    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [December 9, 1997]
    [Pages 1728-1729]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the 40th Anniversary of the Department of Justice Civil
    Rights Division
    December 9, 1997

        I congratulate the Civil Rights Division of the Department of
    Justice on its 40th anniversary. For 40 years, the Civil Rights Division
    has protected the American dream for all our people. By diligently and
    faithfully enforcing our civil rights laws, the lawyers and members of
    this division have helped all of us live closer to the ideals that lie
    at the heart of that dream--freedom and equality of opportunity to work,
    to learn, to live, and to raise our children in communities where they
    can thrive and grow.
        Today, the task of fulfilling the promise of our civil rights laws,
    of keeping the American dream alive for all citizens is far from over.

    [[Page 1729]]

    That is why I have nominated an eminently qualified person to lead this
    division into the 21st century. Bill Lann Lee has lived the American
    dream, and he has dedicated his life to making the dream come alive for
    all Americans. Bill Lann Lee deserves to be America's next Assistant
    Attorney General for Civil Rights.