    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [June 13, 1997]
    [Pages 731-734]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting With the President's Advisory Board on Race
    and an Exchange With Reporters
    June 13, 1997

        The President. I'd like to begin by thanking this distinguished
    group of Americans for their willingness to serve on an advisory board
    to me to examine the state of race relations in America over the next
    year, to participate in making sure that the American people have facts,
    not myths, upon which to base their judgments, and proceed to launching
    a nationwide, honest discussion that we hope will be replicated in every
    community in this country and that will lead to some specific
    recommendations for further actions on our part as we move forward.
        I think this is the right time to do this, because there is not a
    major crisis engulfing the Nation that dominates the headlines every
    day. The economy is strong. Crime is down. Our position in the world is
    good. But if you look at where we are and where we're going, we will
    soon be, in the next few decades, a multiracial society in which no
    racial group is in a majority. And we are living in a world in which
    that gives us an enormous advantage in relating to other countries in
    the world since we have people from every country in the world here.
        Already we have 5 big school districts in America with children from
    over 100 different racial and ethnic groups; soon we'll have 12, within
    the next year or so. And also, if you look at the rest of the world, all
    the wonders of modern technology are being threatened by the rise of
    ethnic and racial and religious and tribal conflicts around the world.
    We'll be in a unique position to show people, not just tell people but
    show people, they don't have to give in to those darker impulses if we
    can create one America out of this incredible diversity we have.
        So you all know this has been a big concern of mine for a long time,
    but I just believe that this is the right time for us to try to prepare
    for the new century and to take this time to look at it, and I have a
    very great group of people here, and there are hundreds, perhaps even
    thousands more who would like to participate in this debate, and we
    intend to give them the chance to do it.

    State of Race Relations

        Q. How bad do you think race relations are in this country today? I
    mean, what are the real tensions?
        The President. I think they're much better than they used to be, but
    I think there is still discrimination. I think there is still both
    illegal discrimination and discrimination that may not rise to the level
    of illegality but certainly undermines the quality of life and our
    ability to live and work together. And I think there is still great
    disparity in real opportunity, particularly for racial minorities who
    are physically isolated

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    from the rest of us in low-income areas with high crime rates and low
    rates of economic and educational opportunity. I also believe there are
    glaringly different perceptions of the fairness of how various aspects
    of American society operate, most clearly the criminal justice system
    but a lot of other areas as well. I also believe that we have not taken
    enough time to think about the implications of what it will mean when
    our racial questions are not primarily issues between African-Americans
    and white Americans, although still there is a lot of unfinished
    business there, but of the entire texture of American diversity.
        So I think that there are problems. I think things are better than
    they used to be, but I think that we a have a lot of work to do in order
    to be one America.
        Q. Mr. President, we have an interesting phenomenon in that a lot of
    Americans work in integrated work environments, but they aren't friends.
    I mean, they are colleagues at work, but they're not friends at home.
    They don't socialize together. They don't voluntarily associate with
    each other. Is there anything that you can do about this? Is there
    anything you should try to do about this?
        The President. It's certainly nothing you can legislate, but I think
    that one of the things that I would hope that the board and I will be
    able to do is to show America examples where people are working together
    outside the workplace as friends to build their communities, and to
    demonstrate that in cases where that has occurred, not only are
    communities stronger and social problems reduced but the people involved
    are happier people.
        I think that's one thing I hope we'll be able to talk about. It may
    be a little old-fashioned and Pollyanna, but I basically think that
    we'll all be happier as Americans if we know each other and we feel
    comfortable with each other and we're getting along together. I think
    that it will make--I think we'll have more fun. I think we'll feel
    better about ourselves, not just we'll feel like we're good or noble or
    anything, but we'll feel like we're doing what makes sense and what
    ought to be the better part of human nature.

