[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 153 (Monday, September 25, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H7477-H7484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WE MUST CONTINUE TO ROOT OUT RACISM
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Evans) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. EVANS. Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to
anchor tonight's CBC Special Order hour.
I first want to thank the coanchors, Representative Veasey and
Delegate Stacey Plaskett, for their work on coanchoring the Special
Order hour for the caucus.
Our thoughts and our prayers are with those in the Virgin Islands,
Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, as well as those in Louisiana, Texas, and
Florida, and others who have been impacted by the devastating
hurricanes. We also pray for our brothers and sisters in Mexico, who
are recovering and rehabilitating after the devastating earthquake that
rocked their country. We encourage all to do what they can do to help
our brothers and our sisters.
Tonight, we are here to talk about how we must continue to root out
racism. We are here to talk about how we should bring our
neighborhoods, our Nation, together and not drive Americans apart.
What took place in Charlottesville, and the dialogue with the NFL
players, the NBA players, President Trump continues to highlight how
our President does not seem to understand what is at stake and how his
actions are undermining the strength and the stability of our
neighborhoods.
You have heard me say, as I have said it again and again two summers
ago when speaking to members of an African-American community at a
rally in Philadelphia, President Trump says: ``What do you have to
lose?''
He actually said: ``What the hell do you have to lose?''
That is right. What do you have to lose? Everything, Mr. President.
We have everything to lose: good schools for our children, safe
neighborhoods, reliable healthcare, quality jobs, peace of mind, and
that the next generation will be better off.
President Trump has been in office for almost 250 days, and all we
have to show for it is division, division, division. He has divided our
country in ways we didn't even think we wanted to acknowledge are still
happening in 2017.
For the next 60 minutes, we have a chance to speak directly to the
American people on issues of great importance to the Congressional
Black Caucus, the Congress, and the constituents we represent.
Madam Speaker, I would like to yield to the chairman of the
Congressional Black Caucus, the Honorable Cedric Richmond from the
Second Congressional District of Louisiana.
Mr. RICHMOND. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Congressman Evans, for leading this Special Order and for
yielding to me, especially on a matter this important.
As I reflect on the last 200 or so days in this country, I am
saddened.
{time} 1930
The truth of the matter is I always thought this country was better
than this. I thought that we had so many people, not just African
Americans, but we had people of like mind, like Goodman, Chaney, and
Schwerner, who gave their lives and who sacrificed blood, sweat, and
tears so that this country could be a more perfect Union, so that I
could go to some of the best schools in the country, so that I could
dream the impossible dream, so that I could stand on the floor of this
House and speak my mind, introduce legislation, but, more importantly,
fight for the ideals that make this country an exceptional country.
It is so easy for our President and our colleagues to say America's
exceptional. Well, it is, but you have to understand how it got to be
exceptional, because it didn't start off that way. In fact, we came
here on boats. We survived middle passage. We built this Capitol as
free labor. We have given as much blood, sweat, and tears as any people
in this country.
To see the President of the United States call people who would walk
with neo-Nazis and the KKK and white supremacists, some of them are
fine people--but young African-American males are taking a knee not to
disrespect our country, but they are taking a knee because they want a
better future for their sons. They want better community police
interaction. What they want is that people who are with the color of
law with misconduct against African-American men and women, sons and
daughters, parents, grandparents, what they want is a better country
for them.
They didn't choose violence. They chose peaceful protests just like
Martin Luther King. When Dr. King chose peaceful protests, what the
President doesn't realize is that the country wasn't accepting of his
ways either.
``Letter from Birmingham Jail'' was all about Dr. King responding to
people of like mind who shared the cause of freedom and equality and
justice. They just didn't like his tactics. And the question was: We
should wait. His letter was addressing people of like mind.
The problem here is I just can't address someone of like mind because
I don't think that this administration has the maturity, the
sensitivity, or the understanding, whether it is willful or unwillful,
to understand what is going on in this country. Instead of doing the
Presidential thing, instead of doing the right thing and bringing this
country together, I am afraid that this country is being torn apart at
its very core, and for that I know that we are a better country.
Let me just say in closing that, in order for us to move forward in a
more responsible and more perfect fashion, it is going to take ordinary
citizens like you out there watching us at home, it is going to take
you all standing up and speaking out. It doesn't matter if you are
African American or if you are Hispanic or if you are Black, injustice
is injustice. The words ``no justice, no peace'' are not a threat. It
is that it is hard to accomplish peace when there is no justice in the
land.
I would just ask that we all come together and that we not only look
at words, but we look at policies, so when we now look at the opioid
addiction through a loving mental health medical crisis standpoint, we
don't forget the young people who were addicted to crack and who got
involved in drugs back then that we have now decided that, with
opioids, we are going to take a nurturing approach and with crack we
locked everyone up. We should come in, take the approach that we are
doing with opioids, which is the exact correct approach, and we should
apply it to crack, and we should apply it to all of those millions of
people who are incarcerated for drug crimes.
When you start talking about root out racism, it has to be in policy,
it has to be in our rhetoric, but it has to be in our daily lives.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Congressman
Evans, for yielding to me.
[[Page H7478]]
Mr. EVANS. Madam Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the
remarks of the distinguished chairman of the Congressional Black
Caucus, who, under his leadership, has clearly demonstrated that he
understands and gets it.
Look at the President's actions just this past week. He is involved
in an incredible, misguided, thoughtless, careless Twitter fight with
the NFL, the NBA, and other athletes, while people in Texas, Florida,
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands need emergency housing,
electricity, clean water, and other Federal aid.
When Americans think of big things, they think of the Office of the
President of the United States. Let me repeat that. When Americans
think of big things, they think of the Office of the President of the
United States.
In these times, Americans--and the rest of the world, for that
matter--think of the U.S. President as a person who takes time to think
over the great ideas of the day, works to fix the biggest problems and
find ways to make the world come together, no matter the party, no
matter the person.
