Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi. The speaker of the house of representatives. Accompanied by the honorable Kevin Mccarthy. The honorable Brenda Lawrence. The honorable debbie lasko. Ms. Cokie roberts. Ms. Rebecca roberts. Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable nancy pelosi, the speaker of the house of representatives. [cheers and applause] ms. Pelosi 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. I want to thank the u. S. Army String Quartet for making it so pleasant for us. Im honored to be here with leader 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 lesko. [applause] and let us welcome cokie roberts, a trail blazing force for women in journalism and her daughter rebecca, an outstanding journalist in her own right, writing about women. [applause] as many of the women members know, the lindy boggs room, this room, the only room named for a woman in this capitol is named for cokies lovely mother, rebeccas grandmother, lindy boggs. We thank the womens bipartisan Suffrage Centennial commission for their leadership to educate the American Public about the Suffrage Movement. Were honored to have kay james, the chair of the committee, senator barbara mikulski, the vice chair, and rebecca, 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 brighten this room. Such beautiful symbols of the courage of the women and men who fought for and won the right to vote. Were all inspired by the purple ribbons that 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 sojourner truth, commemorating her immeasurable contributions to the cause of equality and that of all women of color who fought for suffrage. We were pleased to see her take her rightful place in the capitol along with Elizabeth Cady stanton, Elisabeth Moss and susan b. Anthony. Here we are, 100 years since that eventful day when suffragists succeeded in having that resolution pass the house of representatives. Here we are 100 years after that day with over 100 women serving in the congress of the United States. [applause] thats pretty exciting. Almost as we welcome all the members of Congress Present and former, and especially the women members. So that resolution, the house passage of the 19th amendment passed the house. Earlier today we passed a resolution observing the historic vote and in two week 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 through next august, 100 years since the adoption of the 19th amendment. So for 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, 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, 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 all them suffragists now, as we fight to protect the sacred 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 has their has served or is serving now, our colleagues, to those women, 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] rep. Mccarthy good afternoon. It is an honor to be here. To commemorate a defining moment in the history of representative democracy. 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] now while we celebrate the centennial of the house officially voting on this 19th amendment, like most pieces of legislation, the injure noah to the journey to passage did not begin in a moment that made it through the chambers of congress. No. It began more than 40 years before that. Im proud to say, madam speaker, it was a californian. It was a republican senator, aaron sargent, who in 1878 first introduced the 29 words that became the 19th amendment. His ties to the Womens Suffrage Movement started two years before that. You see, in 1872, thensenatorelect sargent met susan b. Anthony in a chance encounter on a train. Anthony had recently been arrested for illegally voting and was eager to pass the federal amendment to guarantee women the right to vote. She found a strong ally in sargent. Anthony and sargent 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. Sargent had already left office. But his but helped build the momentum behind this important movement. With a Firm Resolution and commitment, the amendment was introduced for 40 straight years. But the beginning of the end finally came in our very own chamber, not in the senate. Republican representative james mann proposed the resolution that became the 19th amendment on may 21, 1919, the day it passed. 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 lesson can we take away today from this historic moment . The suffrage succeeded because of its unwavering appeal to the principles of equality. The foundation of our common bond of americans. The supporters did not fight for special privileges. They asked for their rights as americans no longer to be denied. The constitution and its preamble set the standards for our politics 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. [cheers and applause] good afternoon. It goes without saying, but ill say it, as we commemorate today with a woman as speaker. [applause] politics aside, youve got to be proud and i am. Thank you so much. And leader mccarthy thank you for being here today. 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 we have 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 sacrifices, the struggles, and the hardfought 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 believed 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 womens rights convention, the first organized gathering of suffragists, Frederick Douglas wrote, all that distinguished 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 elected franchise or a hand in making an 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. 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. [crowd cheering] ms. Mikulski hi, everybody. 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 10 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 suffrage. Some things dont change. The podium still doesnt fit me. [laughter] 40 years later and the damn podium still doesnt fit me. Todd 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 recall 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, girlfriend, she said dont forget the ladies. But they did. They forgot a lot of things in 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 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 along 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 we are 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] we salute your large numbers. We salute your diversity, but remember, with diversity and elections comes 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] announcer ladies and gentlemen, the honorable Brenda Lawrence, representative in michigan and cochair of the house caucus on womens issues. [applause] representative lawrence madam 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. 