Press Releases

With the U.S. State Department as their backdrop, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, gave the world a moving reminder that the 219 Chibok schoolgirls who are still missing after their abduction by Boko Haram deserve to be remembered every day, not just on tragic anniversaries, and that the fight for their safe return is a global one. They also praised the girls who escaped from the terrorist group on April 14, 2014, for their courage and their commitment to continuing their studies.

As night fell, two of the Chibok girls who escaped read by candlelight a roll call of their 219 missing sisters, classmates, and friends.

“I want to tell the world that we will never forget about the girls who are in captivity. I believe that the same God that gave us the courage to escape is the same God who is going to rescue those girls in captivity. We still love them. Sometimes I used to sit down and think maybe they’re thinking that we forgot about them, that we’re not thinking about them, but that’s not right,” said Sa’a. “Thank you so much for your support. Keep praying and keep hoping, don’t give up. Let’s keep campaigning, let’s keep tweeting, let’s keep posting about the girls and I believe they will come home one day.”

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), and Reps. Curt Clawson (R-Fla.), Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) also participated in the vigil, which was filmed by MSNBC; Voice of America; and ABC’s Nightline, which will air a documentary. Each lawmaker urged all Americans and people all over the world to stand up for the missing Chibok girls and to unite in the effort to eradicate Boko Haram, the world’s most deadly terrorist group.

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Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson is a third-term Congresswoman from Florida representing parts of Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school. Congresswoman Wilson also founded the Florida Ports Caucus, a bipartisan taskforce that coordinates federal action in support of Florida’s harbors and waterways.