Madam Speaker, I want to yield to a gentleman whom I have known for a
long period of time, and I knew his father, who was a real leader, and
he has definitely come along and carried that. As a matter of fact, we
are neighbors. He is from the great Garden State, the honorable Donald
Payne, Jr., of the Tenth Congressional District.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I first want to thank the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, Congressman Evans, for hosting tonight's Special Order
Hour on rooting out racism in the United States. He has a long history
of legislative accomplishments back in the Keystone State and has
brought his understanding and talents here to the House of
Representatives, and we appreciate him being a Member of this body.
Before I begin, I also want to let the Americans in Puerto Rico and
the Virgin Islands know that we stand with them as they rebuild.
Madam Speaker, the First Amendment of the United States Constitution
guarantees to all people in this country the freedom to speak out
against injustice. When Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the
National Anthem last year, he joined a long list of patriotic athletes
who used their fame to do just that.
Muhammad Ali was convicted of draft dodging because he refused to
drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while the so-called
Negro people in Louisville, Kentucky, were treated like dogs.
Jackie Robinson, the great Baseball Hall of Famer who integrated
baseball, admitted in 1972 that he no longer could stand and sing the
National Anthem.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution endows all of
us with the freedom of speech, the freedom to speak out our own truths.
Muhammad Ali would not fight an unjust war; Jackie Robinson would not
salute a flag that he believed symbolized his oppression; and Colin
Kaepernick took a knee to bring America's attention to the fact that
Black Americans are twice as likely as White Americans to be killed by
police officers, to bring attention to the fact that 1 in every 10
Black men in his thirties is in prison or in jail on any given day, to
bring attention to the statistic that tells us Black people are twice
as likely as White people to be in poverty in the wealthiest country on
Earth.
It is easy to keep quiet, to do nothing in the face of injustice. But
just like the muscles in our bodies, our Constitution will wither if we
do not exercise our rights. To speak out against injustice is to
exercise the constitutional right of free speech. What is more
patriotic than exercising the rights our Nation stands for?
When the President uses his right of free speech in an attempt to
silence athletes, he is undermining the freedom for which patriotic
Americans have fought during our 241-year history. When the President
calls for men and women to be fired from their jobs because they dare
use their public platform to combat injustice, he fuels the viciousness
he claims that he wants to despise. As Langston Hughes put it: ``Let
America be America again--The land that has never been yet--And yet
must be--the land where every man is free.''
Madam Speaker, I talk about the Constitution because it talks about
all people. There are times where I have been disappointed and let down
by this Nation not holding up its creed because, you see, I believe in
America, but I am waiting for that day when all men are created equal.
I am still waiting for that day.
We are here tonight to bring attention to this matter. We are
exercising our right to free speech, the right that has been given
every American in this country, supposedly. But if the President of the
United States can stand up somewhere in this country and call a section
of this country, a certain people in this country, SOBs, then what does
that say about where we are? This is the leader of the United States of
America, the land of the free, the home of the brave. But is it that
for everyone?
We have a ways to go in this country. Yes, we have come a long way,
and some people will say: Well, you know, why are you still talking
about those old issues? And, you know, things are different now and
better for you. And, look, come on, get over it.
And then we see what we have seen over the last several years with
African Americans constantly getting shot and there being no
ramifications. It tears at your heart, Madam Speaker, to understand
why, why, in the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, we still
have these situations of such inequity.
So we will continue to raise the issue until one day this country can
live up to its creed that all men and women are created equal and
endowed with certain inalienable rights.
With that, Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for
yielding to me.
Mr. EVANS. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from New Jersey is spot on,
as usual. He has a very quiet demeanor, but he is someone who, when he
speaks, is very clear and concise with his thoughts and his comments.
In the short period of time that I have been here, I have watched him
in action; and I think when you just heard his comments, you heard that
he really understands, as he said, that we all do believe in America,
but we know there is an awful lot of work to do, and he has certainly
expressed that.
Madam Speaker, professional sports is a system built on unity and
bringing people together. As civic leaders, we should take our cue from
them. Teams, coaches, players, spectators, football, basketball, ice
hockey, tennis, they are all great unifiers in our country. It is
disappointing to see players attacked in their effort to shed light on
inequality in our neighborhoods.
{time} 1945
We know division and inequality exists in our neighborhoods. We
should be shining a light, as the gentleman from New Jersey just did,
on how to change this and make it better.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of
Illinois (Ms. Kelly), someone who I have watched a great deal, and she
just did a fantastic job over the weekend. I watched her in action.
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding and I thank him for leading this important hour tonight.
Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues in the Congressional
Black Caucus and with Americans from our great country because it is
time to root out racism.
While racism has, tragically, been a part of the American story--from
Jamestown to Jim Crow; to the Little Rock Nine, whose 60th anniversary
is today--in 2017, we are seeing it rise in new and disturbing ways.
Right now, there is a sham, ``Presidential voting commission,''
plotting to turn back the clock on our voting rights.
Right now, African Americans live in fear that they will be stricken
down, unjustly, because of the color of their skin.
Right now there is an un-American and unconstitutional Muslim ban
preventing families from reuniting.
Right now the Attorney General is undoing consent decrees and pouring
billions of tax dollars into the for-profit prison industry.
Right now there are rabid racists, White nationalists, and White
supremacists that this administration won't denounce.
[[Page H7479]]
And right now our President refuses to blame White supremacists for
racially motivated killings in Charlottesville. The individuals, who
inspired this bigoted violence, he called ``some very fine people.''
Just this weekend, we saw President Trump attack athletes for
exercising their First Amendment rights; using terms like ``you
people'' and ``those people'' in an effort to further divide us.
Our Commander in Chief is uniting those who hate, while ignoring
millions of Americans facing a humanitarian disaster in Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, Florida, and Houston.
Madam Speaker, if we want to root out racism, we need to start at the
top. Let's start with this White House.
Racism is a cancer. You don't ignore a cancer. You don't let it
fester and grow. You cut it out. You purge it. You remove it. That is
what we must do with racism: remove it, stop it before it grows further
and consumes us.
