[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 168 (Monday, November 16, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H8228-H8232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: RACE RELATIONS IN AMERICA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly) is
recognized for half the remaining time, until 10 p.m., as the designee
of the minority leader.
General Leave
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to
lead tonight's Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour. For 60
minutes, we have the opportunity to speak directly to the American
people.
Before we get to business, I do want to take a moment to express my
condolences and the prayers of the Congressional Black Caucus and this
Congress to our allies in France after Friday night's attacks in Paris.
Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. No act of terror
can shake the resolve of the French people to live free, and nothing
will impede France's ability to live prosperously. I want the people of
France to know that the American people and this Congress stand in
solidarity with the people of France tonight. I say this with full
faith and confidence that no act of terror will deter France or the
United States from embracing the principles of liberty, equality, and
brotherhood.
Our hearts also go out to those who recently lost loved ones and
friends in Beirut and Nigeria.
Mr. Speaker, in this hour, the Congressional Black Caucus will have a
conversation with America about the issue of race relations in this
country. This isn't a new topic of discussion. To be honest, I really
wish there were no need and no appetite remaining in America so as to
have to address this topic.
It is amazing that the same nation that saw pilgrims journey to our
shores on the Mayflower and that the same nation that saw Founding
Father Ben Franklin make groundbreaking discoveries in electric science
is the same nation that was able to land a man on the Moon and harness
the electromagnetic spectrum for our mobile devices. We still wrestle
with the same problem that confronted Ben Franklin and the Founding
Fathers so long ago: the issue of race relations in America.
As President Obama so eloquently remarked, the answer to the slavery
question was already embedded within our Constitution--a Constitution
that had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law,
a Constitution that promised its people liberty and justice and a union
that could be and should be perfected over time.
Yet these words were not enough to deliver slaves from bondage or to
provide men and women of every color and creed with their full rights
and obligations as citizens of the United States.
It is this inherited sin that has guided a national history of
challenging race relations in America, from slavery to the Three-Fifths
Compromise, to a nation divided and broken over the issue of slavery,
to poll taxes and literacy tests, to separate but equal, to Japanese
internment, to anti-Semitism, to the Tuskegee experiment, to Brown v.
The Board of Education, to the loving Confederate flags at State
houses, to the Confederate statues in this Capitol, and to parishioners
executed during a Charleston Bible study, executed in the hopes that it
would spark a race war. It is the sad truth that, while race relations
do not define us as a nation, ignoring and perverting these relations
has left a painful blemish on our national record.
Mr. Speaker, many times this year the Congressional Black Caucus has
come before you in this hour to discuss the issue of Black voter
suppression in America, the mass incarceration of African American
males in America, the issue of Black Lives Matter, community fears over
unfair and unequal treatment at the hands of bad apple law enforcement
officers, and the economic concerns of communities of color.
These concerns aren't made up. The impact and evidence of these
concerns can be found everywhere for proof. Look at Amendments 13
through 15. Look at the issue of African Americans having higher rates
of mortality than any other racial ethnic group for 8 of the top 10
causes of death. Look at the Black Lives Matter protests that we have
had across the country. These concerns are our reality, and we must
know these things to be true. We know more must be done to strengthen
our national record on race.
Tonight I want to use my time to discuss race relations in America,
but I want to do so in a way that looks forward and not behind. I want
to have a conversation about strengthening our national foundation and
about healing the racial wounds of our past. In this conversation about
race relations in America, I will highlight areas of need and
opportunity that should be examined. Tonight's conversation should be a
strong step toward progress.
It is my true honor and pleasure to coanchor this hour with my
distinguished colleague from New Jersey, a man who has committed his
time in Congress to strengthening communities and bridging cultures.
I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey, the Honorable Donald Payne,
Jr., my colleague.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois. It has
been as a labor of love that we have represented the Congressional
Black Caucus in these Special Order hours this year.
Our year is coming to a close. As we look back at the issues that we
have discussed over the course of this year, it has been an honor and a
privilege to work alongside my colleague, R. Kelly.
As for tonight's issue, we have seen in recent weeks a number of
racially charged incidents that have set off protests on college
campuses across the country. From the University of Missouri to Yale,
students have protested the inadequate responses of their school
administrations to racism and harassment against minority students. We
have seen the failure of many college administrations to properly
address overt racism against minority students on campus.
Adding to the anxiety felt by these students have been threats of
violence against African American students and faculty. In many
instances, there is a disconnect between students of color and the
university leaders.
