AMERICA IS GREAT BECAUSE AMERICA CAN CHANGE

On 2026-04-21, Representative Sarah McBride (D-DE-0) delivered a floor speech titled "AMERICA IS GREAT BECAUSE AMERICA CAN CHANGE" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered the environment, education.

AMERICA IS GREAT BECAUSE AMERICA CAN CHANGE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 70 (Tuesday, April 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 21, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2999-H3000] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AMERICA IS GREAT BECAUSE AMERICA CAN CHANGE The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair now recognizes the Member from Delaware (Representative McBride) for 5 minutes. Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the privilege of visiting a historic landmark in Delaware formerly known as the Hockessin Colored School, which stands as a physical reminder of both the sin of segregation that scars our history and the change that is possible when dedicated citizens dare to build a more perfect Union, one that lives up to our values and our promise. This small building served as an elementary school for Black students in Delaware from the 1920s until the 1950s, a time when legal segregation still reigned and race determined where you could be educated in our State. Recently preserved through a mix of public and private dollars and through the tireless work of the friends of the Hockessin Colored School, the building profiles the students, teachers, and families who relied on that school and who fought to make Delaware the first legally segregated State in America to end Jim Crow in our schools. Now, one of three sites in Delaware that are part of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park, it tells the story of Sarah Bulah, whose daughter would watch the bus pass her by on its way to an all-White school and who dared to fight to end legal discrimination in education for her daughter and all students. In 1952, the first Black attorney barred in Delaware, Louis Redding, represented the Bulah family in court, securing a win at the State level that would ultimately be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, consolidated alongside four other cases into Brown v. Board of Education. The courage of parents and students across the country like the Bulahs eventually led to the unanimous decision to cast aside separate but equal and end racial discrimination in our schools across the country. The greatest privilege of my visit was meeting Mr. James ``Sonny'' Knott, who attended the Hockessin Colored School in the 1930s and, after living history, has helped preserve it for future generations. Mr. Sonny walked me through the building recounting stories of his childhood and his memories within that school. He showed me a picture of his mom on the wall sitting right next to Sarah Bulah. He shared with me that he and his classmates never dreamed of a different world because the segregation of their childhood was all that they knew. He shared his and his fellow alumni's determination to protect that history and to inspire the students of today to believe in the possibility for progress before us, to continue our long march toward freedom and justice for all. We have a long way to go, but hope flourishes from the knowledge of how far we have come. The stories told in this one-room schoolhouse are the stories of students and our State, of our classmates and our country. As I stood there in the middle of that landmark, side by side with Mr. Sonny, looking at a picture of him sitting in the Oval Office with the President of the United States as he designated his school a national historical park 80 years after attending it, I was reminded of a simple but profound truth: America is great because America can change. Commemorating 120th Anniversary of Congregation Beth Emeth Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Congregation Beth Emeth, a generational cornerstone of the Jewish community in Wilmington and the surrounding areas. A welcoming, inclusive, and engaging congregation, Beth Emeth has been celebrating, supporting, and shaping the experience of Jewish Delawareans for over a century and stands as a testament to the power of institutions of faith to bring people together, bridge divides, and to create spaces around shared purpose and compassion. From their beginning in 1905 to the present, spiritual leaders have spoken at the Beth Emeth congregation. Whether in the home, school, or at work, rabbi after rabbi have transformed the Jewish community of Wilmington with passion and commitment [[Page H3000]] to address social problems and societal wrongs. Today, in their 120th year, Beth Emeth continues to strive to build a community rooted in acceptance, respect, peace, kindness, justice, and integrity, moral imperatives that continue to shape their work and the community around them. I am grateful for their stewardship and leadership in the history of Wilmington, their role as a pillar of the Reform Jewish community in Delaware, and all that they do for their neighbors. To the Beth Emeth community, I congratulate you on your thriving community of faith and your legacy. May the next century be full of continued community building and loving leadership of the Jewish community in Delaware and beyond. ____________________