America's greatest strength has always been our diversity. It is the
source of our economic innovation that made us the world's largest
economy. It is our ability to stand shoulder to shoulder and face down
any threats that have been made to America, from the Contrabands and
the Red Tails to Lance Corporal Jose Gutierrez. It is our ability to
see ourselves and our families in one another that makes America great.
It is our compassion and belief that we all share a higher purpose, as
Americans, that propels us to higher heights.
It is our capacity to come together and break bread, help someone
with a flat tire, even give our own lives for those of others. These
are the things that make America great, not some idealized, grayscale
image of a misremembered past.
It is all Americans who make America great, and that greatness comes
in all colors, all genders, all faiths, all orientations. When we stand
together, we are stronger. When we are divided, we will fail. That is
why it is imperative that we call out racism, decry racism, and, most
importantly, root out racism.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois, who
was very succinct, and added points that she needed to. She was very
potent in what she just said.
Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Comer). The gentleman from Pennsylvania
has 38 minutes remaining.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey
(Mrs. Watson Coleman). She and I had the chance to travel together
during the summer, and she has been a fantastic friend.
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Evans for
giving me an opportunity to speak and for hosting this Special Order
hour.
Mr. Speaker, this weekend, behind a podium adorned by the Seal of the
President of the United States, Donald Trump, once again, sank even
further in disgrace through remarks that were attacking peaceful
American private citizens.
It should not be lost on us that when referencing White supremacy and
neo-Nazism, Donald Trump saw fit to speak with calculated language,
unlike the phrases he used to describe the Black men and their mothers
who used their platform to highlight longstanding injustices. His
behavior continues to demonstrate that he is unfit to serve as the
leader of this free world, and surely unfit to represent the American
rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We have witnessed 9 months of discriminatory policies and proposals
emanating from the Trump White House; bald-faced and bumbling attempts
to reverse the progress made not only by President Obama, but progress
won decades ago, fights that we thought we had already won, issues that
had already been settled, from a woman's right to choose, to
environmental protections, to civil rights, to workplace safety, and
beyond.
In January, Donald Trump assumed the Presidency and made rescinding
the freedoms of people of color, the poor, and the sick his first
priority.
We look at the establishment of the fraudulent Voter Suppression
Commission; the appointments of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Betsy
DeVos, Sebastian Gorka, and Stephen Miller, a group of people whose
ideology directly stands against the advancement of an equal and
more perfect union; his support for discriminatory voter ID laws;
reinstatement of the failed war on drugs; attacks on affirmative action
at colleges and universities; rollback of consent decrees that keep
police accountable; the now extended Muslim ban; the transgender ban in
our armed services; the rollback of our civil rights enforcement across
Federal agencies; reinstating the use of private prisons; refusing to
protect Americans and the Nation from White supremacists; all under the
slogan of ``Make America Great'' under the guise of patriotism.
Make no mistake about it, the world is imperfect, and a long view of
history shows evil triumphing more often than we would like.
But here in America, in the space in which I work, I will continue to
stand with my colleagues here in the Congressional Black Caucus and in
the Chambers of Congress to root out racism, sexism, bigotry, and
hatred because it cripples this Nation. I will continue to gather in
solidarity with my brothers and sisters of color, the Muslim and the
Jewish communities, the LGBTQ community, the immigrant community, and
every person that is targeted by those who seek to divide us, as this
President is doing.
I will take a knee, I will reclaim my time, I will raise my fist, I
will stay awake, I will stay alert, and I am ready to mobilize.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, as usual, I am speechless as the gentlewoman
gives her comments because she definitely lets people know where she
stands, and I thank her for her comments.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore),
another person who also is what I consider a wordsmith.
Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for
leading this Special Order.
Mr. Speaker, in 1971, then-President Richard Nixon declared the war
on drugs, which he labeled as ``public enemy number one in the United
States.''
Now, at the time of this declaration, America's prisons and jails
held fewer than 200,000 people. Today, that number sits at over 2
million people. In fact, the United States incarcerates 25 percent of
the world's prisoners, but we have only 5 percent of the world's
population.
In fact, shamefully, my State of Wisconsin has the highest
incarceration rate of African-American men on the planet Earth.
Now, John Ehrlichman, then-counsel and Assistant to the President for
Domestic Affairs under President Nixon, admitted, Mr. Speaker, that the
war on drugs was an effort to vilify African-American leaders and to
disrupt the African-American community; admitted that the war on drugs
was contrived to diminish the reputation of African Americans. Indeed,
they were successful because the burden of this failed war has fallen
overwhelmingly on African-American communities.
In 2014, African-American adults accounted for just 14 percent of
those who used drugs, but close to one-third of those who are arrested
for drug possession. And although African Americans and Whites consume
drugs at a similar rate, African Americans are significantly more
likely to be arrested.
Now, this disproportionate enforcement of drug laws in a nation in
which racial groups use drugs at the same rate points to one fact, Mr.
Speaker. It can only be explained that race has played an inappropriate
role in law enforcement's priorities and tactics.
It is worth noting that in the face of the 1980's crack cocaine
epidemic in Black communities, the public policy response was
incarceration. Here in 2017, in the face of our current opioid epidemic
in predominantly White communities, public officials on both sides of
the aisle have banded together to pass landmark legislation to provide
drug treatment assistance to those victims.
In recent years, fortunately, leaders on both sides of the aisle have
found common ground on the need to reform our broken criminal justice
system. Stakeholders from the ACLU to the Koch Institute recognize the
crisis of
[[Page H7480]]
overcriminalization in this country and the need for immediate action.
Both the House and the Senate have made strides toward the passage of
bipartisan criminal justice reform in the 114th Congress, but,
ultimately, a bill never made its way to the President.
Now our U.S. Attorney General of the United States, Jefferson
Beauregard Sessions, a most ardent opponent to bipartisan criminal
justice reform, sits there and does not inspire hope that those
fighting to address this obviously harmful and race-based status quo
will do anything.
And although our President has dubbed himself the ``Law and Order
President,'' he has not taken the initiative to end this unfair policy.
