[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 15, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S337-S339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Mr. REID. Madam President, when I finished law school, I went back to
Las Vegas. One of the first opportunities I had to do something
socially was to listen to Martin Luther King speak at the old Las Vegas
Convention Center. As I look back, that was really a good choice that I
made. I am so fortunate that I, over the years, have been able to hear
stirring speeches by people on this floor, by the finest extemporaneous
speakers I have ever heard, Henry Cisneros, and Dr. Martin Luther King.
The reason I mention that is because that is a special day in my
life. This Monday we are celebrating a national holiday, the birthday
of the man who I listened to in Las Vegas, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This year, in particular, with controversial remarks and votes
related to issues of race having affected this body itself, it is
important that we reflect on the life, legacy, and the message of Dr.
King.
The Senate may not be in session next week--it may be; it may not
be--it certainly will not be in session on Monday, so I would like to
share some of my thoughts on this subject this afternoon.
In one of his famous, stirring speeches, Dr. King shared with us his
dream for American society. I was working as a Capitol policeman here
in Washington when he gave that speech. I was in law school. I can
remember the buses. I had never seen so many buses. Hundreds and
hundreds of buses came here. And, of course, he gave that famous
speech.
Despite the suffering he individually endured and African Americans,
as a group, have experienced, Dr. King articulated hope, optimism, and
encouragement. He spoke of an America in which all people were united,
free, and equal, and of a time when people were not discriminated
against or limited because of their race or ethnicity or religion.
Today we are closer to that place and time because of his efforts,
accomplishments, and sacrifices, and that of countless other African
Americans. These men and women confronted enormous obstacles to make
life better not only for African Americans but for all Americans.
America has made great strides in improving the status of ethnic and
racial minorities. Today, African Americans are leaders in our
communities, the arts, sciences, business, and world affairs. We no
longer accept legal discrimination in America in any form. We no longer
allow the use of poll taxes that prohibit African Americans from
voting. We no longer tolerate discrimination in public accommodations
such as water fountains, lunch counters, movie houses.
In addition to making political, legal, and social gains, Blacks are
now enjoying unprecedented economic success. African-American
unemployment and poverty levels are at record lows. There continues to
be a significant rise in African-American homeownership and a dramatic
increase in loans to African-American entrepreneurs.
We must be aware, though, that the slumping economy the past 2 years
has threatened to undo much of the progress, and its impact is
disproportionately felt by people of color. I talked about one of those
issues this morning; that is, 34 percent of African-American teenagers
are unemployed. They want to find jobs.
So despite all of our progress as a society expanding opportunities
for all, we can do much better. We have a lot more to do and challenges
we have to overcome. The population of Blacks and other minorities
continues to increase and flourish in Nevada and across America. But
African Americans often lack the services and resources they need to
receive a quality education and, in turn, achieve a better place in our
society.
Almost half a century after Brown v. Board of Education, most
minority students still attend schools that are predominantly minority.
On average, they are in larger classes, have older books, receive less
challenging lessons, and have teachers with less training in the
subject being taught.
Fortunately, Congress passed a bipartisan Leave No Child Behind
education reform package, which became the law of the land last year,
to correct certain inequities by making sure well-trained teachers are
in every classroom, setting higher standards for all students, and
providing schools with resources to meet these new standards.
To continue improving the quality of education, expanding
opportunities for all Americans, our next step must be to raise the
standards for safety, character, and discipline in our schools and to
fulfill the promise of our education reform. To do this, we must have a
budget that comes from the White House that doesn't skimp on funding
for our schools. Passing a bill that says leave no child behind is
good, but we are leaving many children behind if we don't provide the
funding.
There are some schools, because of a lack of funds, that are going on
4-day school weeks. I don't know of a school district in America--I am
sure there are some--that is not having tremendous funding problems.
The fifth or sixth largest school district in America is Las Vegas,
Clark County, some 250, 260,000 students. That school district has deep
financial problems. Many of these problems are a result of the unfunded
mandate that we passed on to the school district in Clark County and
other school districts around America with Leave No Child Behind. They
are required to do things, and we have not provided resources to help
them.
While we have made substantial progress, Blacks still lag behind
financially and are disproportionately represented among America's
poor. Congress should increase the minimum wage, not only to help
youths and African Americans but all of our Nation's citizens,
especially single mothers, who benefit more than any other group. In
addition, providing unemployment and health care benefits for those who
have been hindered by the recession will help dislocated workers and
their families get back on their feet and continue to improve their
lives. We also need to find creative, effective ways to narrow the
earnings gap between Whites and African Americans.
Making these improvements will take the dedication of all Americans.
Our Nation's efforts to recover from the tragedy of September 11 remind
us that by working together, we become a
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stronger America. We must join to continue fighting to make sure all
Americans enjoy equal opportunities for justice, quality education, and
economic prosperity. To say that a child has the ability to be educated
is not a truism if that education does not include adequate funding.
