BUILDING A BELOVED COMMUNITY

On 2026-01-20, Representative Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-9) delivered a floor speech titled "BUILDING A BELOVED COMMUNITY" in the House. The speech addressed immigration and also covered healthcare, the economy.

BUILDING A BELOVED COMMUNITY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 13 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)] [House] [Pages H942-H946] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] BUILDING A BELOVED COMMUNITY (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Ms. McClellan of Virginia was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.) General Leave Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include [[Page H943]] extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Virginia? There was no objection. Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose national holiday was yesterday and who would have been 97 years old on January 15. Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago today was Martin Luther King Day. It was also Inauguration Day. As I sat in the rotunda watching the President take the oath of office, I couldn't help but ponder the final question that Dr. King pondered in the last year of his life: Where do we go from here? Chaos or community. Dr. King asked this question after the victory of the Civil Rights Act and after the victory of the Voting Rights Act. He pondered what the Black community should do with this extraordinary power, the power of the vote, when for the first time in American history, a government by, of, and for the people finally included Black Americans. He focused on addressing poverty. He focused on addressing discrimination. He focused on addressing war. I thought about another speech that he gave shortly before he died called: ``Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.'' Before Inauguration Day, one of the architects of Project 2025, which has been the blueprint for the second Trump administration, said this is the second American Revolution, which will be peaceful if the left allows it. I thought about what Dr. King would say today. His words remain relevant. Within hours of the President taking his oath of office, chaos was unleashed. Through an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we saw over the past year efforts to roll back the hard-won victories of the civil rights movement. We see at the Supreme Court right now a case that could gut what remains of the Voting Rights Act after the court gutted section 5 and section 4 effectively in the Shelby County v. Holder case. We have seen Black and Brown communities, including American citizens, living in terror as ICE agents show up on streets, door to door, in our courthouses, and on the way to school, grabbing people and violating their due process rights. We have seen trade wars that make the cost of everything go up. We have seen a Federal workforce--which was the doorway to the middle class for many Black Americans--we have seen a Federal workforce, in the words of Russell Vought, ``traumatized.'' We have seen the largest cuts to food assistance and healthcare coverage in American history. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Chaos has been unleashed. Dr. King in his time, while he fought chaos, he stayed focused on community. He stayed focused on building what he called the beloved community. I think the beloved community is best described as a community in which we care for one another. It is where we feed the hungry, where we care for the sick, and where we house the homeless. He focused on making sure that the promises upon which this country was founded ring true for every American. {time} 1930 Before he died, he wondered if the dream that he talked about on the March on Washington had become a nightmare and was too far out of reach. Yet, on the night before he died, he told us that he had seen the Promised Land, that he wouldn't get there with us, but he still believed in the power of community and the power of the beloved community. Today, the Congressional Black Caucus is carrying forward his work. We are his legacy. We ensure that what he fought for--what John Lewis fought for, and what millions of Americans have fought for--since the first day in 1619, when Africans were brought to these shores involuntarily--endures. From day one, through acts of rebellion, resistance, and self-liberation, fought for an America that included them, and we the people. We carry out that legacy, and we will fight the chaos every single day to ensure that his work continues. Whether it is expanding the right to vote, whether it is fighting unjust wars, whether it is working to eradicate poverty, whether it is standing up for the constitutional rights of every American, as the conscience of the Congress, we will continue that legacy. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield to our chairwoman, the Congresswoman from New York (Ms. Clarke). Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I am Representative Yvette D. Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, proudly representing New York's Ninth Congressional District in central and south Brooklyn. I thank Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan for anchoring this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight with my colleagues of the Congressional Black Caucus to commemorate the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King held an unyielding belief that women and men everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal. He used the power of words and the example of nonviolent resistance to bring us closer to racial and economic justice. Dr. King was a man of courage, principles, and faith. We are forever in his debt. Today, his example inspires us all toward our highest ideals as Americans. As we gather to honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an American hero and patriot, we are keenly aware of the pivotal moment in history in which we stand and of the forces actively working to undermine his life's work. At a time when the most vulnerable communities in our Nation are under relentless attack, the Congressional Black Caucus continues to uphold Dr. King's legacy, rooted in justice, fairness, and equity for all. Today, ironically, also marks the 1-year anniversary of the Trump administration. As we reflect on the damage that this administration has inflicted on communities across this Nation, we call on our colleagues across the aisle to honor the teachings and philosophy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to work with us to reject the hateful agenda that has taken hold. Dr. King devoted his life to reminding us that silence in the face of injustice is not an option. As he so powerfully said: ``Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.'' The Congressional Black Caucus refuses to remain silent in the face of the pain this administration inflicts on the American people, from the assaults on voting rights with the looming Louisiana v. Callais decision before the Supreme Court, to deepening economic inequality, to the threats against our Nation's healthcare. Today, we are recommitting ourselves to the fight of keeping Dr. King's dream and his mission alive. Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for her words. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to our immediate past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressman from Nevada's Fourth, Steven Horsford. Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Commonwealth of Virginia for yielding and to the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Clarke, and all of our colleagues for the work that we do every single day to live out the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of my dear fraternity brother and trailblazing leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, I speak with urgency about the American Dream; specifically, that dream being under attack. More than 60 years ago, Dr. King warned this Nation that America had given Black Americans ``a bad check, a check which has come back marked `insufficient funds,' '' a promise made but not kept, opportunity delayed and justice deferred. Mr. Speaker, that warning still rings true today. Dr. King reminded us that public policy is a moral act. What we choose to fund and what we choose to cut reveals who we value and who we leave behind. Right now, working families in my home State of Nevada and all across this country are feeling the consequences of those choices: Prices are rising. Wages are stretched thin. Too many people are working full-time but still falling behind. [[Page H944]] While families are struggling to make ends meet, this administration is attempting to rewrite history. Just recently, the current occupant of the White House claimed that civil rights-era protections left White Americans ``very badly treated.'' These false and dangerous claims tarnish Dr. King's legacy and the history in which he lived, which is at risk of repeating itself today. Dr. King called for a revolution of values, and I rise today with my colleagues to reinforce that cause. Today, that revolution means choosing people over profits, workers over Wall Street, and families over special interests. The American Dream is not dead, but it is under attack. If we lead with courage, invest with purpose, and govern with our values, we can revive it for Nevada and for our entire Nation. That is how we honor Dr. King's legacy: by building an America of equal opportunity, shared prosperity, and dignity for all. I encourage all of my colleagues, regardless of party lines, to do their part in honoring Dr. King through their actions. That is how we carry on his legacy, and that is how we revive the dream. Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the Congresswoman from North Carolina's