In many of these instances, administrators have openly acknowledged
that their responses to minority students have come too late and that
their behavior has failed to take into consideration the concerns of
students and the injustices against those students.
This is an extension of the debate over interactions--often deadly--
between law enforcement and African
[[Page H8229]]
Americans. Many African Americans feel marginalized and unsafe in going
about their normal day.
This year an overarching theme of our Special Order hours has been
equality and justice. We have discussed how, despite the strides our
Nation has made on the journey to a more just society, minorities are
still the subject of racism and racial discrimination and face
persistent inequities across the board, from health to income, to
criminal justice.
Through our conversations and through the ongoing national debate
about racial equality, we are highlighting how occurrences like those
at the University of Missouri are not isolated incidents of racism;
they are part of a larger system of discrimination.
There is a history of racial discrimination, inequality, and bias
that still affects African American communities across this Nation. We
need to recognize this.
There also needs to be a recognition of the pain and anxiety and
fears that it creates in some of these young Americans. As we are
seeing right now, many minority students feel that they do not have a
home on campus. Many minority students are concerned about their safety
at school.
Following reports of threats on social media, students at the
University of Missouri were afraid to attend classes. All students
deserve a safe environment in which to live and learn. We can't
discount the fears of these students; yet, that is exactly what we see
happening. It is why so many students across the country are coalescing
in support of racial justice.
How can we move forward from here?
Our national conversation about racial justice needs to remain
ongoing. As a Nation, we must continue to confront incidents of racism
and harassment and bring light to the complacency that too often
enables these occurrences in the first place. It has to be more than
just a conversation. We have to use the voices of our students and of
our communities to drive concrete action on their behalf.
Schools need to ensure the diversity not only of their student
bodies, but also of their faculties and staffs to increase racial
understanding and bring a broader perspective to their institutions.
Schools also need to make sure that marginalized students have access
to services that enable them to share their experiences and to seek
assistance to meet their needs. School administrators need to be held
accountable for their failure to make their campuses inclusive and safe
for all students.
There needs to be an urgency of their handling of racial incidents,
and any hate crimes or civil rights violations need to be investigated
internally and by law enforcement, as appropriate.
We must never waver in our efforts to address racial disparities and
to eliminate racism in our country. The Congressional Black Caucus is
committed to addressing racial disparities by developing initiatives
and by working with grassroots and national organizations, such as
Black Lives Matter, the NAACP, and the Urban League, to ensure that
they know that they have someone in their corner and that there is an
effort to work together.
{time} 2045
The Congressional Black Caucus is also holding a number of forums to
bring African American community resources into the areas of business
development, small-business assistance, financial empowerment,
inequality, and education.
As a caucus, we will continue to lend our support to those fighting
for justice, equality, and opportunity for all.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back to my colleague, Robin Kelly.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. I thank Representative Payne for those words.
One thing that you talked about with the University of Missouri, I
thought it was great that when they did protests and sit-ins, that
there were White students, football players, and coaches that also sat
with them and gave them support. They were one. So even though bad
things had happened, it was good to see that there were all kinds of
students and their coaches empathetic with what was going on.
I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.
Mr. PAYNE. Absolutely. To that point, this is the United States of
America, and we have to come together as a Nation to eradicate this ill
that has plagued this Nation since its inception. So we need people
that understand and like-minded people to also join in. This is not a
one-sided discussion. This is a discussion that we need to be having
that encapsulates the entire Nation.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. In my diversity training that I have done for
many years now, we have always talked about groups need allies. Allies
give you support and encouragement and the strength to go on.
At this time, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barbara
Lee).
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kelly and Congressman
Payne for organizing this Special Order and for your continued
leadership on so many vital issues and for staying the course and
holding down the fort for the Congressional Black Caucus. It is so
important that our message of unity and our message--which really
describes what many of the issues are that all of our communities are
faced with--that that message goes out. Both of you have really been
tremendous in this effort.
So I rise this evening to join this critical conversation on race
relations in America and to challenge our colleagues to work with the
Congressional Black Caucus to realize progress for racial justice and
equality.
I join Congresswoman Kelly and Congressman Payne in sending my
condolences to the families and the victims of the horrific terrorist
attacks in Paris, Lebanon, Nigeria, and also in Egypt. Know that we
join in this quest for global peace and security throughout the world.
