[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 1412-1413]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              MARTIN LUTHER KING BIRTHDAY AND CIVIL RIGHTS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, last night my wife and I watched the 
replaying of the speech of Dr. Martin Luther King on CNN. The speech 
lasted 17 minutes. No matter how many times I watch the speech, I am so 
impressed with the message this man delivered. That is why I was 
stunned today, in getting the Congressional News Briefing, to see what 
the present President, President Bush, has done to undermine the unity 
and harmony of our society.
  I quote:

       Bush Revives House Participation in Confederate Memorial 
     Ceremony. Last Memorial Day, for the second year in a row, 
     Bush's White House sent a floral wreath to the Confederate 
     Memorial. . . . Bush has quietly reinstated a tradition 
     dating back to Woodrow Wilson that his father had halted in 
     1990. . . . The current Bush White House denies any change in 
     policy. Time adds that one of the organizations connected to 
     the ceremony is the Sons of Confederate Veterans, whose Chief 
     Aide-de-Camp is Richard T. Hines, a politically active 
     lobbyist from South Carolina. In that State's brutal 2000 
     Republican primary, Hines reportedly helped finance tens of 
     thousands of letters blasting Bush rival Senator John McCain 
     for failing to support the flying of the Confederate flag 
     over the state capitol.

  This repayment of political debt that the President has in South 
Carolina is certainly something that flies in the face of what America 
is all about. It certainly flies in the face of what leaders of the 
administration say they are trying to do.
  Yesterday we celebrated a national holiday, the birthday of a great 
American, Dr. King. This year in particular, with controversy over 
remarks and votes related to issues of race having affected the Senate 
itself, it is important that we reflect on the life, legacy, and 
message of Dr. King and that we assess the Nation's progress in 
achieving the goals he articulated. Dr. King shared with us his dream 
for American society, that Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, and other 
minorities would have equal opportunity to achieve and to contribute.
  We are closer to that place in time because of the efforts and 
accomplishments of Dr. King and others who made sacrifices and 
confronted enormous obstacles to make life better, not only for African 
Americans but all Americans.
  America has made strides in improving the status of ethnic and racial 
minorities, but I am concerned that the policies that the current 
administration is pursuing would set us back.
  Dr. King is one of the main reasons that little girls, young ladies, 
teenagers, and women in college can participate in athletics. Title IX 
is civil rights legislation and a direct result of the activities of 
Dr. King. Is Title IX an affirmative action program? Of course it is. 
Young women should have the opportunity to participate in athletics 
just as young men have had. Until we passed a Federal law, an 
affirmative action law, that was not possible. Now, tens of millions of 
young women participate in athletics. They have opportunities to build 
their character as young men have had for hundreds of years. Now women 
can participate in athletics.
  I was disappointed we had to work this week because I was looking 
forward to watching my granddaughter Savannah play basketball this 
week. She is good. She leads her team in scoring. I have not been able 
to watch her play. She is 10 years old, and in her first game she 
scored 12 of the 22 points her team scored. I was looking forward to 
watching her play. I am told she is really good. In just a couple of 
years this little girl will be able to participate in high school 
athletics, which did not happen in my generation. The only athletics my 
granddaughters could participate in, if they were my age, and even 
younger than I, would be cheerleadering. Now she can be a basketball 
player, soccer player, and participate in track events. That is the way 
it should be.
  We have made great strides in improving the status of minorities, as 
well as women. That is the way it should be. We must continue to move 
forward to build on the foundation Dr. King helped establish.
  But unfortunately the administration is blocking progress by pursuing 
policies that limit opportunity. One example is this administration's 
filing a brief in the Supreme Court opposing the ability of the 
University of Michigan to have a diverse class of students.
  The University of Michigan admissions system is not about quotas. It 
is about improving the educational experience for all students. This 
takes into account not only race and ethnic background but many other 
factors. Athletes and others with talents the school finds desirable 
are given extra points in the admission process. The administration did 
not oppose Michigan and other university programs where they give 
bonuses to alumni, where they give bonuses to athletics. No one opposes 
that. If you are trying to develop and establish a diverse class of 
students at a university, they oppose it. This is wrong. Diversity is a 
good thing, and it does not happen automatically but requires 
progressive policies. The administration is flat-out wrong to oppose 
this.
  The administration is also wrong in continuing to nominate judges 
whose records reveal a pattern of insensitivity to racial issues. I 
have encouraged the President, as have many others, to protect the 
environment. Apparently though, the only recycling he favors is 
recycling of rejected and flawed judicial nominees.
  What about DC statehood? We have young men and women who live in the 
District of Columbia, who are now in the Persian Gulf getting ready to 
go to war--people are being called up, being called upon to put their 
life on the line for their country--but they cannot vote for a Member 
of Congress, they do not have their own Senators. We should have 
statehood. If you are part of a sovereign nation--for example, the 
Pyramid Lake Piute Tribe in Nevada, they can vote for me, against me, 
but the District of Columbia does not have that opportunity. Residents 
of the District of Columbia pay taxes, they serve our country, but they 
do not have representation in Congress by a Member who has a right to 
vote on a substantive issue. They have a Member of Congress who only 
can sit in committees. If this administration feels so strongly about 
affirmative action, about fairness, diversity, let them come forward 
and support DC statehood.
  And consider the quality of education that children receive. Most 
minority students in America still attend schools that are 
predominantly minority. On average, they are in large classes, have 
older books, receive less challenging lessons, and their teachers have 
less training. To continue to improve the quality of education for all 
Americans, we should raise the standards in our schools. We need the 
administration to step forward on Leave No Child Behind, and do it by 
helping to fund the program mandated for schools all over America. Not 
to take care of unfunded mandates is wrong; the administration should 
fund those mandates.
  Our Nation's efforts to recover from September 11 remind us that we 
become a stronger America by working together. So we must join together 
and continue fighting to make sure all Americans enjoy equal 
opportunities for justice, quality education, and economic prosperity.
  In 2003, it is not enough to quote Dr. Martin Luther King, or to say 
the right thing, or avoid saying the wrong thing. Actions speak louder 
than words, even words as powerful as Dr. King's. We remember him as an 
articulate speaker. It was his actions, his nonviolent actions of 
organizing, educating, motivating, and demonstrating, that achieved 
results. If we are truly to honor Dr. King, and, more importantly, if 
we are fully motivated to improve race relations in our great country, 
if we want America to live up to its democratic ideals and all our 
people to have equal opportunity, freedom, justice, prosperity, and 
peace, we must

