[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 95 (Tuesday, July 8, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6972-S6973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PRESIDENTIAL RACE INITIATIVE AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I commend President Clinton for his 
impressive Presidential initiative on race, which he announced in his 
recent commencement address at the University of California, San Diego.
  This initiative combines constructive dialog, study and action. It 
carries forward the President's longstanding concern that the country 
must remain One America, and that all Americans must have an 
opportunity to share in the American dream.
  Too often, the race issue is used as a wedge to divide America.
  President Clinton's goal is to unite America by examining where we 
have been, and where we need to go, in order to achieve lasting racial 
reconciliation. President Clinton correctly recognizes that our 
Nation's diversity is our greatest strength, and that we must improve 
the ability of all Americans to realize their full potential.
  Civil rights is still the unfinished business of America. We have 
come a long way toward the goal of equal justice and opportunity. But 
as the church arson epidemic, the Texaco debacle, the O.J. Simpson 
trial and the Good Ol' Boys Roundup demonstrate, we are not there yet.
  Incredibly, there appear to be some who believe that discrimination 
is a thing of the past, and that the playing field is now level for 
women, for people of color, and for other victims of discrimination. 
The facts clearly belie this claim.
  The unemployment rate for African-Americans is twice that of whites. 
Women still earn only 72 percent as much as men.
  The average income of a Latina woman with a college degree is far 
less than that of a white man with a high school degree. The Glass 
Ceiling Commission reported that 97 percent of the top executive 
positions in Fortune 500 companies are held by white men, although they 
are just 43 percent of the work force. In the Nation's largest 
companies, only 1 percent--1 percent--of senior management positions 
are held by Latinos or African-Americans.
  Hate crimes continue to occur at alarming rates.
  The scales of justice are supposed to be blind, but these figures 
demonstrate that race and gender discrimination are distorting the 
balance.
  Yet, there are those who want to eliminate all affirmative action 
programs, claiming that they have outlived their usefulness. It's time 
to dispel the barrage of misinformation about affirmative action.
  Affirmative action is not about promoting or hiring unqualified women 
and minorities, admitting unqualified students, or awarding contracts 
to unqualified businesses.
  Affirmative action has clearly worked in the Armed Forces. Does 
anybody doubt the qualifications of Gen. Colin Powell?
  Affirmative action has clearly worked in education. College 
admissions practices that allow universities to consider race as a 
factor--not the main factor or the controlling factor--have a positive 
impact on the ability of minorities to escape the cycle of poverty 
through education.
  The overwhelming majority of educators feel that colleges and 
universities are failing in their mission if

[[Page S6973]]

they ignore the diversity that is the essence of the American 
experience.
  Done right, affirmative action works. President Clinton's impressive 
and exhaustive review concluded that affirmative action is still an 
effective tool to expand economic and educational opportunities, and to 
combat bigotry, exclusion and ignorance. I strongly support President 
Clinton's ``mend it, don't end it'' prescription for affirmative 
action.
  There has always been bipartisan support for affirmative action. From 
President Kennedy to President Nixon to President Clinton, there has 
been bipartisan support in the White House and Congress, because no one 
can say with a straight face that the playing field is level for women 
and minorities.
  In addition, President Clinton's nomination of Bill Lee to head the 
Civil Rights Division is also significant step in ensuring equal 
justice for all Americans. Bill Lee has dedicated his entire career to 
finding real-life solutions to real life problems of discrimination. 
The son of Chinese immigrants, Bill Lee grew up dirt poor in New York 
City. His parents operated a laundry in a poor section of New York. 
Bill Lee and his family suffered discrimination first hand, and know 
how it feels to be taunted and excluded simply because of one's 
appearance.
  But he overcame their barriers and graduated from Yale University and 
Columbia Law School with honors.
  For the past 22 years, he has worked on behalf of all victims of 
discrimination --African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, women, 
and the poor. He has won remedies that have aided them financially, and 
given them hope that they too can be part of America.
  His ability to forge consensus has earned him the respect of all 
Americans. Republicans and Democrats alike, including Mayor Richard 
Riordan, and Senators Warner and Thurmond, have written letters of 
support on his behalf. I hope that he will be confirmed expeditiously 
so that he can help lead the effort to ensure that civil rights 
guarantees do not remain hollow promises.
  The issue of discrimination is too important to become a political 
football in Congress. As we continue the discussion of race and gender, 
I urge my colleagues to support President Clinton's initiative, and 
continue the tradition of bipartisan support that has served this 
country well in recent decades. Our goal is still to guarantee equal 
opportunity for all Americans. Let us be sure that when we say ``all,'' 
we mean ``all.''

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