Now, tonight's Special Order is an important part of our work to
address the discrimination and racism that still plagues our Nation,
specifically as it relates to African Americans, but we know that it
impacts all communities of color. It is manifested in many ways, and it
affects our entire country. As Congressman Payne said so eloquently, we
are the United States. So when one is affected, all are affected.
All across the country at universities like Mizzou and Yale; in
places like Baltimore and Ferguson; and in high schools like Spring
Valley High in Columbia, South Carolina, we are witnessing the painful
impact of institutional racism in our communities.
Very recently, we saw this in my home district at Berkley High
School. In one of the most progressive and enlightened cities in the
country, Black students were subjected to threatening messages on
campus. But I am so proud of the students at Berkley. They walked off--
it was not only Black students; it was all students--and marched out
peacefully through the city to protest these terrible, despicable
messages.
This is unacceptable. All students have a right to learn free from
violence and from threats. As long as Black students and any student of
color feels unsafe in their classrooms, our work for justice remains
incomplete.
This crisis isn't limited to our schools. Tragically, people of color
face institutional racism from the moment they are born. According to a
report released earlier this year by the Joint Economic Committee and
the Congressional Black Caucus, more than one in three Black children
are born into poverty.
This cycle of poverty and inequality continues in our school system
where Black students account for 42 percent of preschool student
expulsions. Mind you, now, that is preschool. That is students from
about 2 years old to 4 years old. Black students account for 42 percent
of preschool student expulsions, despite accounting for only 18 percent
of enrollment. I can't figure out how any student aged 2 to 4 is
expelled from school. That is outrageous. Yet 42 percent of preschool
student expulsions are African American babies. These kids don't even
get a start, let alone a head start.
Outside of the classroom, African Americans are overpoliced,
overcriminalized, and underemployed. A report published by the New York
Times in April found that there are an estimated 1.5 million Black men
between the ages of 24 to 54 who are missing from civic life, just
missing it. These missing men, who account for
[[Page H8230]]
one in every six Black men, have been victims of mass incarceration or
premature death. And this crisis of inequality extends to the
structures of the community and have persisted from generations.
Over the past four decades, the average unemployment rate for Blacks
has been double the rate for White Americans. For many Black families,
it feels like this is a permanent recession.
Mr. Speaker, this must be our call to action. That is why I am so
proud of our young people throughout the country and students who are
standing up to racism and injustice in their communities. It is time
for Congress to listen to the young people, saying that Black Lives
Matter and Black students matter.
Earlier this month, I held a forum on racial justice in my district
to address these issues. More than 300 East Bay residents from all
backgrounds attended and raised their voices for justice. This was the
second forum that I have held throughout the last 3 months. Now, I have
been able to reach over 1,000 East Bay residents.
So, tonight, in this dialogue, which Congressman Payne and
Congresswoman Kelly have talked about, this dialogue leads to action.
Hopefully, our colleagues would think about hosting these types of
forums and listen to what people are saying, listen to what the impact
of some of our policies are on their daily lives. We must be part of
the conversation and the solution, but we must listen. We must hear the
pain and the suffering that people are experiencing as a result of
discrimination and racial injustice.
Now, the Congress must act to start addressing the systemic racism
that degrades our institutions and threatens our communities. It is
past time for us to get serious about us addressing the lack of
opportunity for Black and minority families in this country. Right now,
today, in this Chamber, there is legislation that can start moving the
needle forward.
We need to empower our communities to build greater trust between law
enforcement and communities of color, and we need to address chronic
recidivism, which would be a huge step toward returning some of our
missing men to their families and communities. To do this, Congress
should pass the Safe Justice Act, sponsored by Congressman
Sensenbrenner and Congressman Scott. Congress should also pass the Stop
Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, H.R. 1232, to stop the militarization
of our Nation's police forces. We also should pass the Police
Accountability Act, H.R. 1102, and the Grand Jury Reform Act, H.R. 429,
so we can ensure that deadly force cases are heard by a judge and that
there is more accountability for police officers.
As we reform our broken criminal justice system and work to help
repair those families hurt by mass incarceration, we will be
strengthening America. We will have people who really can make a
contribution, not only to their families and their communities, but to
the entire country.
The Federal Government shouldn't continue to put up barriers to work
for those trying to rebuild their lives after making a mistake and
should ban the box totally by Federal contractors and by Federal
agencies. We also need to repeal the lifetime ban on Pell grants for
those formerly incarcerated as it relates to drug felonies, the
ineligibility for public assistance and food stamps.