Sadly, some pay only lipservice to the legacy of Martin Luther King,
Jr. They even use his own words as a defense for opposing policies and
programs that would advance his goals. In this year, 2003, it is not
enough to quote Martin Luther King, Jr., or to say the right thing or
avoid saying the wrong thing. Actions speak louder than words, even
words as powerful as his. While we certainly remember Dr. King as an
articulate speaker, it was not what he said, it was his actions that
were more important--nonviolent actions of organizing, educating,
motivating, demonstrating--that achieved the real results.
So if we are to truly and fully honor Dr. King and, even more, if we
are truly and fully motivated to improve race relations in this great
country of ours, we want America to live up to its democratic ideals.
If we want all of our people to have equal opportunity, freedom,
justice, prosperity, security, and peace, we must pass civil rights
legislation, fund programs that help level the playing field, and
appoint judges whose records show a commitment to tolerance and
fairness.
I am proud of the Democratic Party's longstanding commitment to civil
rights. We have recognized that we must take additional steps, though,
to advance and protect civil rights in the future for all Americans. We
cannot stand on the laurels of what we have done in the past; we must
move forward.
We have developed a package of civil rights legislation known as the
Equal Rights and Equal Dignity for Americans Act. This comprehensive
legislation includes measures to expand hate crimes protections,
strengthen the enforcement of existing civil rights laws, support legal
representation for indigent Americans, respond to the injustice of
racial profiling, address pay inequities between men and women, protect
individuals against genetic discrimination, prohibit employment
discrimination based on sexual orientation, prohibit military and
civilian personnel from collecting intelligence information about U.S.
citizens, and fully fund election reforms passed last year.
During the most recent elections, I was troubled by what we learned
took place in the last few days of the election and some we didn't
learn about until after the election. Here are examples of the 2002
elections, where there were efforts made by the Republican Party and
Republican candidates to harass and intimidate minority voters in an
effort to reduce the number of people of color from voting.
Regarding Louisiana, this is from the New York Times, headlined ``GOP
`Engineered and Fueled' Runoff Campaign'':
[Louisiana GOP candidate Suzie Haik] Terrell, whose
campaign was engineered and fueled by the White House, had
the momentum going into today's runoff election. * * * the
Republicans did their best to suppress the black vote so
crucial to Ms. Landrieu's fortunes.
That is the article dated December 8.
Misinformation Fliers Posted in Louisiana Public Housing Projects
Falsified Election Date
The Times-Picayune reported, One of the most blatant
attempts to keep African-Americans from voting was an
unsigned pamphlet that the Landrieu campaign said was
circulated in New Orleans public housing complexes just
before the runoff. The document said: ``Vote!!! Bad Weather?
No problem!!! If the weather is uncomfortable on election day
(Saturday December 7th) Remember you can wait and cast your
ballot on Tuesday December 10th.'' Anyone who waited past
Saturday, however, missed the chance to vote.
This appeared in the Times-Picayune of 12/12/02:
Louisiana GOP Paid for Signs To Discourage African Americans From
Voting
The Louisiana Republican Party admitted to paying for signs
aimed at discouraging African-Americans from voting. The
signs said: ``Mary, if you don't respect us, don't expect
us.'' According to the New York Times, ``The Republicans paid
black youths $75 today to hold the signs aloft on street
corners in black neighborhoods.'' That was the Times-Picayune
and the New York Times. The Times-Picayune is dated December 12 and the
New York Times is dated December 8.
Madam President, it is 3:30. Morning business is to expire. I ask
unanimous consent that I be allowed to continue for another 10 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. REID. If the majority comes to the floor, I will be happy to step
aside.
Continuing to quote:
Arkansas: Poll Watchers Engage in African-American Voter Intimidation
On October 23, 2002, five Republican poll watchers,
including two staff members of Senator Tim Hutchinson's
office, were present at the courthouse in Pine Bluff,
Arkansas--a heavily Democratic area--for the first day of
early voting. They allegedly focused exclusively on African
Americans, asking them for identification and taking
photographs. They claimed to be ``targeting anybody who does
not have an ID to prove who they say they are.'' Trey
Ashcroft, chairperson of the Jefferson County Democratic
Party and the Jefferson County Election Commission, said the
tactics caused some frustrated black voters to not vote. They
are trying to intimidate African-American voters into not
voting.'' Guy Cecil, a Democrat coordinating national efforts
with Arkansas campaigns, said. ``They were literally going up
to them and saying, `Before you vote, I want to see your
identification.' '' Cecil said that under Arkansas law poll
watchers could not confront voters. Local law enforcement
officials escorted the poll watchers out, but they later
returned.
2002: RNC Creates Lawyers' Group To Promote ``Ballot Security &
Integrity''
The newly-created Republican National Lawyer Association
(RNLA) convened in San Antonio, Texas in August 2002, to
``teach Republicans from all over the U.S. about preserving
and protecting the integrity of elections.'' They touted the
event as a ``landmark political forum'' focusing on pre-
election, election day, and post-election topics. On their
Web site, they tout that ``almost 200 lawyers from over 20
states attended.'' Their efforts, ``at the request of'' the
RNC and ``various'' state parties, involve ``conducting and
organizing ballot integrity training across the country.''
