Congressional Record, House, March 17, 2022: Issues of the Day, Page H3815
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, House, dated March 17, 2022, at page H3815, under the heading Issues of the Day, with Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. Ms. Stansbury of New Mexico speaks on the effects of the American Rescue Plan during Women's History Month, saying it has helped families, and tells the story of April Trujillo and her four boys in Albuquerque, whose family kept a roof over their heads and food on the table after the loss of her husband. Mr. Davis then recalls Pervis Spann, born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, who came to Chicago, used the GI Bill to attend broadcasting school, and became a partner in the radio station WVON. The remarks are the speakers' own.
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“Congressional Record, House, March 17, 2022: Issues of the Day, Page H3815.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2022-03-17-crec-2022-03-17-pt1-pgh3815-135ba93350/
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March 17, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3815
ISSUES OF THE DAY These burdens have fallen dispropor- b 1700
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. tionately, in particular, on our Latina Pervis was born in Itta Bena, Mis-
TORRES of New York). Under the and Hispano women, on our indigenous sissippi. Like many other African
Speaker’s announced policy of January women, our Black women, and women Americans who were born in Itta Bena,
4, 2021, the gentleman from Illinois struggling economically every day to Mississippi, and anyone else in Mis-
(Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS) is recognized for make ends meet. sissippi, individuals migrated to other
60 minutes as the designee of the ma- There are countless stories of strug- places. Thousands and thousands and
jority leader. gle and resilience and survival in our thousands of them made their way to
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. communities and the impacts of the Chicago, Illinois.
Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman American Rescue Plan. One from New As a matter of fact, we fondly say
from New Mexico (Ms. STANSBURY). Mexico’s First Congressional District that the only place where there are
Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I rise is that of April Trujillo and her four more Mississippians than there are in
this evening as the proud daughter of boys in Albuquerque. Chicago is in Mississippi itself. Many
New Mexico to discuss the trans- After losing her husband in Sep- individuals left the delta area. So did
formative impacts of the American tember of 2020, Derrick Trujillo, a Pervis Spann. He went to Michigan;
Rescue Plan for our State on this beau- small business owner, who owned a worked in Gary, Indiana; and joined
tiful St. Patrick’s Day during Women’s small carpet cleaning business, their the military. But eventually he made
History Month to highlight the im- family struggled in a way that they his way to Chicago.
pacts the American Rescue Plan has had never done so before. They were ul- He came to Chicago and used his GI
had for our working families, our kids, timately able to keep a roof over their Bill to go to broadcasting school, and
and for our entire Nation. heads and keep food on the table be- he got to be very good at it, not only as
It has been a difficult year—a dif- cause of the transformative impacts of a broadcaster but also as a promoter.
ficult several years—as our commu- the child tax credit and rental assist- Ultimately, the Stack brothers
nities have experienced the impacts of ance programs provided by the Amer- bought a radio station, and they named
the pandemic and the economic strug- ican Rescue Plan. that station WVON. Eventually Mr.
gles that have come with it. When we It is by no means a stretch to say Pervis Spann, Vernon Jarrett, Wesley
think back to even a year ago, last that these programs helped to catch South and a woman named Gwendolyn
year at this time, we were unable to this family as they faced potentially Hayes ended up acquiring the station.
gather safely, unemployment was at an becoming homeless at one of the most Spann was the blues part of it. As a
all-time high, so many of our families difficult moments in their life. That is matter of fact, he entertained and pro-
were struggling, and businesses closed. exactly what this American Rescue moted, entertained and promoted.
One year ago, this body passed the Plan was designed to do and why we The station also became a pioneer in
American Rescue Plan. One year later, must put these transformational in- talk radio. As a matter of fact, before
people are still struggling in our coun- vestments in childcare, in the child tax there was talk radio, Wesley South,
try, and supply chains and our econ- credit, in housing, in food assistance, one of the partners, had a talk radio
omy are still recovering, but so much and our community well-being, and program called ‘‘On Target’’. And this
has changed. Our economy is growing continue them into the future. was years and years and years ago. ‘‘On
at a faster rate than at any point since They catch families like the Trujillo Target’’. It is hard to believe that talk
the 1980s. More jobs have been created family when they need it most. It will now dominates in many places. So
in 1 year than ever in our Nation’s his- help to lift up Americans who are fac- WVON was a pioneer of talk radio.
tory. Wages are up and more small ing economic struggles and create op- It also has become the powerhouse of
businesses are opening up across the portunities for families for generations communication in the Chicagoland
country than ever before. to come. area, especially for African Americans.