We need to remove these barriers so that people of color, primarily
African American men and Latino men, can get back into society, get a
job, and take care of their families. Once again, this is an example of
public policy that racism wreaks its ugly head in our own institutions
and policies.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, we must address the poverty that plagues
communities of color all across the country. We have the Whip's Task
Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and Opportunity, which I am proud
to chair with our whip, Mr. Hoyer. We are working with more than 100 of
our colleagues now to advance policies that give all families,
including African American families living below the poverty line both
in urban communities and in rural communities, a fair shot.
This effort includes our Half in Ten Act, H.R. 258, which calls for a
national strategy to cut poverty in half in the next decade. That is
more than 22 million Americans lifted out of poverty into the middle
class in just the next 10 years by being strategic and coordinating our
existing programs.
Our Pathway Out of Poverty Act, H.R. 2721, would create good-paying
jobs. It would lift families out of poverty into the middle class while
strengthening our safety net for those who are still struggling.
Ultimately, the only way to end institutional racism is to give African
Americans and people of color a seat at the table, and we need to pass
legislation and policies that begin to remove these barriers.
My mentor, the Honorable Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, used to say:
``If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding
chair.'' That is what our young people are doing around the country.
So I want to thank all of the people across our country who are
bringing in folding chairs and ensuring that these important
conversations happen. We hear you. We support you, and we will keep
fighting for you for ensuring liberty and justice for all, which means
just that. It means for all. In doing so, we will make the United
States a stronger country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kelly and Congressman Payne for
organizing this very important Special Order. I know that out of this
discussion, we are laying out what can be done, and it doesn't take
another generation to end racial injustice in our country.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Representative Lee, I like your analogy about
``if you are not at the table, bring your folding chair.'' I would like
to say: ``If you are not at the table, your issues would be on the
menu.'' But I like the folding chair analogy also.
I think a good point that you bring up that people don't realize,
when we talk about African American men in jail, incarcerated, people
might think, well, if they are doing something wrong, they should be in
jail.
To use Ferguson as an example, while comprising two-thirds of
Ferguson's population, African Americans represent 85 percent of
vehicles stopped, 90 percent of citations, and 93 percent of arrests
made by the Ferguson Police Department. But while African American
drivers are twice as likely as White drivers to be searched on a
vehicle stop, contraband was found on Black drivers 26 percent less
frequently than White drivers.
So these discrepancies, coupled with incidents of overly aggressive
police tactics and a police force that is racially and ethnically
underrepresented of the large Ferguson community, instill the culture
of distrust and anonymity. So you can see why these things happen.
I yield to the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kelly for raising that
issue because I think this is a clear example of what we talk about
when we talk about racial injustice. It is very clear that many of our
policies--Federal, local, and State policies--the impact and the result
end up being a result that has racial components, and that is what our
young people are talking about when they are talking about systemic and
institutional racism.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California as
well for always making very clear and thoughtful comments and for being
a leader in this House for many years and taking bold steps in your
beliefs and your principles. Sometimes when it looked grim, that you
might be stepping out, history has been kind to you and shown that you
were right. So I appreciate your leadership in this United States House
of Representatives.
One of the issues that we also find around racism is mass
incarceration, which is a topic that has come to the forefront. The
President is taking bold steps in that direction to try to have a
discussion and correct those issues. There is no reason why the United
States of America, which comprises 5 percent of the world's population,
has 25 percent of the incarcerated population in the world. That number
is mind-boggling.
We are talking about these schools that are having racial issues and
they are not being addressed.
{time} 2100
There is no mistake that when you look at the issue even around
cocaine
[[Page H8231]]
and the disparity in the length of time that you receive for having
crack cocaine, which has predominantly been in African American
communities, as opposed to powdered cocaine, which has predominantly
been in the major population's community, but the sentences for crack
cocaine are so much stiffer and longer that you can see a racial
component in even those sentences given out by the justice system.
We are dealing with a systemic institutional issue, and sometimes I
even think that it has been so ingrained and embedded in the larger
population that it is not even realized that there are issues. This is
the way of life. This is the way things are. This is how it has been.
We have to break that cycle. It is just unconscionable that these young
people who have done what we have asked them to do--do well in school,
move on to college, and get an education so you can be a productive
citizen in this country--have to worry about these types of issues as
they are trying to get their education.