The group is ``sending its members out to targeted districts
and areas where voter fraud is a concern or has
historically been a problem to make sure that ALL
registered and qualified voters have an opportunity to
cast a ballot and that individuals not registered or
qualified should not be permitted to vote.'' The group's
president, Craig Burkhardt, urges that the Republican
lawyers engage in ``targeted, effective advocacy.'' The
RNLA web sit lists several hundred attorneys affiliated
with the Republican Party, including 84 from across the
country who specialize in election law.
New Jersey: GOP Drafts Plan To Intimidate Hispanics With Cadre of
``Latino Lawyers''
At an October 28, 2002 hearing in Newark, New Jersey
federal court, state Democrats alleged that the state GOP's
Election Day plan to intimidate Latino voters violated a
twenty year-old consent decree. In that decree, Republicans
pledged they would not intimidate minority voters after a
controversy involving a 1981 ``ballot security task force''.
Democrats provided evidence of an email soliciting ``Latino
Lawyers & Others,'' described as an ``aggressive campaign''
to ``ensure ballot fairness''. The email was allegedly sent
by a staff member of Republican Senate candidate Doug
Forrester. Zulima Farber, arguing for the state Democratic
Party, said the email suggested a plan to suppress the New
Jersey Latino vote. The GOP has countered that the Democrats'
attacks are ``completely without merit'' but acknowledged
they plan to post about 70 attorneys in heavily Democratic
districts to ``make sure nonregistered voters are not allowed
to cast ballots.'' Forrester's election lawyer, Bill Baroni,
also notes that the email was not initially addressed to
Latino lawyers. Another hearing has been scheduled.
Texas: Republican Poll Watchers Ejected for Voter Intimidation
The Brownsville Herald reports, ``Two poll watchers
representing Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Cornyn
have been removed from their polling places amid further
accusations of voter intimidation in Hidalgo County. The
decision to eject the two GOP workers, one watching early
voting in McAllen and the other in Edinburg, was initially
made by early voting supervisors Thursday and confirmed
Friday by Teresa Navarro, Hidalgo county's elections
administrator. . . . In an alleged incident at the Palmer
Pavilion in McAllen, a voter reported [ejected GOP poll
watcher Joseph] Hopkins to an early voting supervisor for
making a `racist remark.' The voter, who knew Hopkins, asked
what he was doing there. Hopkins is said to have jokingly
replied, `I'm just a poll watcher but I do not see many
Poles. I just see a lot of Mexicans.' In the other alleged
incident, at an early voting station within the Elections
Department Office in Edinburg, poll watcher [Laura] Mason was
reported for `repeatedly talking to and harassing' voters. An
elderly Hispanic voter was said to have been reduced to tears
after being `confronted' by Mason.
New Mexico: Republican Party of New Mexico Sent False Mailer to Voters
The Republican Party of New Mexico sent mailers that
incorrectly discouraged citizens
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from voting a straight party ticket in order to benefit GOP
candidates. The mailer said, ``Notice to Voters. Do not vote
using the Straight Party Button on your polling machine. This
button cancels out any individual votes cast. In the past
election, this button deprived many candidates of the votes
they earned from people like you.'' In New Mexico voters are
able to ``cast a straight party ticket and then vote for
individual candidates of the other party,'' the Las Cruces
Sun News reported. Denise Lamb of the Bureau of Elections
said, ``its despicable that people would try to misinform
voters to win an election.''
Pennsylvania: GOP Congressman Issued Poll Watcher Packet With Wrong
Information.
According to a Lebanon Daily News Editorial, ``[Rep.
George] Gekas, a Harrisburg Republican, has distributed among
county officials and volunteers an 18-page manual that
includes a section about `challenging a voter.' That's right:
Gekas volunteers aren't just going to challenge absentee
ballots, but are going to try to block some people who show
up at the polls from casting votes. Even more worrisome is
the legal advice that 'challenging a voter' offers to GOP
volunteers. The Gekas pamphlet contains some legal errors
that may encourage Republican volunteers to lodge false and
misleading protests against voters' rights. . . . The Gekas
poll-watching strategy constitutes an embarrassment for the
GOP. Republicans seem determined to frighten voters rather
than competed in the arena of ideas. Gekas and his allies
should disavow their planned attempt to discourage people
from exercising the federal franchise. They would do better
to welcome voters to the polls.''
Maryland: Mailer Circulated to African-Americans Spread False Voting
Information
In Baltimore, MD as unsigned flier circulated in African-
American neighborhoods spread false information aimed at
suppressing voter turnout. The flier read: ``Urgent Notice.
Come out to vote on November 6th. Before you come to vote
make sure you pay your parking tickets, motor vehicle
tickets, overdue rent and most important any warrants.''
Mr. President, the Republican actions during the last election are
not in keeping with the legacy of Martin Luther King.
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