[[Page 1413]]

pass civil rights legislation and fund programs that help level the 
playing field and appoint judges whose records show a commitment to 
tolerance and fairness.
  The record of the Democratic Party is one we can be proud of. It 
shows a longstanding commitment to civil rights, to fairness. Democrats 
recognize we must take additional steps to advance civil rights for all 
Americans. That is why we Democrats in the Senate have a package of 
civil rights, known as Equal Rights and Equal Dignity for Americans. 
Our comprehensive legislation includes measures to expand hate crimes 
protections. Let the Republicans come forward and stop barring us from 
passing that. We have legislation to strengthen enforcement of existing 
civil rights laws. Let them move across the aisle and help.
  We must support legislation giving legal representation to indigent 
Americans. We must stop racial profiling. That is what our legislation 
does. It addresses pay inequities between men and women, protecting 
individuals against discrimination; it prohibits employment 
discrimination based on sexual orientation; and our legislation 
prohibits military and civilian personnel from collecting information 
about U.S. citizens. We must fully fund election reforms that we passed 
last year. This is an agenda that is important, it is good, and it 
should pass.
  We ask the Republicans to step forward and help repudiate, condemn, 
and oppose something as racially motivated, obviously, as that reported 
in Time magazine, the President's reinstatement of something that his 
father stopped because it was wrong--laying a wreath at the Confederate 
Memorial. It is wrong. We need to speak out against it because it is 
wrong.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, Senator Edwards is here and has an amendment 
to offer. We told the majority leader on Friday we would be here at 
10:30 to offer the amendment. Senator Edwards will not offer the 
amendment until we have someone who is here from the other side, but he 
is going to start talking about his amendment. We hope that is OK with 
everyone.
  What is the business now before the Senate?

                          ____________________