Just very briefly before I close, Mr. Speaker, I want to list three
things that this bipartisan group found would be helpful:
One, we should eliminate Federal mandatory minimum sentencing
requirements. We should ensure true sentencing parity among crack and
cocaine offenses, and deprioritize nonviolent drug offenders and seek
medical treatment.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, as usual, Congresswoman Moore really gets to
the point, and I have watched in the short period of time and knew her
on the State level as we dealt in the legislature.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson),
someone who is very sharp and quick with his tongue.
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my friend
from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Congressman Dwight Evans, for
anchoring this Special Order hour, the subject of which is Root Out
Racism, #rootoutracism. It is a sensitive topic, somewhat uncomfortable
for people, both Black and White, or shall I say dark-skinned and
light-skinned.
{time} 2000
It is an uncomfortable subject, and no one wants to be accused of
being a racist. It has all kinds of emotional connotations and negative
connotations, as it should. Because what racism actually is, is a
belief, or a doctrine that inherent differences among the various human
races determine cultural or individual achievements, usually involving
the idea that one's own race is superior, and has the right to rule
others.
So in other words, what racism is, is a concept that one believes
that their race is superior to the race of someone else. And how racism
manifests itself in America, historically, has been that if you are a
racist, you are a White person, and you believe that your race is
superior to that of a dark-skinned person, a Black person. That has
been how racism has unfolded here in America since the White man came
to America.
Of course, when Christopher Columbus, an Anglo-Saxon from Spain, came
to America and discovered America, America was populated, at that time,
by what we called the Red man, the Indian, a dark-skinned individual--
darker than the Anglo-Saxon. And so this country has a history of
mistreating people severely who are of a different color than white.
First, it was the Indians. The feeling was that the European was
superior to the Native American. That is the bottom line. Now, also, on
that ship coming over in 1607, landing at Jamestown, Virginia, were
some indentured servants, some of whom were dark-skinned people. Racism
was not necessarily a part of slavery, or indentured servitude, but
racism was used to ensure that the multitudes of dark-skinned people
who were brought over here from Africa, who outnumbered in the South
the number of Europeans, or White people there, racism was used to keep
those Black people in their place.
In other words, it was not indentured servitude. It was racism based
on the subjugation of one group of people, or one race of people by
another race of people because the race of people doing the subjugation
impressed upon themselves and their children that those dark-skinned
people are beneath us. And so slavery became an institution, as did
racism.
Those ideas of racial superiority still exist today, but it is so
sensitive for people to talk about the fact that racism still exists,
and even more uncomfortable when someone is accused of being a racist.
What is a racist? A racist is a person who believes in racism; the
doctrine that the human race is superior, and that one's race is
superior to that of another. That is a racist.
The problem is, when we don't understand that we are racists. Now,
some even say that folks like Black Lives Matter are racists. But that
cannot be further from the truth because Black Lives Matter activists
are not saying that Blacks are superior to Whites. They are, in fact,
saying that all lives are equal; that Black lives matter. So you can't
call a Black person a racist when they are not proclaiming their race
to be greater than the White race. No.
Racism tends to rear its ugly head in America when White people use
it to preserve their position on top, superior. And that is what Make
America Great Again was all about. It really wasn't make America great
again. It was make America White again. That is what the message was.
The message was a racist message. It began 4 or 5 years ago when our
President started this rumor that President Obama was not an American;
he was not one of us; he was from Africa. That is appealing to the
subliminal messaging, that subliminal messaging that has been implanted
in each one of us since we were born. White folks have been led to
believe that they are superior.
Now, I am not accusing all White people of being racists, but I think
it is a question that all White people have to ask themselves, whether
or not they harbor feelings of superiority. Because I do know that when
we look at the mass media, the images that Black folks get of
themselves by looking at the media are that we are inferior. That is
what is implanted in us.
That is the legacy of slavery, the legacy of racism and slavery, and
it has implanted in our minds that we are inferior. And we have to
fight feelings of inferiority just to feel equal.
White people, on the other hand, have been implanted with the theory
that they are superior. And so this is the American society that we
live in. When President Trump, 4 or 5 years ago, accused President
Obama of not being an American, not being one of us, and being from
Africa, it was code to provoke the racist instincts in people who
harbor them. And not all White people harbor that. That is not the
point that I am making.
But the point is, there was an appeal made to those instincts. That
instinct was further aggravated by the insinuation that President Obama
was a Muslim; he is not one of us. It is almost dehumanizing. And so
that was the code word.
Then, when he descended those steps at the Trump Tower and said that
all Mexicans were racists and murderers, that was another appeal to the
racist instincts in people--in White people, not Black people, not
Hispanics, but in White people.
And so playing the racist game is what got President Trump elected,
bottom line. And so now that he is in office, we see all kinds of
racist policies coming back to fruition.
My colleagues who have spoken before me have talked about it:
criminal justice, drugs in society, the prison industrial complex. They
have talked about it. I am not going to point out or go over what they
have said, but I will say that racism is alive and well in America. We
will never be able to root it out until we all have a conversation with
ourselves to ask ourselves, and to probe our own minds and souls to
determine whether or not we feel that we are superior, whether or not
we place ourselves in line before others just because that is the way
it has always been, and we want to make America great again.
It is something that we have to think about. It is something that we
have to discuss. I, for one, love my fellow man regardless of color,
and I know that even many people who don't know that they are racists
love their brothers and sisters, and so they will at least sit down and
talk. That is what I have to do as a Black man, is to talk with as many
people of different colors as I can to show them my humanity, to let
them know that I appreciate their humanity, and that I love them.
Maybe through love, we will be able to overcome the scourge of racism
that is historical here in America and that is alive, well, and in
living color today.
[[Page H7481]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman because he speaks truth
to power. He does not bite his tongue.
General Leave
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks, and to include
any extraneous material in the Record on the subject of this Special
Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, the next person is a rare blend of poise,
grace, and elegance. In the short period of time I have had the
pleasure working with her, she has been a gentlewoman, but she has been
a very powerful voice.
