[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 5, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H8891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONGRESS MUST PASS HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, now is the time to pass the Hate 
Crimes Prevention Act. Congress must stand up and pass this legislation 
to send an important message to the American people and the world, that 
hate crimes will not be tolerated.
  From the Justice Department demanding interviews from thousand of 
Arab-American men simply because of their heritage, to secretly 
detaining hundreds more, this country is sending the wrong message to 
its people and the world. Since September 11, we have seen a tendency 
in our citizens to strike out against those who they believe to be 
responsible. We continue to hear reports of harassment and 
discrimination against Arab Americans and Muslims. There has been a 
rise in all types of hate crimes. Congress must act now to send the 
right message. It must pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act before we 
adjourn.
  America is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, black, white, Hispanic, Asian 
American and Native American. We are gay and we are straight. We are 
one Nation. We are one people. We all must continue to live and work 
together to create one house, one family: the American house, the 
American family.
  The President has preached a message of tolerance and respect and has 
urged all Americans to be sensitive in this difficult time. This 
country, as a whole, must heal and move forward together as one Nation. 
We can do that by embracing the idea, the concept of the beloved 
community, a community based on hope, compassion, and justice, a 
community at peace with itself. We must renounce racism, we must 
renounce hate, we must renounce violence and embrace diversity. We must 
teach not just tolerance; we must teach acceptance and love. Only then 
can we achieve the concept of the beloved community, a community that 
is free of hate based on race, religion, national origin, or sexual 
orientation.
  Passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a step, a major step in the 
right direction, a step down a long road. It sends an important 
message. We must show the world the great Nation that we are, a Nation 
where all men and women are created equal. It is time to pass the Hate 
Crimes Prevention Act. So, Mr. Speaker, I call on all of my colleagues 
to lead by example and pass this bill before we leave.

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