[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 29, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H3248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              INEQUALITIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, when I think of most Americans, I know 
that one of the major components of our work ethic is that we believe 
in working hard. We are not standing in line for government subsidies 
or handouts. We simply want to be able to have an opportunity.
  Last evening, I was on the floor speaking of the unfortunate 
circumstances of this past week, such as the mischaracterization of 
what affirmative action really means, which is an opportunity for all 
of our students to go to institutions of higher learning with a diverse 
student body that embodies and reflects America, responding to the 
decrease in numbers of African Americans since the dismantling of 
affirmative action at schools like the University of Michigan, 
Berkeley, and others.
  We then follow that decision with untimely and unfortunate comments, 
first by an owner of a national basketball team. It baffles me when the 
owner indicates that he does not want to see Black people at his 
stadium. It amazes me because if he looks out onto the playing floor, 
he might see a lot of them. We find that sports is something that 
brings us all together, from all walks of life.
  Then we have an individual that represents himself as one of the true 
traditions of America, a rancher--and much of that is done in Texas--
who wants to suggest that African Americans would be better off picking 
cotton and having gardens and chickens.
  The reason I raise these issues today is because we have parts of our 
society that reflect those injustices. We have parts of society that 
ignore the ills that befall those who are more impoverished than 
others.
  Many people don't realize that even though slavery ended in the 
1800s, the 20th century found itself with individuals or segments of 
the population being treated unequally for more than half a century. 
Even when those laws changed, like with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 
minds and hearts did not change. And so the inequities followed people 
of color: language minorities, like Hispanics, and African Americans in 
particular.
  I have a document that reflects that inequity right in the city of 
Houston and the district that I represent.
  Yesterday, we came out with the Children at Risk research on the 
level of high schools that were not functioning. They list North Forest 
High School, Madison High School, Jones High School, Wheatley High 
School, Sterling High School, Kashmere High School, and Worthing High 
School at the bottom of the list. Why? They are all in inner city 
areas. The investment in people is not there.
  And so this wealth inequality is not about someone who wants to get a 
handout; it is to reflect what is happening.
  The highest unemployment is among Latinos and African Americans, 
which are the red and purple bars. Because of the barriers to access to 
credit, the lowest number of business ownership in this country is with 
African Americans. It has the lowest number of business owners. When we 
faced the recession and mortgage collapse, the highest number of 
bankruptcy filings were among Latinos and African Americans.
  No, they are not looking for a handout. We are looking for policies 
that in fact will invest in education and make sure that when we invest 
in people, we overcome the barriers that deal with race and racism.
  When we lost all of the home equity, which was one of the greatest 
assets of African Americans, the decline in home equity and ownership 
fell upon many of us in a high number, from Asians to Whites to Latinos 
and African Americans. And when I say this, I speak of those who are 
White and equally face obstacles.
  Many know that one of the major movements of Senator Robert F. 
Kennedy was his visit to Appalachia and other places.
  So my question to my colleagues today is how we can come together to 
look at a way of empowering those impoverished and making sure that the 
educational system, regardless of your level of income, has the ability 
to treat you equally so that the school that you attend every day--your 
parents pay taxes and send you there--is not giving you the bottom rank 
in opportunity and that your family is not in the category with no 
assets or retirement, no ability to help you go to college. Highest 
number, 62 percent for African Americans; Latinos, 69 percent, which is 
partly due to the fact that many Latinos live in a ``shadow society,'' 
many of them because we have not passed comprehensive immigration 
reform.
  So, Mr. Speaker, rather than to accuse individuals and call people 
names and use racist categories, it is time for us to come together and 
be united to lift the boats of all Americans.

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