CHARLOTTE – Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) released a video celebrating Women’s History Month, which is celebrated nationwide during the month of March.
The video is available on YouTube here and for download here.
“If we look to history, we find no shortage of women who have dared to be trailblazers and close the opportunity gap between women and men,” says Congresswoman Adams in the video. “Thank you for joining us in celebration of Women’s History Month. Finally, to all the young women and girls out there, don’t be afraid to make history. I hope to read about you someday.”
Full Text of Rep. Adams’ Video is Below:
Greetings, I’m Congresswoman Alma Adams and I am happy to announce that March is Women’s History Month: a time to celebrate and reflect on the many women who came before us.
Today, I stand before you proud to celebrate 105 years since the first woman was elected to Congress,
102 years since women got the right to vote, 50 years since Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman to run for president, and just one year after Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first woman Vice President ever.
As I reflect on the women in my life, I am overcome with joy as I think about my Shero — my mom. Without my mom, I would not be here today. Her love for me kindled a burning desire to go from walking the streets of Newark, New Jersey to walking the halls of Congress. Through her, I discovered my passion for education.
That guided me through 40 years as a professor at Bennett College, in Greensboro, North Carolina. A passion that has continued to guide me through my time on the Greensboro school board and then the city council.
Through my time in the state house and, later, as the 100th Woman Elected to the 113th Congress
In Congress, I think a lot about my daughter Jeanelle. She is an educator and mother herself, but she also faced numerous challenges, including a crisis during her pregnancy that inspired me to work with my colleague Lauren Underwood to start the first ever Black Maternal Health Caucus in Congress.
Because despite all our progress, women are still fighting for equal health care, equal pay, equal representation, equal respect, and equal rights.
Women still face inequities in education, employment, and reproductive care.
Like Fannie Lou Hammer said, women are “sick and tired of being sick and tired”.
But if we look to history, we find no shortage of women who have dared to be trailblazers and close the opportunity gap between women and men.
From Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth to Eleanor Roosevelt and Angela Davis, from bell hooks and Gloria Steinem to Coretta Scott King and Maya Angelou, from Audre Lorde and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, women make history, and when they do, they pave the way for future generations.
Thank you for joining us in celebration of Women’s History Month, and to all the young women and girls out there, don’t be afraid to make history. I hope to read about you someday.