Those who watched her in the last month, she has fought for Hurricane
Harvey funding, but she has also done her job. She has been extremely
sophisticated.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of Texas
and city of Houston (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from
Pennsylvania for guiding us and providing us an opportunity to really
speak from the heart.
I, likewise, want to acknowledge the chairman of the Congressional
Black Caucus for his leadership as well, Chairman Richmond, and, of
course, Congressman Evans, Congressman Veasey, and Congresswoman
Beatty, who are conducting this CBC Special Order.
I would also like to ask for them to beg my pardon for I wish to
start with a commentary on those who are suffering and to bring
attention to our friends in the Virgin Islands and in Puerto Rico.
Before I came on the floor, the cable news was reporting again the
kinds of vision--or the kinds of visions and scenes that we had in the
early stages of Hurricane Harvey: Come help me; but also a reminder of
those in Katrina with the big, large sign: Is somebody going to help
me? Now, in Puerto Rico, where I am understanding in many parts of
Puerto Rico, no government help has come, probably the same in St.
Croix.
The picture I have here is a picture in my congressional district
where we were attempting and did rescue about 60 people who were
surrounded by water and certainly concerned, as others were, having to
flee for their lives and looking for high ground.
I am going to leave this picture up, because I would not want my
comments going forward to suggest in any way that we are not concerned
about those who are unhoused in Houston, Harris County, Port Arthur,
Beaumont, and beyond; of course, in Florida; of course, in the Virgin
Islands; and the cry for help in Puerto Rico.
So I want to simply say that we in the government have to do our job.
We have got to move faster, and we cannot move by Republican proposals
for tax relief. We have to do this Democrats and Republicans. Work with
us to craft the kind of language and relief that will provide these
people with immediate housing resources. These are people without
liability insurance. These are people in apartments where apartment
owners are moving slowly to restore their apartments.
{time} 2015
They need cash. They need the distribution of the millions of dollars
that all of this representation of people raising money. There needs to
be a pool for housing. We need to give a cash allotment so that someone
can get into a clean apartment or they can begin to get their items out
of the stores--I don't want to call names--that you go and get wood and
begin to fix your homes.
This becomes a race issue. My colleagues in the Congressional Black
Caucus are really the ones who are going to be--along with a bipartisan
effort, and our leader and our whip in the Democratic Caucus and
working with the Speaker and the whip and the majority leader, let's
get on with it. They actually need direct funding.
This is a backdrop of the words that I want to be able to speak of as
I talk about the tragedy of which brings us to the floor. Here is
another example of people under water. This is happening all over in
these storm-ravaged places.
Yet we have to come to the floor to speak about an unnecessary
distraction. While there is a fast-moving target toward North Korea by
the boisterous words that have been coming out of the White House so
that we might enter into an accidental war with North Korea, all I will
say about that is: I don't know if the White House, the Commander in
Chief, has been to the DMZ, but I have. I have looked a North Korean
soldier in the eye, and that is what our soldiers do every day on that
DMZ standing in the gap. Boisterous attacking and credulous language
only will lead us into an accidental war.
I further want to indicate that if there is ever a bill among others
that continues to speak to Americans from all backgrounds, minorities
in particular, that you are not prepared to address the healthcare of
people who are in desperate need who have preexisting conditions. It
is, though well-meaning, the Graham-Cassidy bill, another false attempt
to undermine the Affordable Care Act.
Having met with health professionals today, I will tell you: between
diabetes, sickle cell anemia, kidney disease, and prostate cancer, they
cannot afford the Graham-Cassidy bill.
Get on with it. Support the Affordable Care Act, because it becomes a
race issue. The predominant number of individuals impacted by prostate
cancer and diabetes are African American.
So I want to ask: What is going on in this atmosphere of the
Commander in Chief?
I try to understand it because, from my perspective, this is
dangerous ground. It is particularly dangerous in setting the tone on
the whole issue of race in America.
Who is the guiding force of setting the tone for race in America?
It is, in fact, the leader of this country. It is disappointing that
the words that were said by the White House, this President, does not
recognize that African Americans have been in the United States
military. It does not recognize that, in fact, we are the most
patriotic group. And in being patriotic, we take no backseat to the
respect we have for the flag.
I came down to the floor so that I could be standing behind the flag.
My back is to the flag.
Am I protesting the flag? Am I burning the flag?
I abhor burning the flag. I abhor the destruction of the flag. But I
respect silent protests.
It bothers me that the one who is so boisterous would have top
advisers and Cabinet picks that have histories of prejudice. A person
who leads the country denied responsibility of racist incidents that
followed his election.
He launched a travel ban on targeting Muslims. He attacked the Muslim
Gold Star parents. He claimed a judge was biased because he was a
Mexican American. The Justice Department sued his company twice for not
renting to Black people.
This is not a mirage. This is not a rumor. These are facts. In fact,
discrimination against Black people has been a pattern throughout this
leader's life. He refused to immediately condemn the White supremacists
who advocated for him. He questioned whether President Barack Obama was
born in the United States not for 1 year, but year after year after
year, to the point that I was embarrassed for the former President of
the United States, not him.
He treats racial groups as monoliths. He trashed Native Americans and
encouraged the mob anger that resulted in the wrongful imprisonment of
five young minority boys in the tragedy of the Central Park rape. They
were not guilty. He took out a full-page ad in The New York Times
wrongly and asked for their execution, the death penalty to those who
are not guilty. He condoned the beating of a Black Lives Matter
protester. He called supporters who beat up a homeless Latino man
passionate. He stereotyped Jews and shared an anti-Semitic image
created by supremacists.
So now we defend him even more. Now we suggest that he is playing to
his base, that it is okay, and that there are people who believe in
what he is saying. There is a percentage of Americans who believe that
we should not kneel during the national anthem. These are nothing but
things that represent democracy. Democracy is living
[[Page H7482]]
and breathing. It is in your heart, your mind, and your soul. I am an
American because of her values. The national anthem was written by a
man, and we sing it with pride. But it is not God. The flag is not God.
It is a symbol of the democracy, the Constitution, and the freedom of
speech that is given.
Let me be very clear: none of those football players and others
desecrated the flag. They did not spit on it. They did not burn it.
