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Congressional Record—House H2407 May 17, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H2407 centers for missile attacks, and openly every aspect of our lives, yet another In the immediate aftermath of the desire to destroy the Jewish people. tax heaped upon the people. Civil War, there were newly emanci- Israel is a sovereign, democratic Na- There are already proposals around pated African Americans who set out tion and is entitled to defend itself. here to raise taxes on fuel or maybe to build a better life for themselves and The indiscriminate violence against every mile you travel in your auto- their family, only to be held back by Israeli citizens must end. Time and mobile. We have seen this in California racial terror and violence that ulti- time again, Israel has proven itself to already. I have watched what a carbon mately came to be codified in the form be America’s strongest ally, and we tax has done. It becomes a slush fund of Jim Crow. must have Israel’s back in their time of for government to spend to use on We, as the CBC, are not only here to need. I urge my fellow Members of Con- whatever it is they want to do, such as recite the facts of the Tulsa Race Mas- gress and the Biden administration to boondoggles like the high-speed rail in sacre, but we are also here to reflect on stand firm with Israel against those California, which is already triple over the deeper meaning. The massacre in who seek its destruction. its original budget concept. Tulsa tells a larger story about false So why do we want to heap more and accusation as an incitement to vio- f more on the backs of families, of small lence. It tells a larger story about the b 1930 businesses, of a country whose econ- failure of Reconstruction and the rise omy is trying to recover by hitting REMEMBERING GORDON SAUSSY of Jim Crow. It tells a larger story them once again with one more bad VARNEDOE about domestic terrorism and white su- idea of a carbon tax when, by the way, premacist extremism as a form of do- (Mr. CARTER of Georgia asked and carbon dioxide is 0.04 percent of our at- mestic terror. It tells a larger story was given permission to address the mosphere? about the systematic denial and de- House for 1 minute and to revise and A lot of hype is being made out of struction of Black wealth. And, finally, extend his remarks.) this. No, the science is not settled by a it tells a larger story about the legacy Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam long stretch, certainly by what human of discrimination and the need for res- Speaker, I rise today with a heavy needs are compared to what human titution. heart to remember and honor Gordon cause is. It is worth noting that here in the Saussy Varnedoe, who passed away on f United States Congress there is no April 24 at the age of 82. greater champion of reparations than THE TRAGEDY OF THE TULSA Gordon was born in Savannah, Geor- the chair of the Special Order hour, GREENWOOD MASSACRE gia, and was a proud graduate of the Congressmember JACKSON LEE. University of Georgia. Returning to The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under Madam Speaker, I yield to the gen- Savannah, he became the director of the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- tlewoman from California (Ms. LEE). the Waterfront Association; and a uary 4, 2021, the gentleman from New Ms. LEE of California. Madam fundraiser for Armstrong State Col- York (Mr. TORRES) is recognized for 60 Speaker, first, let me thank the gen- lege, the Alzheimer’s Association, and minutes as the designee of the major- tleman from New York for organizing the Savannah Jazz Association. ity leader. this very important Special Order and Gordon’s accomplishments as an ath- GENERAL LEAVE for his tremendous leadership on so lete and contributor to Savannah’s Mr. TORRES of New York. Madam many issues on behalf of his district, sports community earned him an in- Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Congressional Black Caucus, and duction to the Greater Savannah Ath- all Members have 5 legislative days to on behalf of all Americans. letic Hall of Fame as the first recipient revise and extend their remarks and in- Let me first send my deepest condo- of the M.A. Spellman Special Award. clude any extraneous material on the lences to Chairwoman JOYCE BEATTY Gordon’s remarkable athletic accom- subject of this Special Order. and her family on the loss of her be- plishments and contributions span The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there loved husband, Otto Beatty, Jr., a de- multiple sports and decades. He walked objection to the request of the gen- voted partner, beloved father, grand- on to the University of Georgia’s foot- tleman from New York? father, and community leader. Our There was no objection. ball team as a fullback, founded the hearts are broken this evening as we Mr. TORRES of New York. Madam think about Congresswoman BEATTY Savannah College of Art and Design Speaker, I am honored to share today’s rugby team, and the Savannah Scot- and her family, and just know we are Special Order hour on Black Wall praying for her and her community and tish games. Street on behalf of the Congressional her family. Madam Speaker, two months before Black Caucus, which is chaired by our This is a Special Order tonight that I he died, I got a postcard from ‘‘Bat- great leader, Congressmember JOYCE want to thank again Congressman man.’’ It said: ‘‘You have been getting BEATTY. RITCHIE TORRES and the Congressional some heat recently. Just so you know, I want to extend my condolences to Black Caucus for organizing this to I love you and always will.’’ Congressmember Beatty and her family mark 100 years since the horrific trag- I love you, too, Batman. We are going for the loss of her husband. edy of the Tulsa Greenwood massacre. to miss you. On May 30, 1921, a single scream in an In one of the worst acts of racist vio- f elevator became the spark that ignited lence in United States history, a White a powder keg of racial terror that set A CARBON TAX IS A BAD IDEA mob ransacked a prosperous African- on fire Black Wall Street. A young American neighborhood in Tulsa, Okla- (Mr. LAMALFA asked and was given Black man enters an elevator, and an homa. From May 31 to June 1, 1921, an permission to address the House for 1 elevator operator, a young White estimated 300 Black men, women, and minute and to revise and extend his re- woman, screams, giving the impression children were murdered. The mob de- marks.) that she had been assaulted. stroyed 35 square blocks of Greenwood Mr. LAMALFA. Madam Speaker, I A local newspaper, the Tulsa Trib- and burned down over 1,000 Black- rise tonight to speak about the pro- une, accuses the young Black man of owned businesses, churches, and posal for yet another idea for a carbon raping the young White woman. The homes. tax. headline of the article was an incite- During a time when lynching African This will just drive inflation, which ment to racial violence: ‘‘Nab the Americans was commonplace, the al- is already a significant problem for Negro Who Attacked the Girl in the El- leged—mind you, alleged—assault of a Americans, for fuel, for running their evator.’’ White woman by a Black man was small businesses, for taking their kids As a result of the incitement, a enough to incite a massacre of un- to school, for just doing the things White lynch mob descended on Black imaginable proportions. A thriving they do, maybe even going on a vaca- Wall Street and set on fire the wealthi- Black community became the target of tion. est Black community in the United animosity and racial hatred by its Costs will go up if we have to tax en- States, reducing it to ashes. The ashes neighbors. ergy more and more and more for doing of Black Wall Street are a metaphor Now, a grand jury placed the blame business, for buying groceries, for for the failure of Reconstruction. for the massacre entirely on the Black VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:31 May 18, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K17MY7.073 H17MYPT1 dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with HOUSE H2408 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 17, 2021 community. No White person was ever for anchoring this very important Spe- The events of January 6, when Con- held accountable for these crimes. This cial Order hour today. federate flags flew inside and out of the is an example, mind you, of the horrors I also want to extend my deepest con- Capitol, and where a hangman’s noose and the experience of living as a Black dolences to the chair of the Congres- was draped over a functional gallows person in America then and now. sional Black Caucus and my friend, the constructed on the Capitol Grounds to In 1997, the Oklahoma Legislature es- Honorable JOYCE BEATTY, who lost her intimidate and terrorize, that proves tablished a commission to study the dear husband a few days ago. He passed that not much has changed. Tulsa race riots of 1921. It was charged away. He was a fine public servant and And I stand here today to tell you with the responsibility of developing a fine civil rights champion, and he that we have had enough.
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