My comments at a March 2023 fundraiser in support of the National Memorial to the Women Who Worked on the Homefront During World War II Foundation
If you are
ever tempted to get cynical about the younger generation, and think they lack
respect for the generations who came before or maybe that they are
self-absorbed, or lack interpersonal skills due to their technology
addictions—here’s a cure. Get to know Raya Kenney. It might help restore your
optimism for the future. That happened to me.
Since her fifth- grade class project, she has been doggedly devoted to
the wonderful cause of creating a memorial in DC to honor the sacrifices of
those millions of women who helped us win World War II through their work on
the home front. Raya is unselfish. This has never been about her. Instead, she
wants the few surviving Rosies, several of whom she has met, to live long
enough to see this monument to their work come to fruition. That is what motivates her!
And she
doesn’t give up. I have seen the chronology of her efforts over the last eleven
years. It is a testament to her persuasiveness, her people skills, and her determination.
For instance, at the outset, she wrote every female Member of Congress to seek their
support of this goal. She had
preliminary meetings with officials at the National Park Service, and other relevant
Commissions to get their guidance on the steps involved in completing this
process, including design and siting. She had to establish a non-profit to
collect funds. She enlisted the support
of a major law firm (Covington and Burling) to do pro bono work on behalf of
the project. She got a bill introduced
in the 116th Congress and 117th Congress to authorize
non-government fundraising for the monument. She testified before Congress,
secured cosponsors and lobbied for the bills—all while being a fulltime
student, which she still is.
In the 116th Congress which ended in 2020, the bill passed the House, but didn’t pass the Senate because of COVID and other factors. BTW, in the 116th Congress,
less than 10% of the over 10,000 bills introduced passed either the House or the Senate. In January 2021, the new 117th Congress began, and the legislative process had to start from scratch. The bill passed the House in December 2021. I met Raya’s mom, Marnie, playing PB in the spring of 2022. That’s when I got involved—kind of late in the process. By the way, after watching the high energy Marnie play PB, I have a good grasp of why Raya will never give up and this project will succeed. She comes by it honestly!
I worked as
a Senate leadership staffer for 10 years, and have been a lobbyist for 25
years. I have a sense of the Senate’s
slow, obscure, and often frustrating processes and volunteered to help, as best
I could, help navigate that process with Raya and her team. The bill passed the
key Senate Committee in July and was
incorporated into the year- end spending measure, the Omnibus bill in December
2022—which became law at the end of the 117th Congress. Of
approximately 18000 bills introduced in the 117th Congress, only 362 became
law. That is a real testament to
Raya!
The hard
work of fundraising, citing the monument , and the approval of its design is
just beginning, but authorizing the non-profit to take those steps is the real significance
of this law. Tonight, we celebrate that
great achievement!
Earlier,
this year, I was honored to have been asked to serve on the Board of this
non-profit. I do very much appreciate
your being here in support of this great cause and this amazing young lady! If you haven’t already, I hope you will consider making a contribution
to this effort tonight. You can do so
through this link https://wwiiwomenmemorial.org/
