[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     A REDEDICATION TO CIVIL RIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. WILLIAM (BILL) CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 1997

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate Black History month 1997 it 
is important to recognize what black Americans have accomplished and to 
rededicate ourselves to future progress. As a Member of Congress who 
has devoted his life to the struggle for civil rights, I am deeply 
troubled by the state of race relations in America. Over the last 
decade legislative and legal challenges have led to the deterioration 
of monumental civil rights initiatives. Today, the civil rights 
achievements of a generation of courageous men and women lie in 
jeopardy.
  Racial and gender-based discrimination is a serious national problem. 
Recently it has become popular to vilify civil rights initiatives as 
unfair and ineffective. Opponents make the austere assertion these 
initiatives tilt the playing field to favor women and minorities yet 
they offer no substantial proof to support this notion. They try to 
persuade the public to believe we now live in a colorblind society and 
no longer need the restraint of law to ensure the fair and equitable 
treatment of women and minorities. They diligently argue this point 
while black churches smoulder throughout the country. Their message 
resonates in conservative circles even as institutional discriminatory 
employment practices like those at Texaco, Avis, and the Department of 
Agriculture are regularly disclosed. The opponents of civil rights laws 
discount their value to society even as we see mounting evidence that 
our own Government was actively involved or passively ignored the 
introduction of crack cocaine to poor inner city communities. And, 
sadly, civil rights opponents have attacked the boundaries of minority 
congressional districts while enacting racist initiatives like 
California's prop 209.

  Programs like affirmative action, voting rights, race-based 
scholarships, and minority set asides were put into effect as a remedy 
to overt race and sex discrimination. Affirmative action has been 
defined as ``any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory 
practice, adopted to correct or compensate for past or present 
discrimination or to prevent discrimination from recurring in the 
future.''--U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Statement on Affirmative 
Action, October 1977. It does not force employers to meet defined 
quotas or hire unqualified applicants. However, it did force society to 
open the doors of opportunity to individuals who were previously 
precluded from participating fully in our society. Without these 
programs to prohibit racist and sexist behavior, people would be free 
to practice the socially destructive behaviors that inhibit our success 
and progress.
  It is irresponsible for Members of this body to embrace the notion we 
no longer need laws to prevent and protect women and minorities against 
discrimination. This body must work diligently to contain the disease 
of hate and prejudice which is eroding the very fabric of our Nation. 
The race problem in America threatens the two things that make us the 
most productive country in the industrialized world; diversity and 
opportunity. Mr. Speaker, Members should resist the temptation to 
participate in racially divisive politics. We as Members of the United 
States Congress need to do what is morally right, not what is 
politically advantageous. To dismantle our civil rights laws is to 
knock on the door of disaster. We cannot fan the flames of fear without 
getting burned. We must extinguish the fire. It is our responsibility 
to remain steadfast as the vanguards of justice and equality. We must 
not betray our responsibility to nurture and heal the deep divisions 
that prohibit us from realizing our true greatness.

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