This is not an official government website.
© 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as Terri Sewell.
Issued
July 21, 2026
house side of the record
People
1
Linked members mentioned in this section
Legislation
0
No linked legislation in this section
Committees
0
No linked committees in this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
People mentioned
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMs. Sewell of Alabama was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.)
Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend and extraordinary woman of faith, and a living testament to courage and resilience: Ms. Yolanda Jackson.
of Alabama at Birmingham will present Yolanda with its Iron Strong Award for her courageous battle with breast cancer. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.
I have known Yolanda for more than 20 years. We became fast friends as neighbors in 2005, after we moved into the same apartment complex in Birmingham, Alabama. But our connection actually began years earlier. While working as a human resource consultant for the city of Selma in the early nineties, Yolanda became known to my mother, Nancy Gardner Sewell—Selma's first Black city councilwoman—and she adored Yolanda. It was a wonderful reminder of how small and how special our Alabama family can be.
together, and we stood beside one another through some of life's toughest moments. Yolanda has been there for me, just as I try to be there for her, and I am extraordinarily grateful for her friendship. My life is richer because she is in it.
with breast cancer. She would go on to face two more cancer diagnoses in 2022 and again in 2024—three cancer diagnoses, three difficult battles, and three remarkable victories.
care from the physicians, nurses, and staff at the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Her final treatment was in October of 2025. Her treatment was a success. Today, I am grateful to say that she remains in remission.
simple: her faith. She believes that even at our hardest moments, God is at work, and that through suffering, he walks beside us, gives us strength to endure, and uses our trials to shape our character, deepen our faith, and make us into the people he wants us to be.
Yolanda has lived that belief every day of her life. She encourages everyone facing cancer to hold on to hope, to stay positive, and never stop fighting. She believes we all need someone to love, something to look forward to, and something to live for.
family. In 2019, she welcomed and adopted two precious twin boys, Ayden and Jayden, into her life. Last year, she opened her heart again by adopting their younger brother, Kyrie. Those three boys are truly blessed to have such a loving, faithful, and determined mom.
Today, we celebrate Yolanda. We also celebrate the extraordinary work of the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. Their groundbreaking research, innovative treatments, and compassionate care have transformed countless lives, and Yolanda's story is a powerful testament to their mission.
Jackson. More than that, we celebrate an iron strong woman, a faithful servant, a devoted mother, loyal friend, and an inspiration to everyone blessed enough to know her.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Yolanda on this well-deserved honor. Her courage, her faith, and her unwavering hope inspires everyone who has been privileged to know her.
join me in congratulating Ms. Yolanda Jackson and wishing her beautiful family many years of continued health,
happiness, and God's abundant blessings. I love you, Yolanda.