Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) choked up as she reintroduced H.R. 40, a reparations bill establishing a federal commission to study the impact of reparations for descendants of enslaved people, as she takes up the mantel left vacant by the late Texas Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

“It is an honor,” Pressley began before her voice cracked during the emotional moment, “to inherit the privilege of carrying this forward from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. In my last correspondence with her, she said keep working on our priorities and never give up.”