    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [July 16, 2003]
    [Pages 876-882]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Urban Leaders
    July 16, 2003

        I thank you all for coming. I'm joined by some pretty distinguished
    company up here. I want to thank my friends the social entrepreneurs of
    America--[laughter]--for standing up here today. I want to talk about a
    couple of subjects.
        First, I want to introduce Condoleezza Rice, my National Security Adviser, who, as I
    understand it, is going to stay afterwards and answer some questions
    about our trip, that I appreciate you doing.

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        Let's talk about the values that make our country unique and
    different. We love freedom here in America. We believe freedom is God's
    gift to every single individual, and we believe in the worth of each
    individual. We believe in human dignity, and we believe where we find
    hopelessness and suffering, we shall not turn our back. That's what we
    believe.
        And there are--in this land of plenty, there are people who hurt,
    people who wonder whether or not the American experience, what they call
    the American Dream, is meant for them. And I believe the American Dream
    is meant for everybody. And when we find there's doubt, we've got to
    bring light and hope, and so that's what we're here to talk about today.
    And the men up here represent a representative sample of what we call
    the faith community in America, people who first and foremost have been
    called because of a calling much higher than government.
        I say ``social entrepreneurs'' because in many of our faith
    institutions, we find people who are willing to reach out in the
    neighborhood in which they exist to help those who hurt and those who
    are in need. They're willing to take a new tack, a tack based upon
    faith, to heal hearts and provide hope and provide inspiration, so that
    the American Dream is available in every corner in America. And where we
    find those programs which are effective, society ought to support those
    programs.
        What I'm saying is, we ought not to fear faith. We ought not to
    discriminate against faith-based programs. We ought to welcome what I
    call neighborhood healers in the compassionate delivery of help so that
    people can experience the greatness of our country.
        Of course, that then leads to the question of public money,
    taxpayers' money. My attitude is, taxpayers' money should and must fund
    effective programs, effective faith-based programs, so long as those
    services go to anybody in need. We ought to focus on--we ought to ask
    the question in our society, ``Is the faith-based program working,'' not
    focus on the fact that it's a faith-based program.
        The Government, as it gives support, as it provides help to the
    faith-based program and in return asks for help for solving social
    problems, as it does that, it should never discriminate. It should never
    cause the faith-based program to lose its character or to compromise the
    mission. That's the basic principles of the Faith-Based Initiative which
    you've heard a lot about. Really what we're doing is, we're signing up
    the armies of compassion which already exist and saying, ``What can we
    do to help you fulfill your calling and your mission?'' That's really
    what we're doing.
        I signed an Executive order banning discrimination against faith-
    based charities by Federal agencies. We waited for Congress to act. They
    couldn't act on the issue. So I just went ahead and signed an Executive
    order which will unleash--which says the Federal agencies will not
    discriminate against faith-based programs. They ought to welcome the
    armies of compassion as opposed to turning them away.
        I know you've heard from some of my key Cabinet Secretaries. Within
    their secretariat are offices designed to speak up for, defend, and
    empower faith-based groups, specially created within the bureaucracy.
        Look, I fully understand the issue, the frustration some face. And
    it's a frustration based upon a long practice here at the Federal level,
    and that is, there's no place for faith-based programs and trying to
    help people in need. And therefore, we'll discriminate, shove out of the
    way, not deal with, make it hard for, create barriers to entry. And my
    administration is absolutely committed to reducing those barriers to
    entry. And we've created these offices whose sole function it is to,
    one, recognize the power of faith and, two, recognize there are
    fantastic programs all throughout the country on a variety of subjects,
    all based upon faith, all changing lives, all making American life
    better, and therefore, folks

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    would be enlisted in making sure the American Dream extends throughout
    our society.
        And let me give you some examples, particularly those who might be
    tuning in to this moment. People--``What do you mean by faith-based
    discrimination?'' Well, in Seattle, there was an earthquake, and the
    Federal Emergency Management Agency gave disaster relief funds to
    schools but denied them to the Seattle Hebrew Academy. In other words,
    schools--public schools got the funds from FEMA, but not a religious
    school. And so we've changed that rule. That's the kind of
    discrimination that I--that may make some sense to people who are not
    exactly sure what I'm talking about.
        Another interesting example is, in Boston, the Old North Church, the
    famous historic landmark, needed preservation funds; yet it was denied
    Federal help because it was a church. And that's not right. That's not
    right. It makes no sense, and therefore, we're changing those kinds of
    rules.
        And we're also making sure that Federal monies are available. It's
    one thing to talk about a Faith-Based Initiative, but there needs to be
    money in the system available for the faith-based programs in order
    for--to make it work. And that's money that's coming out of these
    agencies already. I mean, there's--we spend a lot of money here in
    Washington, and that--monies ought to be accessible to effective faith-
    based programs which heal people from all walks of life. It's--money is
    not going to proselytize; money is going to save lives.
        And let me give you some examples of what is working today, maybe
    examples that you already have heard about, particularly when you go to
    the White House conferences as we try to describe how to access the
    system.
        In Columbus, Ohio, St. Stephen's Community House--faith-based
    program--is using a--nearly $1 million from the Department of Education
    to expand its after-school program. There's kind of an interesting use
    of education dollars that will help faith-based programs fulfill their
    mission.
        The Frederick Douglass Community Development Corporation, started by
    the Memorial AME Zion Church in Rochester, New York, has received more
    than $5 million from HUD to build low-income houses for seniors. The AME
    Church decided to do something about the housing issue, as far as the
    seniors go in their congregation, and accessed Federal money and put
    together a housing project. Now a lot of people don't--when they think
    about the AME Church or any church for that matter, they don't think
    housing. Except I know some social entrepreneurs from my State--
    right, Evans?--[laughter]--who have used their
    facilities, their skills to go ahead and to build homes.
        The Operation New Hope and City Center Ministries in Jacksonville,
    Florida, and the Exodus Transitional Community in East Harlem went to
    the Department of Labor, and they received labor funds for job training
    programs for ex-offenders. A person gets out of prison, checks in at the
    church, and the church says, ``Wait, we want to help you get back into
    society; not only will there be some lessons to be learned, but also,
    here's some training money. Here's a training course.'' So it's a
    practical application of taxpayers' money to meet societal needs. And
    one of the greatest societal needs is--we have is to make sure our--you
    know, a guy who's spent time in the pen not only receives spiritual
    guidance and love, but spiritual guidance and love can only go so far.
    And it's also helpful to have him be trained in a job which exists. In
    other words, there's practical application of taxpayers' money that we
    want to get into the hands of our faith-based organizations all
    throughout our society.
        People say, ``Well, we're already doing that.'' Now, what's
    happening is that the same programs are being funded over and over and
    over again. In other words, there's kind of a rut. And that doesn't
    encourage