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank the gentleman for his kind
remarks, but also for really digging deeper into this subject and
really raising, in many ways, the unconscious biases that are reflected
oftentimes in the policies and in the laws of the land.
One example that Chairman Butterfield and myself, co-chair for the
Congressional Black Caucus, and Reverend Jackson have really been true
leaders in, and that is the effort with the tech industry in terms of
the diversity of the tech industry.
We have learned and the data shows that many companies next door to
me in the Silicon Valley, 2 to 5 percent may be African Americans and
Latinos--maybe. To their credit, they are trying to figure out how to
address this; but one of the areas that some of the companies are
exploring now is looking at unconscious bias and how that is reflected
in the hiring policies of their managers as it relates to the
discrimination actually that takes place against people of color,
especially African Americans.
It is embedded in this whole system here in our country, both in the
private and in the public sector, and we have to really begin to talk
about it to raise the level of awareness so people understand we are
not talking about individuals and we are not going after people. We are
talking about biases that are embedded in our programs and policies and
in the law of the land.
Mr. PAYNE. Absolutely.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. I also think something that contributes to
that, your ZIP Code shouldn't dictate the quality of your education,
like it shouldn't dictate the quality of your health care. In too many
places in this country, your ZIP Code does dictate the quality of your
education and the schools that have every sport, every technology, and
those kinds of things, and schools that barely have books.
They are not going to be at the same level when they graduate from
high school, if they even make it through high school; and that is part
of it, too, just the STEM, as we talk about, or STEAM, just the type of
education that students are getting because of the way in some cases
the schools are funded or the concentration of poverty in the school
system, in some school systems.
Mr. PAYNE. We are talking about the school systems. We are talking
about Silicon Valley. I am doing a lot of work now with the insurance
companies and finding out that based on your economic background and
where you live and what your ZIP Code is will constitute what your
rates on car insurance are. There is a built-in formula to that as
well. It is just amazing how systemic and institutionalized these
issues are.
Even a young man like me, who was raised by my father not to get in
trouble and do the right thing, I was still a young man, and sometimes
I didn't do the right things. One time I was in downtown Newark, New
Jersey, and I made a U-turn on one of the major thoroughfares in the
city. A policeman pulls up on his motorcycle.
Just my luck, I would make the U-turn and there would be a policeman
coming, but that is the story of my life.
This police officer approached me, very angry, very mean, yelling at
me. It was my cousin's car, so I wasn't exactly sure where the
credentials were in the car. I was about 20 years old at the time. The
police officer finally says to me: Boy, if you don't find those
documents--and he didn't use ``boy.'' He used a word that we can't use
on the floor of this House of Representatives. But he said: If you
don't find those documents, I will throw you so far under the jail that
they will never find you.
That was very frightening because he looked like he meant it.
I was able to produce my license, and at the time my father was a
councilman in the city of Newark. It was amazing the change in his
attitude. He became very concerned about my welfare and my well-being
all of a sudden. He says: Well, don't you know that that is dangerous,
and you shouldn't do that? You know, you could hurt yourself or hurt
someone else. All of a sudden, I became someone because of what my last
name is.
I am concerned about all the young men that can't produce something
like that at that point in time. There are more of those stories, of
the ones unable to produce than the ones that can produce. What does
that say for young men in this country? There are many stories like
that coming up that I could stand here and tell for several hours of
experiences that I have had with the institutional racism in this
country.
Ms. LEE. Congressman Payne, you are talking about racial profiling
and driving while Black, which so many of us experience throughout the
country. I am glad we are having this discussion and you raised it
because you come from a middle class family. You come from a great
family.
Mr. PAYNE. Thank you.
Ms. LEE. Your father was a giant and raised you and your family to be
law-abiding citizens, and still this happened to you.
Also, with regard to redlining, this is another level that we have to
look at as it relates to racism. When you look at how financial
institutions targeted African American and minority communities with
subprime loans, our communities lost all of our wealth as a result of
that, and now have to start all over in terms of wealth accumulation.
So you just go one aspect after another of what America has done in
terms of the past that has not been corrected yet, and we have to
really do that.
Congresswoman Kelly, I just want to mention the phenomenal job you
are doing as the chair of our Health Braintrust. We had a meeting this
weekend in South Carolina with our great leader, Mr. Clyburn. We talked
about health disparities in communities of color. You are talking about
ZIP Codes. I know in my district--I mentioned this at the forum--there
is a gap. Depending on where you live, depending on the ZIP Code, life
expectancy where Black people live can be 10 to 15 years shorter.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Right. In the leading causes of death, African
Americans are number one in eight of them.
