Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi, the speaker of the house of representatives, accompanied by the honorable Kevin Mccarthy. Ms. Cay coles james, the honorable barbara mikulski, the honorable Brenda Lawrence, the honorable debbie lesco, ms. Koki roberts and ms. Rebecca roberts. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi, the speaker of the house of representatives. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, yes, yes indeed this afternoon is very much a cause for celebration and cheering for what happened 100 years ago today in the house of representatives. Thank the u. S. Army String Quartet for making so pleasant for us. Im honored to be here with Kevin Mccarthy and the bipartisan members of congress. Mostly our women members of congress. We salute our cochairs of the bipartisan house caucus for womens issues, congresswoman Brenda Lawrence and congresswoman debbie lesco, and let us welcome a trail blazing force for women in journalism and her daughter rebecca an outstanding journalist in her own right writing about women. As many of the women members know, the lindy bogs room in this room, the only room named for a woman in the capitol is named for her lovely mother and rebeccas grandmother lindy boggs. Lets thank lindy boggs for her leadership. Further acknowledgments we thank the bipartisan womens Suffrage Centennial commission for their leadership to educate the American Public about the Suffrage Movement. Were honored to have the chair of the committee, senator barbara mikulski, the vice chair, and the executive director with us today. Let us acknowledge them and to each and every one of you. I could name you all for the contributions you make for expanding freedom and opportunity in our country, especially today as we acknowledge that for women. How wonderful it is to see so many yellow roses in this room, beautiful symbols of the courage of the men and women who fought for and won the right to vote. Were all inspired by the purple ribbons we see, a lovely tribute to the unsung women of color who led the march for suffrage for all women. Emancipation hall as you may know a few years ago we installed a bronze bust for the cause of equality and that of all women of color who fought for suffrage. Were pleased to see sojourner take her right place in the capitol along with susan b. Anthony. Here we are 100 years since that eventful day when suffragettes succeeded in having that resolution pass the house of representatives, and here we are 100 years after that day with over 100 women serving in the congress of the United States. [ applause ] thats pretty exciting. [ applause ] almost, almost as rowdy as the suffragists themselves, but we welcome all of the members of Congress Present and former and especially the women members. So 100 years ago that resolution, the house passage of the 19th amendment passed the house. Earlier today we passed a resolution observing that historic vote. In two weeks the senate will pass their resolution marking 100 years since the passage in the senate, and then the states across the nation will join in celebrations for the ratification next august, 100 years since the adoption of the 19th amendment. So about a year and a half well be hard at work celebrating the passage of the 19th amendment. It was when this amendment first passed, people in the press wrote women given the right to vote. That couldnt be further from the truth. Women werent given anything. Women earned, worked for, marched, fought, starved, were starved, sacrificed everything for expanding freedom in our country. Since the birth of our democracy, women have not waited for change but have worked for change. Now we stand on the shoulders of suffragettes, we call them the suffragettes now, as we fight to pregnant t protect the second right to be heard at the ballot box for all americans. The promise of suffrage remains unfulfilled until every American Woman can exercise her right to vote, every american really. So thank you all for your leadership, to those who are helping us commemorate it, all of you as well for a brighter, more equal america, and thank you for the joy that your presence brings to this celebration today. Just think back 100 years when that vote took place in this house of representatives. I do believe that any one of us who have served or serving now are colleagues to those women whom well, the men who made the vote there for women to have the right to vote. Think of the cheers that went up in the gallery, and now let us welcome the distinguished leader of the republicans in the house of representatives, congressman Kevin Mccarthy of the great state of california. Thank you all. [ applause ] good afternoon. It is an honor to be here to commemorate a defining moment in the history of representing democracy. And for those of you who are members of this chamber, next time you walk on that floor think of the significance of this day. That is the same floor where they debated and passed 100 years ago the 19th amendment. [ applause ] while we celebrate the centennial of the house officially voting on the 19th amendment, like most pieces of legislation, the journey to passage did not begin in the moment that it made it through the chambers of congress. No, it began more than 40 years before that, and im proud to say madame speaker, it was in california, it was a republican senator, Aaron Sergeant who in 1878 first introduced the 29 words that became the 19th amendment. His ties to the Womens Suffrage Movement actually started a few years before that. You see, in 1872, then senator elect sergeant met susan b. Anthony and a chance encounter on a train. Anthony had recently been arrested for illegally voting and was eager to pass a federal amendment to guarantee women the right to vote. She found a strong ally in sergeant. Anthony and sergeant worked together on what became known as the anthony amendment. The text was nearly identical to the words of the 15th amendment, and it said that the right to vote would not be abridged by any state because of a persons sex. The anthony amendment did not receive a vote for nine years. Sergeant had already left office, but had helped build the momentum behind this important movement. With a Firm Resolution and a commitment, the amendment was introduced for 40 straight years, but the beginning of the end finally came in our very own chambers, not in the senate. Republican representative james man proposed the resolution that became the 19th amendment on may 21st, 1919, the ta day it passe that is why we are here today. 