Pelosi Remarks at Women's History Month Reception
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi hosted the Bipartisan Women's Caucus and other Members of Congress for her annual Women's History Month reception, which honored labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta. Below are the Speaker's remarks:
Speaker Pelosi. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. Thank you to our musicians. Thank you all for being here this afternoon.
It is the beginning of Women's History Month. What better way to launch it than to honor Dolores Huerta? I see her right there.
[Applause]
It's a personal privilege for me as well as an official one as Speaker, but personal because Dolores and I have been friends since the seventies. I know some of you weren't even born yet, but we were good friends even then.
[Laughter]
It's a joy to welcome you as guests to the United States Capitol to celebrate Women's History Month and to honor an American hero, Dolores Huerta.
[Applause]
Dolores is a living civil rights legend, as you know, a fearless fighter for progress, who has organized, mobilized, made a difference in the lives of millions of Americans and workers. Her leadership is a tribute to this truth that when women succeed, America succeeds.
[Applause]
Dolores was honored by President Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and made history as the first Latina ever – ever inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
[Applause]
Now, the House, where so many of us consider her a hero – all of us consider her a hero – is proud to honor her and do so in this year marking 100 years since women have had the right to vote.
[Applause]
And we do so with over 100 women Members of the House of Representatives. We're happy about that. That's an applause line.
[Applause]
Countless women in our country stand upon Dolores' shoulders, certainly all of us in Congress – those who have served. Let us welcome all of the leaders, advocates and young people inspired by Dolores who are with us, including those with the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
[Applause]
Now, I am pleased to yield to the Chair – to the Vice – the Chair to the Vice Chair of the Bipartisan Women's Caucus to speak about Dolores – Representative Jenniffer González-Colón of Puerta Rico.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
***
Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Representative – well, it's a different title from Puerta Rico, right?
Commissioner González-Colón. It's okay. It's okay
Speaker Pelosi. I call you Commissioner, Madam Vice Chair. Thank you for your kind words about Dolores.
Thank you very much, Zoe Lofgren. What she did with this legislation was so remarkable at a time when we have some challenges here. So, thank you, Zoe, for being so great.
[Applause]
But let me just say this, because I'm very excited about today for a lot of reasons. The first time I was taking orders from Dolores was in 1976.
[Laughter]
In 1976, as I said, you weren't born. We were at the Democratic Convention nominating Jerry Brown for President of the United States and were carrying the farmworkers' signs around the convention hall. Of course we had no prospect of winning that election, but you could never have convinced us of that.
[Laughter]
People were saying to me from California, ‘Put those signs down. You're going to be in trouble with the growers.' And I was like, ‘What? We're with the farmworkers. We're with the farmworkers.'
[Laughter]
The next time we were at a convention was in '82, and it was a midterm convention. I was Chair of the California – I went from sign carrier in '76 to Chair of the California Democratic Party in 1982. And we're at the convention, and we had a big, big agenda for the California Delegation. I said, ‘Dolores,' – she comes over to me and says, ‘I need some tickets.' I said, ‘What do you mean, Dolores?' She said, ‘I need fourteen tickets to get into the front.' I said, ‘Oh my goodness, Dolores, fourteen? That would be hard.'
[Laughter]
She said, ‘Well, if it weren't hard, I wouldn't even be asking you.'
[Laughter]
So, as I said, we've all been learning our lesson from Dolores, but let me just say her leadership has touched and transformed the lives of so many people, giving a voice to the most vulnerable in our nation.
Millions of farmworkers who have the right to bargain collectively and the tools to fight for fair labor practices, mothers in the field who are often exposed to deadly pesticides who risk their health and that of their babies, survivors who are saying, ‘Me too,' and fighting with her to end sexual violence, little children whose health and well-being Dolores has defended, immigrant communities with whom she is fighting to defeat discrimination and secure a seat at the table.
She is quite a remarkable person. Dolores's life work is a labor of love and compassion. A tribute to the belief that we all possess a spark of divinity in us that must be respected.
Both personally and professionally, of course, it is a joy for all of us to honor Dolores for what we owe her and what she has done for our country. For years, Dolores, we've all worked together with her, but most recently her leadership was critical in the passing of the legislation we just discussed.
In my city of San Francisco, our patron saint is St. Francis, whose song is our anthem – the anthem of San Francisco is the song of St. Francis: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.'
Dolores is an instrument of peace: sowing hope where there is despair; love where there is hatred; light where there is darkness; hope where there is – joy where there is sadness.
And let me embrace her for her relentless spirit – well, we don't embrace anymore, so we bump elbows with her –
[Laughter]
For her relentless spirit and tireless commitment to a future of dignity, respect and progress for everyone in our country. I know members of her family are here so – I don't know how she was – your sibling giving orders and all the rest.
[Laughter]
Si se puede! We can all join that and say because of Dolores. Yes we can, si se puede! Si se puede!
Let us now hear from Dolores Huerta.
[Applause]
And by the way, you'd never know it to see her but she's going to have her 90th birthday in April.
***
Speaker Pelosi. We have so many Members of Congress here, I don't know if they can all fit up here, but they can all wave their hands. We have former Senator Mary Landrieu, Jane Harman, a former Member. Colleagues, come forward.
As you all come forward, let us all acknowledge the beautiful music of the U.S Army, the quartet –
[Applause]
Also, to say what Dolores has taught us is, ‘We don't agonize, we organize, right?' And my colleagues, as you chat – Dolores, I need your attention for a moment, because you said – we have honored our honor – our Women's History Month Honoree this year, Dolores Huerta, joining Hillary Clinton; Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Women of the Supreme Court in other years; the Hidden Figures, the women who helped take us to the moon and back.
So many distinguished women have been honored, and Dolores accepting this award brings luster to it. So we thank her for letting us honor her. It is our privilege. Let us thank Dolores Huerta for her shoulders and for her leadership.
[Applause]