Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK

Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Diaz-Balart for those kinds words and introduction. I would first like to thank my family: my husband, Corlie McCormick, my daughter, Ismanie McCormick, and son, Jackson McCormick, who are in the gallery. I would like to thank my team and my family, and especially God, who has brought us this far. I am a child of immigrant parents who risked their lives to come to the United States. I thank my colleagues who fought for me even before I was born here to ensure that immigrants can actually have a place in our country and can live the American Dream. So I thank Members in advance because that is how I got here. I also want to thank the 20th District who fought with us and who believed in a new voice and is giving this little Haitian-American girl a chance to fight for our country. I would like to say a special thank you for all the pastors who prayed. I pledge to work as hard as I can, tirelessly, to ensure that District 20 and the United States are getting their needs met. I pledge to work as hard as I can with every Member who is present today as we move forward upholding the Constitution and the promises, all the promises that brought me here today. For the other children who were told that it could never happen for them, we fight today, and we join hands today.