Because the American Rescue Plan As we celebrate the 1-year anniver- Talk all day long about whatever is
changed the way in which families put sary of the American Rescue Plan and going on in the community, whatever
food on the table, provide for their celebrate the passage of the historic in- is going on in Chicago, and whatever is
families so that our parents, and frastructure package a few months ago, going on in the world, WVON. As a
women in particular, can return to and crucial budget legislation just this matter of fact, many of my neighbors
work and has helped our schools stay last week, these bills have had a trans- and friends wait to wake up in the
open and our families and small busi- formational impact on our economy, morning so that they can listen to
nesses stay afloat. on jobs, and families across the coun- WVON especially, beginning at 6:00
Let’s get to the heart of the matter try, and we acknowledge that the work o’clock in the morning.
today, which is how this particular is not over. But not only was Pervis Spann a tre-
piece of legislation has transformed We must extend the child tax credit. mendous promoter, but he also was a
the lives of so many New Mexicans and We must expand programs to tackle tremendous businessman period. Ulti-
how our communities have benefitted housing and hunger. We must invest in mately the station came into the hands
from these historic policies. a universal childcare system and car- of his daughter, Melody Spann-Cooper,
The people of New Mexico, especially ing for our elders. We must tackle who has taken it to new heights. If it is
our women, are strong, resilient cen- drought and climate change. We must not heard on VON, it did not happen if
ters of our families, and the roots of stand with Ukraine and global democ- it was not part of the discussion on
our communities. Our women carry us, racy. This is the work ahead and we WVON. So it is much more than enter-
nurture us, and work hard every day so stand together united to get it done. tainment. It is the community’s town-
that we can succeed—like the women Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. hall all day long, every day, whatever
in my own life, my own mother, my Speaker, I have been taught and told it is, WVON leads the way.
sister, and the trailblazing women who from an African proverb that when a So I simply wanted to express condo-
came before us and support us every tall tree falls in the forest it makes a lences to his family on his passing and
day in our communities. lot of noise, it gathers a lot of atten- also let his family know how much
But the challenges and burdens of tion, everybody and every entity in the Pervis Spann has meant to Chicago,
this pandemic in the past 2 years have forest knows that something has hap- how much it has meant to the social-
fallen unequally and disproportion- pened. ization of the community, how much it
ately on women who have exited the A few days ago, a tall tree fell in the has meant to the business promotion of
workforce in unprecedented numbers, ‘‘Chicagoland’’ community where I the community, and how much it has
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
and on our kids who are resilient, yet live. A gentleman, Mr. Pervis Spann, meant to the spirituality of the com-
still struggling. spent the last day of his life. Pervis munity. On Sunday afternoons there is
As families struggle to make ends Spann, to all of us, is known as the kind of a gospel-political atmosphere
meet, keep a roof over their heads, and ‘‘blues man’’ because he was a great created, so that some people can hardly
put food on the table, women have had artist who projected, promoted, and en- wait to get home from church so they
to dig deep and find creative solutions. tertained us for years. can turn on VON so they can listen to
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H3816 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE March 17, 2022
the ‘‘Gospel with Pam Morris Walton’’ and sisters. She then worked, got mar- was known as the city of the big shoul-
show. ried, got divorced, had a daughter, got ders, known as many things. But it was
So Pervis may have been the a good job, and she just felt that she a patronage-laden city. Patronage
bluesman, and he may have enter- was spending too much time away at guided the politics of Chicago.
