Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and other elected officials to celebrate Women’s Equality Day in College Park on Friday.
Hundreds attended Hoyer’s 23rd annual Women’s Equality Day Luncheon at The Hotel at the University of Maryland. The event follows the passage of a Student Government Association resolution on Wednesday, which said Pelosi and Hoyer should not be welcomed at the event because of their political actions tied to foreign policy.
Pelosi delivered the keynote address, emphasizing achievements in funding for women’s health research. She also called for further institution of affordable child care, workplace equality and reproductive rights. She said the theme of this event was “we ain’t going back.”
“When women succeed, America succeeds,” Pelosi said.
Hoyer praised Pelosi for her legacy and cited her role in the passage of landmark legislation such as the Affordable Care Act and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which then allowed lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans to serve openly in the military.
He reflected on their decades-long relationship dating back to the 1960s, when they both worked in Sen. Daniel Brewster’s office. Pelosi and Hoyer later rose through Congress to serve together as house speaker and majority leader, respectively.
“There is no doubt our celebration today is a symbol of progress that our nation has made,” Hoyer said. “But these are the times that try our souls.”
The emergency resolution approved by this university’s SGA Wednesday criticized Hoyer’s vote in favor of a 2023 bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that supported Israel “as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.”
[UMD SGA disapproves of Pelosi, Hoyer attending near campus]
The resolution also disapproved of Pelosi’s past comments suggesting some protesters calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas may have ties to Russia, The Diamondback reported last week.
After the luncheon, Hoyer told The Diamondback he was disappointed with the SGA’s resolution.
“I think it’s very interesting because one of the things they said [was] ‘we want the university to be a welcoming place,’” he said. “And that’s not a very welcoming action.”
Senior public policy major Gavin Neubauer said he understood the concerns behind the resolution but felt the luncheon did not reflect those concerns.
“I don’t think that this event, in any way, was representative of some of the kind of pain points that caused that legislation,” said Neubauer, who is a congressional intern for Hoyer and the SGA’s public policy representative.
Neubauer said the luncheon emphasized the camaraderie and efforts among women in positions of power.
Several other officials spoke at the event, including Charles County Commissioner Amanda Stewart. In her speech, Stewart warned of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to “roll back safeguards that we have had in place to help countless women to access education.”
[Maryland Corps welcomes nearly 600 inductees at UMD Xfinity Center]
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy also spoke at the event, commending the resilience of women in leadership roles and everyday life.
“Luncheons like this give us an opportunity just to at some point exhale,” Braveboy said. “Thank God for the women who are working with us, who are supporting us, who are ensuring that we have a future here in this country.”
The luncheon drew praise from attendees such as Debby Mathis, a retired academic counselor at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Mathis said she attended the event to meet people who shared similar views and to keep herself uplifted.
“I think the event speaks for itself as far as promoting women’s rights,” she said.
