[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.

                          ____________________