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[Pages H2688-H2689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1045
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Waltz) for 5 minutes.
Mr. WALTZ. Mr. Speaker, each year in the month of March, our Nation
takes time to celebrate Women's History Month and to recognize the
important role women have played in our personal, local, national, and
world history.
We have made progress elevating women throughout our society, but it
is not enough. There is still more work to be done here at home and
around the world.
Women play a critical role in the history of every American.
As the son of a single mother who worked multiple jobs while putting
herself through night school, I owe everything I am to this strong,
independent, American woman. She and millions of other women like her
blazed the trail for me, for today's young women, and, particularly,
for my 15-year-old daughter, Anderson.
I am proud to be raising a young woman at a time where we have seen
tremendous gains for women in our Nation.
I am proud to serve alongside a historic 102 women here in this
Congress, the 116th Congress, including trailblazers like Martha
McSally, the first female fighter pilot in Congress, and numerous other
Republican colleagues in the House who were the first women to
represent their districts: Representatives like Liz Cheney and Elise
Stefanik, who are working diligently to ensure more female candidates
have the resources they need to compete in our election system, and
countless others who inspire me.
As these national role models continue to be important, it is also
critical to recognize the important role local heroes and local women
have in our communities and our Nation, including many from my own
district in Florida. That is why each week this month I will be
honoring local women who have had or are having an important impact in
our community, women like:
Alice Scott Abbott, a Flagler County resident of the early 1900s who
worked with the national women's suffrage movement and, following the
ratification of the 19th Amendment, fervently employed her fellow
Flagler County women to register and participate in the 1920 November
election;
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who founded the Volusia County School that
would later become Bethune-Cookman University. She was a national
leader on issues related to civil rights, to education, to women and
young people until her death in 1955.
Mr. Speaker, as these local heroes exemplify, women and their
contributions are critical to our success as a nation, but I also
believe their strength is an essential part of our national security.
As a Green Beret who operated all over the world, I know firsthand
where women thrive in business, where they thrive in civil society, in
politics, and in government, extremism does not. Where women thrive,
extremism fails.
As an Afghan elder once told me during one of my combat tours, he
shared with me his secret weapon in defeating the Taliban. It wasn't a
weapon or a missile or some type of other secret device. It was his
teenage daughters, whom he had sent to India to be educated. He looked
at me and said: This is our secret weapon to defeat extremism.
And I will quote for you, Mr. Speaker, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning
young girl who was shot in the face for attending school, Malala
Yousafzai. She said: ``Extremists have shown what frightens them most:
a girl with a book.''
So this Women's History Month must serve as a reminder that as a
nation we have a responsibility to empower women who participate in
every aspect of our society--not only for the betterment of America,
but also as an example for the world.
So thank you to the women of my district, our Nation, and the world
who worked to make their communities a better place for us all.
Daytona Bike Week
Mr. WALTZ. Mr. Speaker, This week is Daytona Bike Week, where my
district welcomes nearly 300,000 avid motorcyclists for our community's
78th annual celebration of liberty, freedom, and two-wheeled, motorized
muscle. No other event comes close to matching our combination of
bikes, Florida beaches, sun, and fun.
It all started in January 1937, on a 3.2-mile race course running
along the world's most famous beach--Daytona Beach. Riders first headed
south on the paved roadway of Route A1A, turned left onto the beach,
then raced north on the sand until turning back onto the pavement at a
spot now marked by a favorite local restaurant named Racing's North
Turn. Then, the riders did it again and again and again for 200 miles.
This was the birth of the famed Daytona 200 motorcycle race and the
Bike Week that now surrounds it. Since then, only World War II has
interrupted these annual festivities. Today, the Daytona 200 headlines
Bike Week as a spectacular finale in the famed Daytona International
Speedway.
Don't miss the week's other high-adrenaline racing, too. The American
Flat Track series opens its season this week, and the Daytona
Supercross is back again, bigger and better than ever.
If you are unsure of where to start, try the brand-new official Bike
Week Welcome Center, located in One Daytona.
[[Page H2689]]
So to everyone visiting Daytona this week, thank you for supporting
our local businesses. Have fun and ride safe.
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