[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 8, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             RACE RELATIONS

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 8, 1995

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I am inserting my Washington Report for 
Wednesday, November 8, 1995 into the Congressional Record:

                      The State of Race Relations

       The verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial and the Million Man 
     March in Washington have refocused national attention on the 
     state of race relations in America today. Both events show 
     that race continues to be one of the more intractable and 
     troubling issues facing our country.


                            simpson verdict

       The reading of the verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial was a 
     remarkable event. For one brief moment all Americans stopped 
     what they were doing to hear the result. The reaction of the 
     public to the verdict was just as striking. Most white 
     viewers were stunned by the acquittal, thinking the evidence 
     against Simpson was overwhelming. Many black viewers, in 
     contrast, reacted to the verdict with joy and celebration. 
     They believed Simpson had been framed by a rogue, racist 
     police force.
       The trial was extraordinary. Most murder trials last a week 
     or less, not nine months, and don't involve a national 
     celebrity and a worldwide television audience. We can talk 
     about keeping TV out of the courtroom or reforming the rules 
     of evidence, but we should be very careful about changing our 
     criminal laws based on such an unusual case.
       The most disturbing aspect of the trial was how differently 
     blacks and whites reacted to the verdict. Both races appear 
     to want the same things from our justice system--safe 
     neighborhoods, drug-free schools, and the like--but disagree 
     about how the system is working today. Whites generally view 
     the system as basically fair and give high marks to local law 
     enforcement, but say too many criminals get away with their 
     crimes. Blacks, however, tend to think the system is biased 
     against them and geared to lock away young black males. They 
     believe law enforcement is racist.
       Blacks often say that the high incarceration rate for black 
     males reflects the fundamental unfairness of the system. One 
     in three black males in their twenties has been in the care 
     of the criminal justice system. Blacks, who make up 12% of 
     the population, make up more than half of all people 
     convicted of murder; blacks are also disproportionately 
     victims of murders. Many whites respond to these statistics 
     by saying relatively more blacks are in jail because 
     relatively more blacks commit crimes, not because the system 
     is inherently racist.
       The basic challenge is to build confidence in the criminal 
     justice system across racial lines. We should be able to 
     agree on certain basic points. On the one hand, racist 
     conduct by law enforcement cannot be tolerated. On the other 
     hand, racism, past or present, cannot be raised as an excuse 
     for violent conduct. Criminals, whether black or white, must 
     be punished for their crimes.


                           Million Man March

       The second event which stirred much debate on race 
     relations was the Million Man March. The avowed purpose of 
     the rally, which attracted over 400,000 black men to the U.S. 
     Capitol last month, was for black men to rededicate 
     themselves to family, personal responsibility and community. 
     The event was an impressive gathering, marked by a sense of 
     purpose and comraderie. Nation of Islam leader Louis 
     Farrakhan, who organized the event and pulled it off without 
     incident, has established himself as a leading voice for 
     black America.
       The Million Man March sent out an equivocal message. The 
     rally showed there is much common ground between blacks and 
     whites. In some ways, it was a march about dignity, pride and 
     respect. Many of the speakers talked about self-help and 
     self-discipline; the importance of family and education; and 
     the scourge of drug use and crime, particularly among young 
     people. I hear many of the same issues discussed approvingly 
     at my public meeting in Indiana.
       The rally, however, was also about racial division and 
     separation. Minister Farrakhan spoke of a more perfect union, 
     but he is a controversial figure; he is seen in many quarters 
     as a bigot and an anti-semite, someone who stokes racial 
     fears and animosities. To most Americans he is more a symptom 
     of our ills than a physician who can heal them.


                               Assessment

       White and black America continue to drift apart. Many 
     blacks feel aggrieved. They observe that black incomes are 
     still only 60% of white ones; black unemployment is more than 
     twice as high; and more than half of black children live in 
     poverty. They say whites have lost interest in their plight, 
     cutting federal programs that benefit their communities and 
     curbing affirmative action programs that have created 
     eduational and job opportunities. The reponse of a growing 
     number of blacks is not a call for more integration with 
     white America, but separation and self-help.
       Many white Americans, for their part, feel a different kind 
     of frustration. They say this country has spent billions of 
     dollars on fighting poverty, particularly in black 
     communities, but poverty rates remain persistently high. They 
     complain that affirmative action programs take jobs and 
     college opportunities from deserving whites. They say blacks 
     should take more personal responsibility for their actions, 
     rather than look to the government for help. They often 
     believe, mistakenly, that the average black is faring better 
     than the average white in terms of access to housing, 
     education, jobs and health.
       We can argue all day about the causes of this separation--
     the lack of economic opportunities; racism; the burden of 
     history; the rise of illegitimacy and single parent 
     families--but the question Americans must answer is whether 
     this trend toward separation is desirable. I think it is not. 
     This country will not prosper if we do not work together to 
     create opportunities for all of our citizens.
       Sometimes I get the impression that blacks and whites live 
     on two different planets. Both events, the trial and the 
     march, caution that we must bridge the great divide between 
     the two races. We must talk frankly, listen carefully, and 
     work together across racial lines. We must talk less about 
     separation and bitterness, and more about unity, 
     reconciliation and shared values. We must reach out to people 
     of different races and provide opportunity for all persons to 
     make the most of their lives. Government can help by pursuing 
     fiscal policies that promote job creation, enforcing anti-
     disrimination laws and supporting programs that are pro 
     family--but reconiliation will mainly come through individual 
     contacts. We should not tolerate the existence of two 
     Americas.

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