tained all the greats. Pervis Spann was her job and from her child, so she quit For a long time, it had a tradition
noted and known as the person who that job, and somebody told her: You that if somebody went to city hall or
named Aretha Franklin the ‘‘Queen of have a gift for gab. to State government or county govern-
Soul’’. He gave her that designation, She decided to study broadcasting ment to get a job, the saying was:
and it stuck. So Melody will carry on and journalism. ‘‘Don’t bring nobody, didn’t nobody see
in the tradition of her father as VON is She did, and she got so good at it, it,’’ basically meaning that unless you
the voice not just of the Negro—that eventually she got her first show, a had a letter from a ward boss or from
was what the VON stood for—but the radio show. She did that for a bit, and some elected official who was part of
voice of the Nation, WVON, Pervis then she got a television show, became the system, even if it was a job that
Spann. excellent at it, and became one of the you had ten times the qualifications
Of course, Mr. Speaker, this month is top female broadcasters in the United for, you wouldn’t get it. You wouldn’t
Women’s History Month, and we cele- States. get it because you didn’t have the
brate Women’s History Month because As a matter of fact, she was so good, hook-up; you didn’t have the connec-
of the tremendous progress that has she did that, then she ran into a little tion.
been made. difficulty. She and one of her guests We actually convinced Harold Wash-
I am always reminded that when a were kidnapped leaving the show, ington, I am sure, to run for mayor. He
group of men sat in the room and stat- robbed, shot, left for dead, and with had become a Member of Congress. He
ed that we hold these truths to be self- two bullets in her head she crawled up had been the Democratic lead on the
evident, that all men are created equal, to the highway where someone picked voting rights bill. Of course, in the mid
they didn’t really mean all men. They her up, took her to the hospital, and ‘60s and ‘70s, that was still hot, just as
meant some men. They meant the men she stayed hospitalized for a year. it is hot today.
whom they felt had enough knowledge, As a matter of fact, she was told that It is amazing that we can’t get the
enough resources, and enough interests she wouldn’t make it and had two last voting rights extension granted, espe-
to make decisions for the country. rites given to her, one by the Reverend cially when all politicians in this coun-
Therefore, all men were not in the Jesse Jackson who was indeed a friend try basically suggest that they believe
room. of hers. But she prevailed and lived and in democracy, that they believe in
As a matter of fact, African-Amer- was in the hospital for a year. She democratic principles, and that they
ican men who were in slave States were came back, got hired by WGN Tele- believe that everybody should have a
not even considered as a full man. Afri- vision, and she became an anchor. She right to participate and express them-
can-American slaves were considered did that for 11 years. Then they asked selves. Then we go through this process
as three-fifths. They had something her to take the job as director of com- of wrangling to make it happen.
called the three-fifths compromise munity relations and public affairs and But somehow or another, there seems
which meant that they would only their children’s charities, and she did. to be a block. I don’t know; maybe peo-
She generated $31 million for the
count African-American slaves as ple have changed their minds from
charities and for the philanthropic
three-fifths of a person when they were what they learned in grammar school
work. She just kept doing it. I have
counting up for the Census, not all men or in high school or what they read in
never known anybody who was more
and no women. the Constitution and all of that. It
open and more giving. I must have
As a matter of fact, women didn’t get seems that way.
gone to at least hundreds of charitable
the right to vote in this country until Nevertheless, Harold Washington was
events over the years where Merri Dee
a little more than 100 years ago. Yet, convinced by people like Lou Palmer,
was the announcer. She was the
as a result of suffrage, protests, strug- people like Vernon Jarrett, people like
facilitator. She was the person making
gle, and changes, now a woman is the myself and others, to run for the
it happen.
Vice President of the United States. So mayor of the city of Chicago. He said:
So when we design and define what
there has been movement, although Well, if you guys really want me to run
greatness is, Merri Dee was obviously a
not nearly enough and not nearly what for mayor, you have got to show it. If
great woman, a great broadcaster, a
there has to be. So the struggle will you don’t show it, I won’t do it. You
tremendous communicator, and a per-
continue so that ultimately there will have got to get some people registered
son who could stir audiences and
be levels of equity in this country for to vote, and you have got to raise some
groups and convince people to give
women, Blacks, and other citizens who money.
thousands of dollars for needy causes.
