When Rep. Nancy Pelosi was sworn into Congress on June 2, 1987, she was told to keep her personal statement short.

“Some of the members that I knew said, ‘Nobody wants to hear from a freshman member,’” Pelosi says. She was the only person being sworn in that day, after winning a special election following the death of Rep. Sala Burton. “But after I was sworn in, the Speaker of the House at the time, Jim Wright, asked, ‘Does the gentlelady wish to address the house?’ I didn’t want to say no. I thanked my parents, my constituents who sent me there, and said, ‘Sala sent me and I came to fight against HIV and AIDS.’ Period.”

Photo: Courtesy of Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi, who announced last month that she will not seek reelection when her term in Congress ends in 2027, has represented San Francisco

See Full Page