    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [February 19, 2000]
    [Pages 281-282]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 19, 2000

        Good morning. On February 12, 1926, as a tribute to the birthdays of
    Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, the noted African-American
    scholar and historian Carter G. Woodson initiated Black History Week,
    the forerunner of what has become Black History Month.
        This observance is important because many of the stereotypes and
    much of the distrust between the races are the result of historical
    inaccuracies or omissions that have persisted over too many years. The
    truth is, whether we're talking about the heroic freedom-fighting
    efforts of the Black Moses, Harriet Tubman, or the landmark legal
    accomplishments of Thurgood Marshall, we're really talking about vital
    aspects of all Americans' history. But too many Americans are not aware
    of the extraordinary contributions African-Americans have made to the
    life of our Nation, and that's a tragedy.
        Together, we have come a mighty long way. Today, we're in the midst
    of the longest and strongest economic expansion in our Nation's history:
    nearly 21 million new jobs; unemployment at 4 percent, the lowest rate
    in 30 years; incomes up across all groups of American workers; and among
    African-Americans, poverty and unemployment rates at the lowest levels
    ever recorded. Crime, which has been especially devastating to many
    African-American neighborhoods, is now the lowest it's been in 25 years.
    We've cut taxes for millions of hard-pressed working families and cut
    the welfare rolls in half while moving millions of people--almost 7
    million of them--from welfare to work.
        But still there are wide and disturbing disparities in health,
    income, perceptions of justice, and educational achievements that break
    down along the color line. It is clear we must do more to close these
    gaps and give all our citizens a chance both to contribute to and share
    in our growing prosperity and promise. That is one of the reasons I
    created a One America Office

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    in the White House last year, and why the Vice President and I have
    worked so hard to bring loans and new investments to distressed
    communities through empowerment zones, the Community Reinvestment Act,
    community development banks, and now through our new markets initiative.
        Especially, we need to make sure our young people are prepared for
    this new economy, by helping every child enter school ready to learn and
    graduate ready to succeed. More Americans--and more African-Americans--
    are going on to college than ever before. But we must give every child
    that chance, and we must help their families shoulder the burden.
        Today I'm pleased to announce that the Department of Labor is
    awarding $223 million in youth opportunity grants to bring education and
    job training to up to 44,000 young people in 36 communities, from Watts
    to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. This will provide a lifeline of
    opportunity to any young person willing to work for a better future. And
    it's a key component of our broader youth opportunity agenda.
        We've requested an increase of $1.3 billion this year to bring an
    array of education and training assistance to at-risk youth, from the
    GEAR UP and TRIO mentoring and support programs to get more kids on the
    right track to success, to an increase in Pell grants to help more of
    them afford the cost of college.
        These youth opportunity grants will draw on the experience and
    dedication of people like Jacquelene Sharp Massey of Baltimore's Career Academy. For 20 years, Jacquelene
    has made history of her own by helping literally hundreds of young
    people to turn their lives around, people like 20-year-old Michael
    Dupree, who with the help of the Academy has
    gone from being a high school dropout to a biotechnology lab assistant
    and a member of Baltimore's Youth Council.
        Sixty years ago today, the Army Air Corps activated its second
    squadron of African-American fighter pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama. That
    squadron and three others fought fascism in the air and racism on the
    ground. As Tuskegee Airmen, the sky was their limit. And they helped to
    lead the way to this modern digital age in which there are virtually no
    limits to how high our people can fly. Their story is a precious
    contribution to our common history and very much worth remembering this
    Black History Month.
        Their belief in an America that would respect their courage and
    honor their service is the foundation of the America we all want to live
    in, one where every person is treated with dignity and respect and all
    our children have the chance to live their dreams.
        That's the America we should work for in the new millennium.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 6:25 p.m. on February 18 in the East
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February 19. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    February 18 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The
    National African American History Month proclamation of January 31 is
    listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.