don’t have it and have not had it. So, Mr. Speaker, I salute Merri Dee. I remember sitting in a room in Lou
The woman that I chose to mention I salute her, and I revere her. I know Palmer’s basement, eating water-
at this time is a woman, Merri Dee, that if people go up that way, that she melon, as a matter of fact, about 10 or
who was an icon in broadcasting and is up there walking among the angels 12 of us. We then said to Harold Wash-
philanthropy. Merri Dee was born in and putting on events and activities ington: Well, Harold, you can go on to
Chicago in 1936, the youngest of six and waiting for other people to come. your next meeting. And we set out to
children. She was only 2 years old when generate the conditions and meet the
her mother died. Her father ultimately b 1715 conditions that he had set.
became sick and, of course, he had re- REMEMBERING HAROLD WASHINGTON Harold was so astute, such a charm-
married. She was adopted by her step- Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. er, such an intellectual, but he also
mother, and she maintained that life Speaker, finally, I will mention, al- liked to walk the streets and talk to
was pretty rough for her until she got though it is Women’s History Month, I people in the alley and talk to people
to the fifth grade and met a wonderful will mention now an African-American who other people probably wouldn’t.
teacher who helped to change her life. male who was a transformative figure I never will forget that I had set up a
She stated in an interview that this in the life, especially of a big city that meeting with a bunch of motorcycle
teacher, a Mrs. Robinson, told her that was the third largest city in the United riders for Harold to go to, and some of
she would be great. She believed in States of America, a gentleman named his campaign people didn’t want him to
that teacher, and then she went on and Harold Washington, who became the come. Motorcycle riders, the Born Los-
became great. first African-American mayor of the ers, the Buzzing Bees, and Dragons.
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
She graduated from Englewood High city of Chicago. Harold said: I will be there. Of course,
School, went back to New Orleans and Harold, if he was alive now, would be he came, and everybody had donned
enrolled in Xavier University where celebrating his 100th birthday. He their leather jackets and all those
she studied business administration. would be 100 years old. things.
She, of course, dropped out and took a Harold was a transformative figure in After he got elected, we ended up
job at IBM to help her other brothers the political life of Chicago. Chicago with some plaques that the motorcycle
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March 17, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3817
riders gave to Harold and to me. I don’t community in Chicago that we fondly We are going to start with, being
know what happened to his. Mine is call Ukrainian Village. That is because from a border State, immigration. But
still around. most of the people there are of Ukrain- it is not immigration. It is opening up
But when Harold got elected, the city ian heritage. the border. What has the Democrats’
council organized against him. There We have a rally every week. We have policy, what has this President’s pol-
were 29 people on the other side and 21 everything that you can possibly have, icy, on functionally ignoring the bor-
of us. We called it the 29–21. Ulti- with the hope and with the faith that der, done to my community in Arizona
mately, we ended up with a 25–25 split. our President, that our country, will and to the country.
Every item that came up, there would stay on the course. We have no doubt b 1730
be 25 votes for it and 25 votes against that we will continue to protect
it. Then, of course, Harold would get a Ukraine as a part of the humanity that First, let’s also get our heads around
chance to break the tie. this country, ‘‘My Country, ‘Tis of the scale of the numbers when you
He had such a sense of fairness that Thee,’’ needs to express, because we start seeing that border encounters in-
he went all over the city assuring know that so goes Ukraine, so goes the creased 278 percent, functionally, in a
every community that they would be other countries nearby, and, ulti- year, when you start seeing numbers
treated the same as every other com- mately, so will go the United States of over 1.7 million crossings, when you
munity, that they would get a part of America. start seeing crossings that are in the
the infrastructure money, that their Ukraine is a part of us. We are a part millions.
schools would be prepared, and that of Ukraine. Together, I think we will But do you remember all the
their sidewalks would be repaired and beat back the murderous, cowardly speechifying that was here a year ago?
fixed. pact. We will be pressed to the wall, Do you remember how mean the last
He became bigger than life. As a mat- but always, as Claude McKay would President was? We are going to be com-
ter of fact, when Harold died, people say, always, always fighting back. passionate and loving.
celebrated in the streets and spent Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance Does anyone here understand the
days walking through to pay reverence. of my time. economic concept of first degree, sec-
That is because he helped people under- f
ond degree, third degree effects, what
stand that government belonged to you have done to my communities in
them, and they did not necessarily be- WHAT GOOD HAS BEEN DONE IN Phoenix, what you have done to the
long to government. THE LAST YEAR communities in this country? Let’s
When people ask what was the trans- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. show the actual math.
