[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9284]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                NO ROOM FOR HATE AND VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with the heaviest of 
hearts.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to be crystal clear that there is not any room in 
our society for hate. There is no room for violence. Whatever we do and 
wherever we may stand, we must act in a peaceful, orderly, and 
nonviolent fashion.
  We must understand that we are one people--the American people; we 
are one family--the American family; and we live in the same house--the 
American house.
  Mr. Speaker, we must teach all of our people to respect the dignity 
and the worth of every human being. We must be the headlights, not the 
taillights, in loving and cherishing our brothers and sisters. We are 
brothers and sisters.
  We must understand that our foremothers and our forefathers came to 
this great Nation in different ships, but we are all in the same boat 
now.
  As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said:

       We must all learn to live together as brothers and sisters; 
     if not, we will perish as fools.

  Yesterday, was a difficult and dark day. There was so much pain and 
suffering for so many people--for our fellow Members, for our families, 
and for our staffs. It shook the Congress and our Nation to its core. 
I, too, was in shock. My heart and my soul ached for those who were 
attacked and for those who witnessed the violence.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my love and my feelings 
for all of our colleagues, our friends, our staffs, the officers, and 
their families. In each and every moment, my thoughts and prayers have 
been with all of the victims and their families as they begin the long 
road to healing and recovery. They must understand that we are with 
them.
  We are with you. You are not alone. We love you, and we are praying 
for your safety and recovery.

                          ____________________