[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[September 23, 2000]
[Page 1918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the Death of Carl Rowan
September 23, 2000

    Hillary and I were saddened to learn of the death of Carl Rowan, one 
of America's most prolific columnists and social commentators.
    Carl Rowan called his autobiography ``Breaking Barriers,'' and that 
was exactly what he did. He was, without a doubt, one of our Nation's 
most eloquent voices for human rights and racial justice. Carl's passion 
for progress led him from a struggling coal mining town to the U.S. 
Navy, where he served as one of its first African-American commissioned 
officers. It led him from the newsroom to the corridors of power and 
back again, to the pages of our Nation's newspapers.
    Carl Rowan served two Presidents and represented the United States 
abroad. But he saw himself first and foremost as a journalist. His 
gentle, civil tone only heightened the power of his commentary, and he 
felt a special obligation not only to inform his readers but to enrich 
them with new ways of thinking.
    Hillary and I will miss Carl Rowan and the special perspective that 
he shared with his Nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, 
Vivien, and their three children.