They did not desecrate it.
So I came tonight to suggest that there are still two Americas,
because it does not seem that there is any understanding of the heroism
of people of color. And I have to talk particularly about African
Americans who served in the United States military.
Crispus Attucks was an iconic patriot engaging in a protest in 1770.
He was shot by royalist soldiers in the Boston Massacre.
Does the White House know Crispus Attucks? Does he know those who
have come through the ages, who fought for the Union in the Civil War?
Yet, in doing so, the treatment of African Americans continued to be
dastardly violent into the lynchings of the 1900s. Yet we remain
patriotic. All we ask is the doors of opportunity be opened and that
our leaders respect us.
So let me say to those who don't understand that the First Amendment
does not in any way define ``do not stand for'' or ``do stand for the
national anthem and the flag.'' There is nothing in the law that
indicates that these individuals are desecrating the flag.
I join with the statements of Commissioner Roger Goodell. I join with
the statement of the Texans by Bob McNair. I join the Seattle
statement--the most potent statement--that talks about the facts that
these individuals have a right to express themselves.
But I do not join with the President, who would say: Wouldn't you
love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our
flag, to say, Get that son of a B off the field; out; he is fired; he
is fired?
I join with our NFL.
Do you know what you are saying?
You are talking about African-American mothers. You are calling them
a son of a B. You are calling those children's mother--single mothers
sometimes; mothers who have fought to overcome to get their children
where they could be--and these boys--and I'm going to call them that--
who have gone out to the community and tried to be of good conscience,
you have said that their mother is a son of a B. That is racist.
If you don't understand that that is racist--as a mom, I come to this
floor and I say to the mothers of those children: I love your sons.
Thank you to the NFL and the owners who stood up. Thank you to those
who are not African American, who joined with their fellow brothers on
the field and knelt--not in desecration of the national anthem, not in
desecration of the blood that was shed by the soldiers who are on
battlefields; some of them supporting and shouting for those NFL in
terms of the brotherhood.
We will never dishonor our military. How can we? We are the military.
We are everything. We are integrated into the American society. We
simply ask for the dignity of respect to not call our mothers a son of
a B. If they kneel--I heard a young man who is an NFL player say that
he will kneel from now on, and the only reason he is doing it is
because someone has the lack of judgment to provoke the situation and
call their mothers a name.
I refuse to accept that as a standard of leadership for the highest
office in the world. Even if you never understand it, sir, if you think
you are playing to your base, if you are not the unifier, then we will
continue to stand in the gap, and racism is going to be under our foot.
Do you know where else it is going to be?
It is going to be under our knee because we in the Congressional
Black Caucus have always stood for what is right.
There is no basis in the First Amendment that says that you cannot
kneel during the national anthem or in front of the flag. Congress
shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of press.
Prohibition against abridging freedom of speech applies to Congress and
State and local governments through the Due Process Clause of the 14th
Amendment. Speech may be abridged in two distinct ways: directly by
regulating content of speech; indirectly by regulating time, manner,
and place.
So you cannot abridge by standing up with tweets. You cannot abridge
without law and regulation. There is no regulation that says that these
young men cannot stand against the dishonoring of their mothers by
saying: Fire the son of a B.
You tell me which of those children's mothers are a son of a B. That
is racism. You cannot deny it. You cannot run from it.
I kneel in honor of them. I kneel in front of the flag and on this
floor. I kneel in honor of the First Amendment. I kneel because the
flag is a symbol for freedom. I kneel because I am going to stand
against racism. I kneel because I will stand with those young men, I
will stand with our soldiers, and I will stand with America.
Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committees on the
Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee; Ranking Member of the
Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and
Investigations, and the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, I rise
today to express my views regarding the President's most recent
racially inflammatory statements and actions.
On Election Night the President-Elect pledged to the nation that he
would be a president to all Americans.
The President has failed spectacularly to keep that promise and his
pledge rings hollow to tens of millions of Americans.
Last Friday, in Huntsville, Alabama, a state that was a capitol of
the Confederacy, and the locus of some many seminal events in American
history and the Civil Rights Movement, that one of his fondest wishes,
saying:
Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when
somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ``Get that son of a
bitch off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired!''
You know, some owner is going to do that. He's going to
say, ``That guy that disrespects our flag, he's fired.'' And
that owner, they don't know it. They don't know it. They'll
be the most popular person, for a week. They'll be the most
popular person in this country.
The President's remarks are wrong and display a shocking lack of
understanding of the U.S. Constitution, the role of non-violent civil
disobedience in bringing about social change, and the latest example of
him falling short in upholding the honor of office.
These are the subjects I will address in my remarks this evening.
Trump Racial History
1. African Americans in military;
2. Name Trump called NFL players is offensive
3. Non-violent protest is protected speech under the 1st Amendment
Graham-Cassidy Is Worst Obamacare Repeal Attempt Yet
Finally, Mr. Speaker, let me share with our colleagues 5 Ways the
Graham-Cassidy healthcare repeal bill puts Medicaid Coverage At Risk
and is a disaster for Americans.
The Graham-Cassidy proposal goes beyond the American Health Care Act
(AHCA) passed by the House in May and the Better Care Reconciliation
Act (BCRA) that failed in the Senate in July.
The Graham-Cassidy proposal revamps and cuts Medicaid, redistributes
federal funds across states, and eliminates coverage for millions of
poor Americans as described below:
Ends federal funding for current ACA coverage and partially replaces
that funding with a block grant that expires after 2026.
The proposal ends both the authority to cover childless adults and
funding for the ACA Medicaid expansion that covers 15 million adults.
Under Graham-Cassidy, a new block grant, the ``Market-Based Health
Care Grant Program,'' combines federal funds for the ACA Medicaid
expansion, premium and cost sharing subsidies in the Marketplace, and
states' Basic Health Plans for 2020-2026.
Capped nationally, the block grant would be lower than ACA spending
under current law and would end after 2026.
States would need to replace federal dollars or roll back coverage.