100 years ago today, the decades of advocacy by the suffrage supporters paid off. 100 years ago today the house passed the 19th amendment, but what lessons can we take away today from this historic moment. The suffrage succeeded because of its unwavering appeal to the principle of equality. The foundation of our common bond of americans. Its supporters did not fight for special privileges. They asked for their rights as americans to no longer be denied. The constitution in its preamble sets standards for our politics a and our effort to form a more Perfect Union. Nothing demonstrates a more Perfect Union better than the passage of the 19th amendment. Thank you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, ms. Kay coles james, chair of the womens Suffrage Centennial commission. [ applause ] calm it down. Good afternoon, and you know, it goes without saying but ill say it. As we commemorate today with a woman as speaker of the house. [ cheers and applause ] politics aside you got to be proud, and i am. Thank you so much, and leader mccarthy thank you for being here today. You know, as chairman of the centennial commission, i have so enjoyed working with both of you as we have prepared for today and for the year ahead. This commission is made up of women from all walks of life, backgrounds, and ideologies, and weve come together to work in a manner of bipartisanship and unity that unfortunately is all too rare in washington these days, and none of this would have been possible without the expert leadership and partnership of our vice chairman and former senator mikulski. Senator. [ applause ] we started this endeavor as respected colleagues, and now i am so proud to call her my friend. Thank you. The womens Suffrage Centennial commission was formed by congress to coordinate the nationwide celebration in 2020 of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment to the constitution. Today specifically we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first major step in adopting the 19th amendment, the passage of the resolution in the u. S. House of representatives. Sometimes we take the precious right to vote for granted, and this centennial celebration ensures that we dont forget the sacrific sacrifices, the struggles, and the hard fought victory to secure womens right to vote, and youre absolutely right whoever said it earlier. We were not given the right to vote. We took it. Everything that happened in the past frames who we are today, every single woman in congress is here because of the women who decades ago planted the seeds for justice. It is critically important to honor and remember those women like alice paul and susan b. Anthony and ida wells barnett, and elizabeth stanton, and also those represented by our purple ribbons here today, those whose names we may not know but hopefully by the end of the year we all will. What happened 100 years ago also set the stage for the Record Number of women serving in and running for Office Making boardroom decisions and raising the next generation of americas leaders. Thank you all. [ applause ] you know, the women who fought for the right to vote did so because they believe the best way to change the laws that treated women as second class citizens was to have power over those who made the laws. After the seneca falls women rights convention, the first organized gathering of suffragists Frederick Douglass wrote, all that distinguishes man as an intelligent and accountable being is equally true of women, and if that government is only just which governs by the free consent of the governed, there can be no reason in the world for denying to women the exercise of the elective franchise or a hand in making and administering the laws of the land. Leaders of the early Womens Movement would certainly be pleased to know that today womens voting outpaces that of men. [ applause ] they would also be extremely proud of the amazing powerful women in this room, a true testament that what we are exercising is our franchise. Thank you. [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable barbara mikulski, retired United States senator from maryland and vice chair of the womens Suffrage Centennial commission. Hi, everybody. [ applause ] hi, everybody. Im going to speak from my chair. I hope cspan can get me. [ laughter ] so im just delighted to be back in the house of representatives where i served for more than ten wonderful, joyful years, and i want to thank the speaker for organizing this fantastic event and the cooperation certainly of congressman mccarthy and his caucus, and to be here with the Commission Members on the commemoration of the suffrage. Some things dont change. The podium still doesnt fit me. [ laughter ] 40 years later, and the damn podium still doesnt fit me. [ laughter ] to the new diverse class, i say power to the podiums that fit everybody. [ laughter ] but in all seriousness, how wonderful to be back in the house where they passed the resolution on the 19th amendment. What a powerful statement the house made, and we were called today that when the guys were up in philadelphia busy writing the constitution, abigail adams, who was running the farm, raising the kids, paying the bills, whats new girlfriends, that she said dont forget the ladies, but they did. They forgot a lot of hingthings that first draft of the constitution, and hard fought, sometimes