different families with different standings, beliefs, and statuses, that is whom we all should be working for in this Chamber.

Presently, however, the House Republican economic scheme will only hurt working American families, whom we say we are here to support. As Congress, as the House of Representatives of the people, we must, in partnership with the President, continue to enact legislation to protect the financial security of American working families.

That is why I am directly calling on my colleagues, the Republican Conference members, to begin the work of legislating for the American people--the majority of Americans, not the performative politics required by an extreme social media fringe--with legislation to help work out the best possibilities to solve the growing challenges that our families, the American people, face every day.

The current Republican-led plan to cut taxes in favor of the wealthy does not help lower- and middle-income families. Instead, it increases our national deficit and makes inflation worse.

The dismantling of Social Security will be devastating to retirees, who have paid into that system and believe that it is something that they are going to have to live out their best days yet.

Likewise, allowing for prescription drug prices and health insurance premiums to rise while simultaneously allowing for an increasing energy bill and student loan payments only make it harder for families to financially stay afloat and take care of their health.

In the last Congress, the 117th Congress, President Biden and House Democrats forged extraordinary progress, working in a bipartisan manner in the other Chamber, for American working families with many consequential new laws.

They include the American Rescue Plan, which kick-started the fastest and strongest jobs recovery in modern times, creating more than 10 million jobs in just 2 years; the infrastructure law, which put Americans back to work while simultaneously rebuilding our roads, bridges, ports, and water systems; the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which deploys stronger tools to keep guns out of dangerous hands; the PACT Act, which ensures that veterans who are exposed to toxic chemicals while protecting our Nation can access the healthcare services they need; the CHIPS and Science Act, which will power American preeminence in science, innovation, and manufacturing, strengthen our national security, and bring jobs back to

America for decades to come; and the Inflation Reduction Act, which slashed prescription drug costs and lowered healthcare premiums, delivering the most consequential climate action in history and reducing the Federal deficit.

All of this progress can continue if we continue to work to legislate and not to perform for cameras and social media. To work for the American people is incumbent on us all--Democrats, Republicans, all of us--to work together to protect the health, security, and freedom of American families.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight a major legislative win which was the designation of the National Heritage Area Act for my home of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands.

I thank Senator Angus King for his support, who introduced the Senate companion bill, which was signed into law by President Biden.

St. Croix, with its place of landing, is the only place in the United States in which Christopher Columbus actually set his foot. It is home to native Caribs, as well as Taino Indians, who engaged and fought with Christopher Columbus. It is the home of Alexander Hamilton. We have a history of enslavement and struggle to maintain our African ancestors' culture on that island.

Seven nations have owned the U.S. Virgin Islands at one point or another, adding to a rich blend of many cultures and ideas; the epitome of Americanism, how the innovation and continual change in our country takes place.

St. Croix's National Heritage Area designation is the culmination of nearly 20 years of advocacy and work. We look forward to what it brings to our island.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would prohibit the bill from taking effect until the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with other Federal agencies, certifies that this bill will not result in an increase to the average price of energy for Americans.

The world's largest supply of emergency crude oil--the Strategic Petroleum Reserve--was established to reduce the devastating impact of supply shocks on prices. When supply shocks are allowed to occur uninhibited, prices rise, and the American people suffer.

Whether it is mile-long lines at your local gas station or home energy costs that force families into the cold or heat, supply shocks in energy markets hurt people. They might not hurt some of my colleagues' neighborhoods, but they certainly hurt mine.

My constituents would feel deeply the pain that would happen if the President was not permitted to utilize the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to do its job.

All too often, affording to keep the lights on is an everyday struggle for my constituents and for many other Americans, as well. My district, the Virgin Islands, has among the highest residential and commercial electric rates in the country.

The SPR is one of the few mechanisms that the Federal Government has to prevent ever-growing price pressures from crushing people. Less than 1 year ago, in the face of global crude oil instability following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Biden acted with great positive effect to make measured drawdowns from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, causing price reductions by as much as 40 cents per gallon at the pump. Today, average gasoline prices are down by more than $1.50 per gallon from their peak last summer. So the utilization of the SPR thus far to release oil into the market has been very effective for American taxpayers. The SPR is a force for good when it is allowed to operate unencumbered.

However, this bill would significantly weaken this critical energy security tool and hamstring the President's ability to utilize the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a time of disruption, which will result in more oil supply shortages. It would do so by making it harder to withdraw oil into the market quickly to increase supply when the market needs it most--which will drive up gasoline prices.

The President must be able to rapidly provide oil from the SPR to address supply disruptions and respond to emergencies. Arbitrarily requiring the completion of reports related to energy production on Federal lands specifically--a matter which the Department of Energy does not control--would only delay response and increase prices when energy disruptions occur.

So my amendment is simple. It provides that SPR utilization may not be limited unless the Secretary of Energy certifies that this would not push up average energy prices in America.

Nothing is standing in the way of domestic oil production. Oil production is up by 1 million barrels per day under President Biden and is on track to reach a new record high this year. There are nearly 10,000 approved but unused permits to drill.

The basic rules of economics must continue to apply. The SPR should continue to serve as a flexible and responsible emergency supply recourse to put down pressure on energy prices. Under my amendment, this bill must not yield the opposite and raise energy prices.

Mr. Chairman, I urge all my colleagues to please approve my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, while I and my Democratic colleagues, as well as the Biden-Harris administration, have raised Social Security benefits by 8.7 percent, extreme Republicans are attempting to force cuts to Social Security eligibility and benefits that will hurt the financial security of America's seniors.

Their very first bill released the wealthy and well connected from giving their fair share of taxes, adding $114 billion to the debt.

Social Security used to be a bipartisan-supported program. It is a vital lifeline for Americans, and House Democrats will continue to fight to protect Social Security not only for our seniors now but for future generations.

Together, House Democrats will continue to stand united in holding our Republican colleagues accountable and to push back against their efforts to subsidize the lifestyles of the rich and powerful.