formation, the transformation was TORRES of New York). Under the Now, I also have an economic
that the patronage system was seri- Speaker’s announced policy of January premise, and we have done this presen-
ously diminished. The transformation 4, 2021, the gentleman from Arizona tation multiple times. They were writ-
was the greatest participation, in (Mr. SCHWEIKERT) is recognized for 60 ten by liberal economists that talked
terms of turnout in elections, would minutes as the designee of the minor- about the two things you do to make
occur, because the people felt that they ity leader. the working poor poorer.
had somebody in the highest office who Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, I Number one was inflation. Well, con-
respected and recognized what they want to apologize right now, because I gratulations. We are going to talk
had to say. have had a lot of coffee, and I am just about that.
Harold would stop on the street and cranky today. I am just cranky. I also Number two was open borders, and it
have a townhall, and 15, 20 people apologize for those who have to try to was a very simple concept. If you look
would gather around. It wasn’t his in- keep track. I will, on occasion, try to at the profile of our brothers and sis-
tent to stop on the street. He just slow down. I torment them on occasion ters who we would categorize—and I
stopped and would spend time. by talking too fast. hate these categories, but we do them
Someone asked me what was one of I started to do part of this a week for policy purposes—who are consid-
my fondest memories or stories about ago and only wanted to do a little part, ered the working poor, they are often
Harold Washington. I told them it was but we have a 10 o’clock shutdown rule, our brothers and sisters who did not
the fact that I drove a car for 19 years. so I got up against the clock and had to graduate high school, who sell their
In 19 years, the car had sort of rusted stop. So, God forbid, they let me have labor. That is their income.
in the floor, and I put a plank there. the entire hour, which means I brought You open up the border and import
We were someplace and Harold wanted a whole bunch of boards. millions of individuals who their eco-
a ride to tell me something or ask me A week ago, I pitched to some of our nomic contribution will be to sell their
something, so he told his guys to go friends here a really mean, difficult, labor. One of these economic papers,
ahead and he was going to ride to the and absolutely honest question: Tell written a decade ago, says you have
next stop with me. When he got in the me something good that has been done just taken the working poor in the
car, the plank had shifted. He looked in the last year of absolute control of country and made them poor for an-
down and said: ‘‘What the . . . ’’ Congress, of the White House, and of, other decade. One of them talks about
I said: ‘‘Mr. Mayor, don’t worry about functionally, the levers of our Govern- that their income, at the end of the
that. Just push that plank back over, ment. Tell us something good that has decade, will be at least 6 percent lower.
and you won’t even know that there is been done policy-wise, legislative-wise, For all those folks that like to
no floor.’’ that has passed here for working men preach about compassion, where is the
He said: ‘‘Why don’t you buy yourself and women, for the future of my 6- compassion for those who are just
a car?’’ Well, I didn’t get one right year-old daughter, for people’s retire- grinding it out, trying to survive here?
then. Eventually, I did. ment security, what has actually hap- Do you understand that, at some point,
Harold Washington transformed the pened here. the math always wins?
politics of Chicago. Harold Washington Then I am going to walk through a Let’s have a little fun here. Here is
gave being an elected official in Chi- whole bunch of things where the words, my premise, and I am going to try to
cago a new meaning, that it was not the virtue signaling, the discussion had do this on a number of these boards.
just about glad handing and backslap- great language, warm and fuzzy and You open up the border. We are going
ping. It was about trying to serve and caring, and it has actually been dev- to talk about how many of our brothers
serving the people. astating to poor people, to the working and sisters and families and the kids in
Harold, you did your job, you did it poor. my community and across this country
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE
well, and we pray tribute to you even I don’t think they meant to, but the are now dying of fentanyl.
during Women’s History Month. fact of the matter is, at some point, my I did a ride-along a month ago with
RECOGNIZING CHICAGO’S UKRAINIAN VILLAGE brothers and sisters on the left have to one of my neighbors who happens to be
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. have a brutally honest conversation a police sergeant in a portion of north
Speaker, as I prepare to close, I can’t with themselves of what their policies central Phoenix. He is telling me that,
help but be reminded that I represent a are doing. a year ago—and I am not going to get
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