    President's Record on Civil Rights

        Q. Mr. President, given how you've been criticized in the past on
    how you selected an Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Lani
    Guinier, and how you've been criticized by your close friend Marian
    Wright Edelman on welfare reform and how she essentially said it would
    leave poor minority children out in the dust and also how you struggled
    to come to a position on affirmative action that brought some rather
    tense moments between you and the Congressional Black Caucus and,
    lastly, how you were criticized on being in Texas, giving a speech on
    race relations on the day of the Million Man March, how much credibility
    do you think you honestly bring to the issue of race relations, and how
    much do you honestly think you can accomplish in relation to your goals?
        The President. I think I ought to congratulate you. In 30 seconds,
    you've probably got 100 percent of the criticisms that have been leveled
    against me.
        Q. Oh, there's a new one today. The Speaker----
        Q. Besides the Speaker saying that's--[laughter]----
        The President. First of all, I was invited a long time ago to give
    that speech in Texas, and I think it was a very important speech. I've
    had--secondly, more importantly, anybody who looks at my entire public
    life can see that it's been dominated by three things: economics,
    education, and race.
        If there is any issue I ought to have credibility on, it is this
    one, because it is a part of who I am and what I've done, and I don't
    feel the need to defend myself. I think all you have to do is look at
    the way I constitute my administration, look at the way that we've
    changed the Federal bench, and look at the policies I've advocated. And
    I'm very proud of the process through which we went to develop the
    affirmative action policy with--Mr. Edley here was a part of that, and I
    think we did it right. After all, we not only had to come up with a
    position, we had to come up with a position in a way that we could
    defend it against those who thought we were wrong and who were
    determined to undo it, and we wanted to give everybody a chance to be a
    part of it. So I'm rather proud of that.
        And on the welfare issue, time will prove whether Marian Edelman is
    right or I am. That's all I can tell you. All I can tell you is, even
    before the welfare reform bill passed, we moved more people from welfare
    to work than at any time in American history, and the Council of
    Economic Advisers says that 36 percent of

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    them--about 30 percent of them moved because of initiatives taken by
    States to help people move from welfare to work. We kept the guarantee
    for medical care; we kept the guarantee for nutrition for poor children;
    we kept the guarantee that the money had to be spent on poor people; we
    gave the States more money to spend on welfare than they would have
    today under the old system. They have 20 percent more money to spend on
    poor people today than they would have had if we hadn't changed the
    law--today. And we're going to get, under the budget agreement, $3
    billion more to create jobs for people who don't have them. So let's--
    give me a couple of years to see whether--who is right on this. She was
    sincere and honest in her position, and I'm sincere and honest in mine,
    and time will see who was right.

    Expected Results

        Q. Mr. President--[inaudible]--going to be worried that this is
    going to be all talk and no action. Are there going to be concrete
    proposals that are going to come out of this? In what areas?
        The President. I expect there to be concrete proposals. I also
    wanted to say there will simultaneously be concrete proposals that will
    be debated in the context of the budget that will directly bear on this.
    For example, one of the things that troubles me about those in favor of
    getting rid of affirmative action is, I don't recall any of them coming
    up with any alternatives, nor do I hear any voices assuming some
    responsibility for the apparent resegregation of higher education in
    Texas and California and some places as a result of it.
        So, yes, I think we are duty-bound to come up with some policy, but
    I also think we're duty-bound to try to mobilize the energies and the
    attention of the rest of America so that everybody can be a part of
    this.

    California Proposition 209

        Q. Does this mean you will specifically denounce Proposition 209
    tomorrow?
        The President. I've already done that, but I will make my position
    on that issue clear again tomorrow.

    Tax Programs for the Working Poor

        Q. I assume you've seen the Speaker's comment that he's looked at
    the advisory commission and assumes that it will come up with the--I
    think he said--same old tired, liberal, big Government proposals. Would
    you like to disabuse him of that impression?
        The President. One of the things we did in 1993, which was not an
    old, tired, liberal, big Government proposal--Ronald Reagan said it was
    the best antipoverty program in American history with the earned-income
    tax credit--we doubled it in 1993 to help the working poor, to reward--
    here is another thing I wanted to--most minorities work for a living;
    they are not on welfare. And there are a lot of people out there
    working, not making much money. So the earned-income tax credit says
    we're not going to tax people who work into poverty.
        This new tax program that has been proposed by the Speaker's Ways
    and Means Committee would penalize the working poor and especially
    working poor mothers. So I would say that I'd be glad to have his
    advice, but this is a case where he needs to neaten up his own house a
    little bit and get those--if he's for work and empowerment and not the
    big Government solutions, then they ought to change that tax package and
    stop punishing the working poor.

    Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Legislation

        Q. What did you think of the Republican leaders all voting against
    the disaster bill? Wasn't that odd?
        The President. I'm just glad it passed. Mayor Owens, the mayor of
    Grand Forks--I visited out there in North Dakota--called me last night
    after I signed it and said how glad she was the people were going to get
    their aid, and that's all I have to say. This never should have been
    political, and I don't want the politics to continue, and I don't want
    to talk about victories or defeat here. People are going to get help;
    that's all that counts. We've got to go back to working on this budget
    and all these other issues.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:50 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Christopher Edley, codirector, The
    Civil Rights Project, and consultant to the President's Advisory Board
    on Race; Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children's Defense Fund; and
    Mayor Patricia Owens of Grand Forks, ND. The Executive order of June 13
    establishing the

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    President's Advisory Board on Race is listed in Appendix D at the end of
    this volume. A tape was not available for verification of the content of
    these remarks.