Neither the AHCA nor the BCRA included expiration dates for ACA-
related federal funds or eliminated the ability for states to cover
childless adults through Medicaid.
Massively redistributes federal funding from Medicaid expansion
states to non-expansion states through the block grant program
penalizing states that broadened coverage.
In 2020, block grant funds would be distributed based on federal
spending in states for ACA Medicaid and Marketplace coverage.
By 2026, funding would go to states according to the states' portion
of the population with incomes between 50% and 138% of poverty; the new
allocation is phased in over the 2021-2025 period.
The Secretary has the authority to make other adjustments to the
allocation.
[[Page H7483]]
This allocation would result in a large redistribution of ACA funding
by 2026, away from states that adopted the Medicaid expansion and
redirecting funding to states that did not.
No funding is provided beyond 2026.
Prohibits Medicaid coverage for childless adults and allows states to
use limited block grant funds to purchase private coverage for
traditional Medicaid populations.
States can use funds under the block grant to provide tax credits
and/or cost-sharing reductions for individual market coverage, make
direct payments to providers, or provide coverage for traditional
Medicaid populations through private insurance.
The proposal limits the amount of block grant funds that a state
could use for traditional Medicaid populations to 15% of its allotment
(or 20 percent under a special waiver).
These limits would shift coverage and funds for many low-income
adults from Medicaid to individual market coverage.
Under current law, 60 percent of federal ACA coverage funding is
currently for the Medicaid expansion (covering parents and childless
adults).
Medicaid coverage is typically more comprehensive, less expensive and
has more financial protections compared to private insurance.
The proposal also allows states to roll back individual market
protections related to premium pricing, including allowing premium
rating based on health status, and benefits currently in the ACA.
Caps and redistributes federal funds to states for the traditional
Medicaid program for more than 60 million low-income children, parents,
people with disabilities and the elderly.
Similar to the BCRA and AHCA, the proposal establishes a Medicaid per
enrollee cap as the default for federal financing based on a
complicated formula tied to different inflation rates.
As a result, federal Medicaid financing would grow more slowly than
estimates under current law. In addition to overall spending limits,
similar to the BCRA, the proposal would give the HHS Secretary
discretion to further redistribute capped federal funds across states
by making adjustments to states with high or low per enrollee spending.
Eliminates federal funding for states to cover Medicaid family
planning at Planned Parenthood clinics for one year.
Additional funding restrictions include limits on states' ability to
use provider tax revenue to finance Medicaid as well as the termination
of the enhanced match for the Community First Choice attendant care
program for seniors and people with disabilities.
Enrollment barriers include the option for states to condition
Medicaid eligibility on a work requirement and to conduct more frequent
redeterminations.
Much is at stake for low-income Americans and states in the Graham-
Cassidy proposal.
That is why I strongly urge our Senate colleagues to reject this
latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record articles, statements, and tweets
regarding this topic.
1st Amendment Freedom of Speech Clause in a Nutshell
``Congress shall make no law'' . . . abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press''--United States Constitution,
Amend. I (ratified December 1791)
FREEDOM OF SPEECH CLAUSE
A. General principles
1. prohibition against abridging freedom of speech applies
to Congress and state and local governments through the due
process clause of the 14th Amendment
2. Speech may be abridged in two distinct ways:
a. directly, by regulating content of speech
b. indirectly, by regulating time, manner, and place
3. A law or regulation may be invalid on its face or
invalid in its application to specific facts
a. facial invalidity: vagueness or overbreadth
b. examples of invalid as applied: parade and protest
permits
4. Prior Restraints'' are presumptively invalid (e.g.
Pentagon Papers case)
B. Regulation of Speech Content
1. Advocacy of Illegal Conduct can be punished if the
speech advocates action and amounts to incitement of
immediate and probable lawful conduct
2. Defamation: public officials and public figures cannot
sue for defamation unless statements are false and made with
``actual malice,'' which requires proof of knowing or
reckless disregard of statement's falsity. (New York Times v.
Sullivan)
3. Obscene Speech is not protected by the First Amendment.
Examples: National Endowment for the Arts funding, ``gangster
rap'' music and lewd lyrics, etc.). To be considered obscene,
speech or material must satisfy multi-part test:
a. an average person, applying contemporary community
standards, would find
b. the material, taken as a whole,
c. appeals to prurient interests, and
d. lacks redeeming social, educational, political, or
artistic value
4. Symbolic Speech is protected by First Amendment.
Examples of symbolic speech:
a. Flag Desecration (Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397(1989)
b. Draft Card Burning (U.S. v. O'Brien, (1968))
c. Arm Bands in school to protest Vietnam War (Tinker v.
Des Moines School District (1968))
d. Campaign Finance Laws (Buckley v. Valeo, (1976))
5. Commercial Speech may be regulated much more easily and
extensively than political speech to protect public health
and safety. Examples of advertising that can be banned
a. Tobacco products
b. Distilled Spirits and Alcohol products
c. Handguns and assault weapons
d. Illegal Drugs
____
[From the Huffington Post, Aug. 14, 2017]
Here Are 16 Times Trump Embraced Racism
Trump has a history of being hesitant to condemn white supremacists
(By Lydia O'Connor, Daniel Marans)
Examples of Trump's racism dating as far back as the 1970s.
1. Some of his top advisers and cabinet picks have
histories of prejudice
2. Trump denied responsibility for the racist incidents
that followed his election
3. He launched a travel ban targeting Muslims
4. He attacked Muslim Gold Star parents
5. He claimed a judge was biased because ``he's a Mexican''
6. The Justice Department sued his company--twice--for not
renting to black people
7. In fact, discrimination against black people has been a
pattern throughout Trump's career
8. He refused to immediately condemn the white supremacists
who advocated for him
9. He questioned whether President Barack Obama was born in
the United States
10. He treats racial groups as monoliths
11. He trashed Native Americans, too
12. He encouraged the mob anger that resulted in the
wrongful imprisonment of the Central Park Five
13. He condoned the beating of a Black Lives Matter
protester
14. He called supporters who beat up a homeless Latino man
``passionate''
15. He stereotyped Jews and shared an anti-Semitic image
created by white supremacists
16. He treats African-American supporters as tokens to
dispel the idea he is racist
____
Military History of African Americans
The Military history of African Americans spans from the
arrival of the first black slaves during the colonial history
of the United States to the present day. In every war fought
by or within the United States, African Americans
participated, including the Revolutionary War, the War of
1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish-
American War, the World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam
War, the Gulf War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as
well as other minor conflicts.
