D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said Tuesday that constituent Raya Kenney will be her guest at President Biden’s State of the Union Address next week.
Kenney inspired Norton to work on a bill establishing a memorial to honor women who worked on the home front in World War II, according to a Norton statement. Biden signed the legislation into law in December.
“As a fifth-grader, Raya contacted my office wondering why the women on the home front in World War II, whose contributions to the civilian workforce were so critical to maintaining the stability of the country, had not received much recognition on their efforts compared to the men who bravely fought overseas,” Norton said. “Women also played important, yet unacknowledged roles in the war effort, such as codebreakers and Air Force Service pilots who flew military aircraft so men could fly overseas. She was correct, and I introduced a bill to establish a memorial honoring these brave women. Raya’s now in college, and I’m pleased she accepted my invitation to hear the same president who signed the bill into law deliver this year’s historic State of the Union Address.”
Kenney said she is honored to receive the invitation.
“I look forward to hearing President Biden speak and am grateful for the opportunity to bring awareness to these women and the progress possible when we stretch our limits and work together for a common goal — which is, after all, what those formidable women on the home front demonstrated,” she said.