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 opened the doors for many women to vote, it did not resolve the issue of suffrage for many women of color, native americans, and immigrant women. We continued to battle for Voting Rights for decades. The native american women, four years later. The africanamerican women, almost 70 years after this amendment was passed. The opportunity for a greater political voice drew africanamerican women to the Suffrage Movement. I wear a ribbon, im a proud member of delta sigma theta. [applause] and we marched as black women. And the story is told often that we didnt ask permission but we knew it was the right thing to do. We were in the back of the parade but we were there, because 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 vision of equality into reality. And its a lesson that were applying every day in the halls of congress. It is with great appreciation that i honor the sacrifices of the women who never gave 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. [applause] and today an estimated 67 million women participate in our elections, pay attention, which would not be possible without the brave and brilliant suffragists who never gave up the fight for equal rights. Im so proud and excited that my resolution, h. R. 354, commemorating this historic anniversary of the 19th amendment passed in the house today by unanimous consent from both sides of the aisle. [applause] [crowd cheering] and im going to close with this comment that i use all the time. I love this country. I love america for all of the journeys, and i love a country that one time did not love me back. It didnt love me as a woman and it didnt love me as an africanamerican. But our democracy, the pursuit and dedication to equality that was shown by these amazing women in the Suffrage Movement is one of the reasons i show up here and walk the halls of congress, which was built by slaves. As a little black girl from the east side of detroit, raised by a southern woman who was the grandchild of an emancipated slave, to stand here in congress and say, i fight because i believe in one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And that includes women. Thank you. [applause] [cheers and applause] announcer ladies and gentlemen, the honorable debbie lesko, representative from arizona and cochair of the house caucus on womens issues. [applause] representative lesko thank you. Wasnt that something . What a great job, brenda. You did a fantastic job, very inspirational. Well, hello, ladies, how are you doing today, and demand . Men. D what a historic day this is and what a Historic Place that were doing this in. Good afternoon. I am congresswoman debbie lesko and i proudly represent arizonas eighth congressional district. This congress i have the distinct honor of serving as the republican chair of the congressional caucus for womens issues alongside my colleague Brenda Lawrence. 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 are here today in statuary hall, the hall of the house, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of house passage of the 19th amendment giving all women the right to vote. This is a special place. In this very room sat eight president s, including John Quincy Adams and abraham lincoln. Over 100 years ago, Jeanette Rankin of montana walked through these hallways as the first woman ever elected to congress, even before the ratification of the 19th amendment. At her swearing in she remarked, i may be the first woman member of congress, but i wont be the last. [applause] we are proof that she was right. Since then, a total of 365 women have served in the United States congress. This year, as we celebrate the centennial of womens suffrage, we also celebrate the most women to ever serve in congress. [applause] we make History Today because these women forged the path for us right here in these hallowed halls. The 131 of us women serving today stand on the shoulders of all who came before us. This centennial is one of the most important in our nations history. We honor the courage, the determination, and persistence of those who successfully fought for womens Voting Rights. As we commemorate this incredible accomplishment of women in American History, i believe the most lasting tribute we can pay is to continue our efforts to improve this nation for the next generation of women and men that will come after us. So today, let us celebrate the many women and men who never gave up, who fought hard to ensure the right to vote for every woman in america. We honor the suffragist sisters and the others who fought for and the suffragettes who fought for generations of women they would never meet, but still changed the trajectory of their lives. We would not be here today if it werent for them. Over the north door of this room, toward the rotunda, is a depiction of clio, the muse of history. Riding a clockwheeled chariot, and writing in the book of time. May she fill her pages with even more incredible women for generations to come. Thank you and god bless. [applause] announcer ladies and gentlemen, ms. Cokie roberts and ms. Rebecca boggs roberts. [applause] i forgot to tell her to wear white. [laughter] ms. Roberts what a true honor it is for us to be here in this hallowed hall, as you heard from congresswoman lesko. Some of its history. In front of the room named for my mother and rebeccas grandmother, and with the speaker of the house and all of you fabulous, powerful women, and leader mccarthy. It really is an occasion worth celebrating, and celebrating well into next year, until august. Let me read you the New York Times headline from may 22, 1919. Suffrage wins easily in house, vote 30489. 19 republicans, 70 democrats, largely from the south comprise opposition. The surprise vote was nicholas longworth, who voted the year before the amendment had come to the house and passed by one vote, and he voted against it then. But he said things had changed in his state since then. He didnt mention his wife alice, who probably wouldnt let him come home. [laughter] but after that heartbreaking vote in the house, or heartstopping vote in the house, a heartbreaking one in the senate, lost by one vote. The women fighting for their rights persisted and the House Speaker in 1918, the democratic leader in 1919, he said, when i first came to congress the voice of suffragists was like that of john the baptist crying in the wilderness, it was more a joke than anything else. What he didnt say is what happened to change things. His own wife carted him down to the workhouse to see what horrible conditions prevailed there, where suffragists were imprisoned for the crime of, the crime of blocking the sidewalk because they had the temerity to be at the white house. So they were locked up, some for days, some for weeks, some for months, they were locked up and essentially tortured, forcefed when they went on hunger strikes to protest. It had the effect of making the men in congress at least somewhat uncomfortable. That plus active organization at the grassroots, relentless lobbying shrewd public relations, all combined to bring the voice os the suffragists out of the wilderness and into full citizenship. After may 21, 1919, passage in the senate seemed sure after the loss of they are before. Quoting the argument of mr. Little of kansas, that women were working in the war effort. And that made a big different difference. They were forced to earn their own livelihood due to complex demands