____
Texans Release Statement
``The NFL specifically, and football in general, has always
unified our communities and families. The comments made by
the President were divisive and counterproductive to what our
country needs right now. I hope the reaction from our players
results in positive action for our league, our communities
and our country as a whole to make a positive difference in
our society. Texans players are caring, intelligent men who
do so much good, as was shown in the past month when our city
was devastated by Hurricane Harvey. I have never been more
proud of our players and our team than during this time. It
was a display of what is truly possible when we all work
together. We will continue to support our players to work
together to promote the values of respect and unity.''
____
Other Statements From NFL
COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL
The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create
a sense of unity in our country and our culture. There is no
better example than the amazing response from our clubs and
players to the terrible natural disasters we've experienced
over the last month. Divisive comments like these demonstrate
an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game
and all of our players, and a failure to understand the
overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent
in our communities.
New York Giants co-owner's John Mara and Steve Tisch
``Comments like we heard last night from the president are
inappropriate, offensive and divisive. We are proud of our
players, the vast majority of whom use their NFL platform to
make a positive difference in our society.''
Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay
``I am troubled by the President's recent comments about
our league and our players. Sports in America have the unique
ability to bring people from all walks of life and from
different points of view together to work toward or root for
a common goal, and the Indianapolis Colts are proud to be a
part of that tradition in our home city and state. The vast
majority of players in the NFL--especially those who have
worn and continue to wear the Horseshoe--have donated
millions of dollars to charities, raised money for
[[Page H7484]]
those affected by recent hurricanes, created charitable
foundations, visited schools, mentored students, worked in
homeless shelters, cleaned up parks, and put in hours of
their personal time toward improving their communities and
the lives of those around them. That's the spirit in which
this nation was founded, and we all need to work tirelessly
to bring people together to take on the challenges that face
us and give back to the people of our communities. More so
than any result on the field, that is a common goal worth
rooting for.''
Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll
``In this incredibly polarizing time, there's no longer a
place to sit silently. It's time to take a stand. We stand
for love and justice and civility. We stand for our players
and their constitutional rights, just as we stand for
equality for all people. We stand against divisiveness and
hate and dehumanization. We are in the midst of a
tremendously challenging time, a time longing for healing.
Change needs to happen; we will stand for change. May we all
have the courage to take a stand for our beliefs while not
diminishing the rights of others, as this is the beating
heart of our democracy. As a team, we are united in a mission
to bring people together to help create positive change. We
can no longer remain silent. I will stand with our players.''
____
Tweets From President Trump
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which
was a small percentage of total) These are fans who demand
respect for our Flag! 7:31 AM--Sep. 25, 2017.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is
about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL
must respect this! 7:39 AM--Sep. 25, 2017.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
So proud of NASCAR and its supporters and fans. They won't
put up with disrespecting our Country or our Flag--they said
it loud and clear! 7:25 AM--Sep. 25, 2017.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Sports fans should never condone players that do not stand
proud for their National Anthem or their Country. NFL should
change policy! 6:25 PM--Sep. 24, 2017.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop
disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take
place fast. Fire or suspend! 6:44 AM--Sep. 24, 2017.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of
dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be
allowed to disrespect . . . 2:11 PM--Sep. 23, 2017.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
. . . our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand
for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something
else to do! 2:18 PM--Sep. 23, 2017.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to
justify the total disrespect certain players show to our
country. Tell them to stand! 6:25 PM--Sep. 23, 2017.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from
engaging in personalities toward the President, and to direct their
remarks to the Chair.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, back in March, the
Congressional Black Caucus met with President Trump to deliver a 130-
page policy document which highlighted a host of issues facing the
black community in America. From voting rights to criminal justice
reform, and economic justice to education and the workforce, there are
many areas of society that still experience elements of
institutionalized racism and discrimination against people of color and
other vulnerable segments of the population.
The undermining of the Voting Rights Act in the wake of the Shelby
County Supreme Court decision paved the way for countless states,
including Texas, to adopt discriminatory voting laws that were aimed at
disenfranchising entire segments of the population. Participation in
our elections and the inalienable right to vote are fundamental pillars
of our democracy. Our democracy does not function properly without the
successful and unimpeded participation of the voting public. Yet, these
discriminatory voting laws have been found to do exactly that, while
disproportionately affecting minority populations, the elderly, and the
poor.
The criminal justice system is another area that is ripe for reform
as we consider the fact that African Americans make up only 13 percent
of the U.S. population, yet account for 37 percent of prison inmates.
In some instances, harsh mandatory minimum sentences condemn relatively
minor criminals to a life behind bars. In other examples, we see non-
violent drug offenders facing decades in prison over a crime that is
better addressed by health professionals, not the criminal justice
system. The use of private prisons in states such as Texas has also
created a dangerous profit motive behind keeping individuals
incarcerated. These toxic conditions are a recipe for disaster that has
propelled the United States as the world leader for its prison
population rate.
Mr. Speaker, there is much that we can do as a nation to root out any
last remnants of racism in our country and address many of these
issues. However, it requires the participation and cooperation of a
wide range of stakeholder, regardless of party affiliation or
background. Restoring Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act through
legislation would help address many of the discriminatory voting laws
that we have seen emerge, thereby restoring full access to voting for
every American. Eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing and treating
non-violent drug offenses as a health issue instead of a criminal
matter would help reduce the prison population while giving law-abiding
citizens a well-deserved second chance. These are tangible steps that
we can take today to lessen the racial disparities that exist in our
society. I encourage each of my colleagues to work cooperatively to
achieve this end. The American people demand it, and we will be a
better nation for it.
____________________