bitterly earned, the constitution was expanded, and finally in 1919, the 19th amendment was passed to give women the right to vote. 50 of the population was finallyfina finally empowered, what a wonderful occasion it was, and the constitution, the founders had it right. It always starts in the peoples house as it makes its way to the senate and passes on to the people, to the states for ratification. And on the way to bring us to the moment of the passage of the 19th amendment resolution through ratification, it was people who fought hard, people of color who fought hard, often marginalized and stigmatized but nevertheless refusing to give up or to give in. So today when we commemorate this resolution as it moves over to the senate, and it moves out to the nation for commemoration, we have to remember what it was about. It was not about gender, it was about an agenda. It was about gender, yes, the empowerment of women, but it was so that we would have an agenda to expand democracy, and thats what were here today to talk about, to remember what happened, remember our history, to reflect on our history, but to recommit to the empowerment of women. I salute the new class, what a wonderful new class. [ applause [ applause ] we salute your large numbers. We salute your diversity, but remember, with diversity comes in Elections Come duty. It is our duty to make democracy work, and to make democracy work we have to work at democracy. Certainly today this commemoration reaffirms that commitment and working hand in hand with this excellent chair of our commission, we hope to plan a commemoration for the year so that you will be so proud of what we recommend, and at the end of our commemoration, america will remember that the constitution includes everybody, and that everybody has an opportunity in our society to be able to feel empowered and to make it. So i say god bless america. God bless our constitution, and may the force be with us. [ laughter ] [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable Brenda Lawrence, representative from michigan and cochair of the house caucus on womens issues. [ applause ] madame speaker, what a sweet sound that is. Members of the womens Suffrage Centennial commission, honored guests, i thank you so much for gathering here today. The 19th amendment played a significant role in the advancement of womens rights, and its truly a privilege to be here today as we honor the 100th anniversary of the passage of the amendment to the u. S. House to the u. S. Constitution granting women the right to vote. The amendment was guided by shared ideas of freedom, democracy, civil liberties, and individual rights for all. While the 19th amendment open the door for many women, it did not resolve the issue of suffrage for many women of color, native american and immigrant women. We continue to battle for Voting Rights for decades. Native american women four years later. The africanamerican women, almost 70 years after this amendment was passed. The opportunity for greater political voice for African American women, drew them to the suffrage moment. I am a proud member of delta sigma. We marched as black women. We did not ask permission, but we knew it was the right thing to do. We were in the back of the parade, but we were there. Voting rights is an issue for every woman in america. These women, along with many others share a valuable lesson that progress is no accident. It takes the power of persistence and dedication to our goals to turn our a vision of equality into reality. It is the lesson that we are applying every day in the house of congress. It is with great appreciation that i honor the sacrifices of the women who never gave up. They never give up the fight to ensure liberty, justice and equality for all. Today this body represents 106 women members of congress. A significant number who are women of color today. [ cheers and applause ] and today an estimated 60 Million People participate in elections. Pay attention. Which would not be possible without the brave and brilliant suffrage who never gave up the right for equal rights. I am so proud and excited that my resolution hr 354 commemorating this historic anniversary of the 19th amendment passed in the house today by unanimous consent. From both sides of the aisle. [ cheers and applause ] i am going to close with the comment that i use all of the time. I love this country. I love america for all of the journey. I love the country that one time did not love me back. It did not love me as a woman and it did not love me as an africanamerican. But the persistence and the dedication to equality, that was shown by these amazing womens in the Suffrage Movement is one of the reasons why i show up here. To walk the halls of congress, which were built by slaves. A little black girl from the east side of detroit, raised by a southern woman who was a grandchild of an emancipated woman. To sit here in congress today, i believe in one nation under god, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. And that includes women. [ cheers and applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the honorable representative from arizona and the cochair of house caucus on womens issues. Thank you, wasnt that something . What a great job read that. You did a fantastic job. Very inspirational. Will hello ladies, how are you doing today . And men. What a historic day this is. What a Historic Place that we are doing this in. Good afternoon. I proudly represent arizonas eighth congressional district. I have the distinct honor of serving as the republican chair for womens issues, alongside my colleague brenda warren. We are truly a bipartisan caucus working together to improve the lives of women and families across the country. I am especially honored to join you all here today. The hall of the house. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, giving all women the right to vote. This is a special place. In this very room set eight president s, including