of a complex civilization. Votewomen already had the in his state of kansas. Disruptedes had been as a result of political disagreement. Probably not true today. The year before, Jeanette Rankin had been on the floor to vote. She open to debate with the amendment. She lost her did for the senate in the next election. As i look around today and see these powerful women, and i think how things would have been different if they had been here. Speaker pelosi would have rounded up the votes no problem. Senator mccluskey probably would to slipn found a way some federal money to the suffrage organization. [laughter] and congresswoman lawrence and lesko continue in the tradition of the women who wanted to vote for themselves. Vote not just for themselves, but for an agenda. To stop child labor, to Institute Maternity clinics, they wanted to do a whole host of social welfare things that they had been working on since the beginning of the that women had been working on, since the beginning of the republic. But they needed the vote to have the clout to be able to do those things. And that is what the congressional caucus on womens issues continues to do in a bipartisan way. We just need more of you. So please, convince women to run and win. It is important to be celebrating History Today. Because it is important to know them and for the next generation to know them. My own next generation has taken on the task in a book she has written about suffragettes in washington of telling the story. [applause] [captioning performed by the we are standing here in the boggs room. Boggs became lindy an ambassador and a Formidable Force in american politics. This history is recent. It is important to know. People say learn womens history for role models for girls. But the main reason to know it is because if you do not learn about womens history, youre getting history wrong. [applause] and the reason to know about this movement in womens history is that they one. They were incredibly successful they did it entirely by women and for women. They changed the world. So if yall want to change the world, and i hope you do, then re are worse rose marie worse role models than the suffragettes. History, vote, and then go out and change the world. [applause] [applause] [captioning performed by the sen. Pelosi i want to thank our speakers for their contributions to the wisdom of today. I was motivated to tell you a story when i heard some of the stories told here. One was that when Jeanette Rankin, the first woman to serve here,ngress, when she was judiciaryery hostile committee for womens suffrage. So she suggested that they start on womens suffrage. And that was a committee that she spoke for. They took it to the rules committee. The leadership made her the ranking republican on the committee on womens suffrage, which then later passed the resolution. Even in those days, they had to go around a committee in order to get to the floor. The other story i want to tell you is a personal one. When i was first elected later and i went to my first meeting at the white house, when i went to my first meeting at the white house i was not intimidated by going to the meeting, because i had been to the white house many times as an appropriator. Or as a member of the intelligence committee. But when i went into the meeting, and the door closed behind me, i realized this was a meeting had never been to before, it was like a meeting that no woman had been to before. Because it was just the congressional leadership with the president of the United States. Women have had a seat at the table at Cabinet Office at the white house appointed by the president , thats wonderful, but the power at the table derived from his. My power derived from the Democratic Caucus in the house of representatives. [applause] Speaker Pelosi as was the republican that derived from his leadership. George w. Bush, ever gracious, welcoming, remarks welcoming me as the first woman to be at such a meeting. And all of a sudden, i really could not hear what he was saying because i was squeezed in in my chair. Then i realized search or nurture is, they were all in the the creation of mott, alice paul, susan b anthony, were all in the chair with me. And i could hear them say, at last, we have a seat at the seat at the table. [applause] and then they were gone. My first thought was, we want more. Again, this is a wonderful day for all of us. It is more special because our Democratic Leaders have brought a very special guest, the first woman and the first africanAmerican Woman to be the speaker of the house of the state of maryland. Speaker jones. [cheers and applause] Speaker Pelosi speaker jones, remember that name, history. I would like, as we conclude, for all the women past and present who have served in the house and are serving in the house to stand. All of you, stand. [cheers and applause] Speaker Pelosi and so, with those were gathered up here, we would like to propose a toast to women, to women in congress, in the academic world, the corporate world, in the military at home, moms, two women, more to women, more power to you. [applause] thank you all very much. Please enjoy the refreshments. Some of our members are enjoying the refreshments early, thank you all. [indistinct chatter] [crowd conversations] if you like American History tv, keep up with us during the week on facebook, twitter, and youtube. See preview clips on upcoming programs. Follow us at cspan history. Next sunday, we mark the 50th anniversary of the stonewall riots. A turning point in the fight for gay rights. Here is a recent program looking at the Gay Rights Movement in america. So, based on the history use research and study, what are the challenges moving ahead . It was very easy in 1969, to talk about a lesbian and gay community. Even though it was diverse, with people of different races and classes and professions, visible gave community, the activist, had an agenda that was pretty solid and pretty clear to them. Now, lesbian and gay americans have the freedom to make all kinds of choices for themselves. So that, for lesbian and days who are democrats, it is incomprehensible to them that you would be gay and republican o. On the other hand, i met log cabin republicans who are fiscal conservatives, christian, and so on. And within this place in the Republican Party that they have carved out for themselves, they can be all of those things. I think that is great. I also think that sometimes our identities contradict each other. And that in the age of identity, which we are in, for people to have more complex identities, to say, i am gay and im republican. Or, i am lesbian and a fiscal conservative, i think that is hard took claim to people. It is a real challenge i think it is hard to explain to people. Explaine challenge to why a liberationist identity from the past may not be the ration now. History tverican next sunday as we mark the 50th anniversary of the stonewall riots. Presidency,the louis galang boasts, editor of the papers on dwight d. Eisenhower, talks about the evelyn lucian of eisenhowers leaders ship style the evolution of eisenhowers leadership style