[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15357]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        WE MUST ROOT OUT RACISM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 2, 2017

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank my colleagues, for 
organizing this important special order hour and for their dedicated 
leadership in the fight to take racism and discrimination head on in 
America.
  I'd also like to thank Chairman Richmond for his mighty leadership of 
our caucus as we work in resistance to this Administration.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stand with my colleagues in the fight to 
Root Out Racism from our society.
  Our country was founded on the values of freedom, justice and 
equality.
  Right now, those very same values are under attack from the highest 
levels of our government where the President of the United States and 
Republicans are openly embracing racist and discriminatory policies and 
actions.
  As we speak the Trump Administration is actively supporting a 
Presidential Voting Commission which is rooted in voter suppression and 
racism.
  As we speak, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is undoing consent 
decrees, funding private prisons and reviving the failed War on Drugs 
which is rooted in racism.
  As we speak, this Administration is waging an all-out attack on 
affirmative action on campuses across the country which is rooted in 
racism.
  As we speak, the President of the United States is being advised by 
individuals with ties to white supremacists, white nationalists and 
Neo-Nazis.
  And to make matters worse, the President takes to Twitter nearly 
every morning to fan the flames of division and discrimination.
  Choosing to tacitly speak out against racially motivated killings in 
Charlottesville but finding ample time to insult athletes who are 
protesting in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.
  Mr. Speaker, a recent NBC News/Wallstreet Journal poll found that 70 
percent of Americans believe race relations in America are poor.
  This should come as a surprise to no one. I am convinced that the 
public wants us to root out racism.
  Attacks against communities of color seem to have no end under the 
Trump Administration. Racism, unfortunately is alive and well in the 
United States.
  We need look no further than the devastating budget cuts Republicans 
have proposed which would disproportionately impact African Americans.
  We must also acknowledge that systematic racism permeates these 
policies.
  Last year then-presidential candidate Donald Trump asked African 
Americans what do we have to lose?
  The answer is clearer than ever before: everything.
  Critical programs that help the most vulnerable such as Meals on 
Wheels, heating and energy assistance, and nutrition aid to women and 
children are on the chopping block in the President's budget.
  The President's budget eliminates: Community Development Block 
Grants; HOME programs that provide affordable housing for low-income 
residents; Legal Services Corporation, which helps those who cannot 
afford legal representation; and the Minority Business Development 
Agency, which helps promote minority-owned businesses.
  And Republicans are determined to continue their crusade against the 
Affordable Care Act which would rip healthcare from millions of African 
Americans.
  For over 50 years our progress as a nation has been measured by how 
we reckon with the remaining vestiges of slavery, how we root out 
racism when it rears its ugly head.
  Administrations have been judged by their support for civil rights, 
voting rights, advances in health care, public education, social 
justice and strengthening ladders of opportunity to enter the middle 
for African Americans.
  This Administration is failing on all accounts. That is why as the 
``Conscience of the Congress'', Members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus have united to resist the rollback of progress.
  We will resist this cruel hearted political agenda, which exudes 
racism at its core.
  We will stand united in defense of our communities.
  And we will exercise our God-given constitutional rights.
  From Jamestown to Jim Crow, we've fought to root out racism in this 
country and we have won amazing victories.
  So right now, despite the challenges we face with this President and 
Republicans in Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus will continue 
to fight.
  Whether it's standing up to the alt right agenda in the White House 
or taking a knee in solidarity with courageous Americans, we will not 
lose heart in the fight to root out racism. Because in the words of 
that old negro spiritual, ``We aint gonna let nobody, turn us around''.

                          ____________________