[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 27, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN SUPPORT OF AMERICA'S DOMESTIC STEEL INDUSTRY AND THE CONGRESSIONAL 
              BLACK CAUCUS PROGRAM ON BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I am going to split my remarks 
between two areas that will be addressed in the House later this 
evening.
  First of all, I rise in support of our domestic steel industry. 
Thousands of American steel workers have lost their jobs due to massive 
levels of low-priced steel imports. In my own district, the 11th 
district of Ohio, 3,200 LTV steelworkers may lose their jobs while 
22,000 steelworkers and vendors in the region have been affected as a 
result of these imports.
  I stand here today to urge the President to take decisive action 
against the cheap imports that are destroying the U.S. steel industry. 
This is an industry that has been a cornerstone of our economy and 
national security over the last 100 years.
  The ITC found unanimously that American steel companies and thousands 
of workers and their communities have been seriously injured by these 
imports. I say and know firsthand that they have been devastated. The 
ball is now in the President's hands. He must decide what measures his 
administration will take to correct the wrong that has been caused by 
low-priced imports.
  I urge the President in the strongest possible terms to impose strong 
and effective tariff-based relief. The President must impose a tariff 
of at least 40 percent against all foreign low-priced steel imports. I 
urge the President to impose such a tariff for a period of at least 4 
years, as the law allows.
  I also urge the President not to waiver from his commitment to the 
American steel industry and its workers because strong tariff-based 
relief is the only remedy that can realistically assist this industry 
in our United States.
  Secondly, I rise in support of the Congressional Black Caucus Black 
History Month Special Order. Our theme tonight is ``The Color Line 
Revisited: Is racism dead?'' We have come together to salute the great 
history of African Americans in America. I would like to address that 
African American history and its origins and what it means to our great 
Nation today.
  Let us take a moment to reflect on a time in our history when African 
Americans were so dehumanized and their history so distorted that 
slavery, segregation, and lynching were not punishable by law. It was a 
time when people were being mistreated because of the color of their 
skin, and as a result, many people began to stand against these 
terrible acts.
  This stand against injustice by many eventually brought about a 
massive change that divided our Nation and sparked the Civil War. After 
the war, America stood true to its union as one Nation, under God. The 
spirit of African Americans was strong and unwavering during such 
difficult times, which makes the history of African Americans so great.
  It is important to reflect upon this time in our history so that what 
happened to innocent people never happens again. It is largely for 
these reasons that I am working to make a difference in the life of 
every American. I believe that we must pick up where African American 
heroes left off. We must not only know our history but honor it, so 
that slavery, segregation, and inhumane acts never happen again.
  We must be united for access to quality public schools for our 
Nation's youth, we must be united for access to affordable health care, 
and we must not rest until our Nation unites and what will be done for 
African Americans in terms of reparations.
  Right now, inner-city schools, which are overwhelmingly populated by 
African American children, are failing standardized tests at 
disproportionate rates. Right now, African American families lack 
access to quality health care at disproportionate rates. Right now, in 
the slowing economy, African Americans are losing their jobs at double 
the rate of white Americans. Right now, African Americans are victims 
of predatory lending by unscrupulous companies that are stripping our 
community of her wealth. Right now, the American people have a duty to 
their fellow countrymen and women to not only apologize for the 
inhumane acts, but also to supplement it with economic justice.
  With all of our efforts, I am sure that we will continue to celebrate 
freedom and justice for all for many, many years to come.
  In closing, racism is not dead; but we are one Nation, under God, 
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I am proud to be an 
American, and I am more proud that I am an African American. I salute 
those African Americans who believed in the fight for justice, believed 
in their dreams for equality, and paved a path for a brighter tomorrow.
  We must stand up and continue to fight to be assured that racism does 
die. But right now, it is not dead.

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