Ms. LEE. The mortality rate, that is right.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. We don't want to be number one in 8 out of 10.
Ms. LEE. That is right. That is right. The importance of the work you
are doing in closing healthcare disparities, which sometimes people
don't understand, there are racial and ethnic disparities that, again,
are reflected in our historical policies that have really severely
impacted communities of color and African Americans.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Representatives, we have about 5 more minutes.
I don't know if you have anything to add.
Mr. PAYNE. I just want to thank you for working with us through this
year in bringing these topics to the floor. We want the viewing public
to understand that we have raised these issues because they are issues
that plague our country. We are looking for African Americans and
Latinos to have the same opportunities as everyone else. It is not
about special treatment or anything. It is about equal treatment.
Everyone should rise based on their ability. Just having an equal
opportunity is key.
Ms. LEE. I will just close by saying, we pledge allegiance to the
flag, and we say, ``and liberty and justice for all,'' and that is what
we mean.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Thank you, Representative Lee and
Representative Payne.
Mr. Speaker, as we reflect on this evening's topic, the issue of race
relations in America, we want to talk
[[Page H8232]]
about, just in closing, what can we do. We must do more, we must care
more, and we must understand more about the diverse cultures that make
up this Nation.
A long time ago, as director of community affairs for the Village of
Matteson, it has been 19 years now I have worked with a team hosting
diversity dinners in our area to grow friendships and nurture relations
among residents of the south suburbs of Chicago.
Tonight as we discuss race relations in America, I want to reflect on
what I see as the way to bridge the differences we experience in
understanding in different communities.
Earlier this year, I along with colleagues, Democrat and Republican,
hosted the Second Annual Congressional Diversity Dinner. Forty Members
of Congress--Black, White, Asian, and Hispanic from both parties,
including both Republican and Democratic leadership--showed up and
enjoyed a meal with their colleagues. During the dinner, we weren't
Democrats or Republicans. We were colleagues with some great stories to
share.
At this year's dinner, I saw a microcosm of our Nation, a crowd made
up of Members from coast to coast with truly diverse backgrounds coming
together to enjoy each other's company. If we can put aside our racial
and partisan blinders to break bread together, I am confident we can
find ways to work together. That is what America wants and needs, and
that type of leadership is the kind of leadership we deserve.
Today we have the opportunity to celebrate diversity and show that
America is only strengthened when we embrace the fact that we are a
beautiful, I will say, pot of stew. There is much that communities can
do to stanch out the rhetoric that divides us and find creative ways to
bring people together. It was a small action, but that was what the
diversity dinner sought to do.
Now it is time for us to come together to address the reforms needed
to rebuild trust between communities. Let's show the American people
that we are a diverse people, we are proud of it, and we celebrate it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this has been a
challenging year for race relations in the United States. Between the
recent events at college campuses across the country and several
incidents involving law enforcement, it is clear that strong racial
tensions still exist within our communities.
Renewed efforts to disenfranchise select groups of voters by gutting
the Voting Rights Act or segregating neighborhoods in violation of the
Fair Housing Act have contributed to the divisive elements of our
society. These efforts run counter to everything that we as a nation
have tried to eliminate in bringing diverse individuals together under
common values--and there is still much work to be done.
The fight for racial equality and inclusion has been a constant
struggle for individuals of color throughout our long history. Despite
important victories during the Civil Rights era, a new struggle has
emerged in our time to tackle more subtle and implicit racial biases
that exist within our society.
Recognizing these challenges and maintaining open and civil dialogue
is the only way that we can seek to end these senseless divisions once
and for all. While it is also important to learn from the lessons of
our past, how we decide to move forward will truly come to define the
future of our nation.
As we look to overcome our differences, we must reflect on our values
and determine what kind of future we would like to see for our
children. Do we want to leave behind a divided nation where individuals
quarrel over race or socioeconomic status? Or do we want to live in a
nation united under equal opportunity and justice for each and every
American? I, for one, choose to support an equal and just America.
Mr. Speaker, there will continue to be challenges ahead. However, the
lessons that we carry with us into the future will help guide our
decisions to build for a stronger and more prosperous America. I urge
my colleagues to speak out against this blatant discrimination so that
we can heal our country and move forward as a nation.
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