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    the entrepreneurial spirit that we're interested in.
        So one of the things we've done here in the White House to deal with
    this issue is we've started--and Jim Towey is--we've got an office dedicated, by the way, to the
    Faith-Based Initiative. And we've started White House conferences to
    explain to people how the process works. And Towey handed me this book
    when I came in. These are the different pots of money, if you will, that
    are accessible to the faith community so that you can help fund the
    programs.
        Now, look, we've got to do a better job of making sure that we
    explain what we mean by the Faith-Based Initiative. I understand that.
    It requires education. People can read everything they want into it.
    When they hear ``Faith-Based Initiative,'' they--that all of a sudden
    opens everybody's imagination in the world to vast possibilities, some
    which exist and some which don't. [Laughter]
        And so therefore we're reaching out to explain to people the
    practical applications. The Compassion--Capital Compassion Fund, which
    Congress has funded--I've asked for $100 million; they gave it 30
    million and 35 million over the last 2 years--but that money goes to
    help smaller charities learn how to fill out grants, learn what it means
    to access Federal monies.
        It's one thing for people, however, to learn how to fill out a
    grant. It's another thing to have the grant fall on deaf ears. So we're
    also changing habits here in Washington, DC. And that's what the office
    of the--within these departments are all designed to do, to facilitate,
    to make it easier for people to access, to make sure that we really do
    tap the heart and soul of our country.
        Evans--Tony Evans first kind of woke me up to
    this. We were in Greenville, Texas, together, and he said, ``The best
    welfare programs already exist on the street corners of inner-city
    Dallas,'' in this case. ``They're open 24 hours a day. They've got a
    fantastic guidebook''--[laughter]--``been around a long time.''
    [Laughter] ``The motto of the workforce is clear: Love your neighbor.''
    And it dawned on me how true he is. There's no need to reinvent. We've
    got it in place. And so therefore, when I lay out an initiative that
    talks about saving the lives of drug offenders, really what I'm saying
    is, is that I understand that when you change a person's heart, you can
    change their habits. So let's enlist it, the faith community, on the
    goal of saving people's lives who happen to be hooked on drugs.
        Six hundred million dollars over 3 years--I would hope that the
    faith community gets very much involved when Congress funds this. And by
    the way, part of this mission is for me to remind Congress they need to
    fund it. But once funded, it's very important for the faith community to
    be involved. The 10-step program is a faith initiative, when you really
    think about the--how it works. And I know many of you who run churches
    and synagogues and mosques in America are worried about addiction in
    your neighborhoods. And we want to help because we believe--we know--
    that some of the most effective programs are those that work when a
    heart is changed.
        I've also laid out a mentoring initiative. I would love to have
    every child who has a mother or dad in prison to have a mentor. The most
    vulnerable of our population are those who may have a mom or a dad
    incarcerated. And they need love. They need a lot of love. And the best
    way to provide love is to find somebody who's willing to love them
    through a mentoring program.
        I went to the Amachi program in Philadelphia--perhaps you all know
    about it--out of the Bright Hope Baptist Church, saw the program that
    works. There's a lot of initiatives around from the faith-based program
    that track the child who needs to be mentored. And the best place to
    find mentors, of course, is you can find them

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    every Sunday. But we need help to make sure the program works. And so
    Congress I've asked to get this program moving.
        My point is, we've got some Federal initiatives, job training,
    education, addiction. We've got a housing initiative here, by the way,
    that I'm deeply concerned about, what they call a minority gap in
    America. Too many--relative to the Anglo community, too many minorities
    don't own their own homes. I believe in an ownership society. I know
    when somebody owns their home, they've got such a fantastic stake in the
    future.
        The faith community can help in homeownership. The Federal
    Government's got to help a lot here. We've got to make sure there is
    more affordable homes. We've got to provide tax incentives for people to
    build homes in inner cities. We've got to have downpayment help. And
    we've got to make sure that the contracts--I can understand somebody, a
    first-time homebuyer, getting a little nervous when they pull up the
    contract and the print's about that big, and nobody understands what's
    in the print. And a lot of people don't want to sign something they're
    not sure what it's about. And so we've got education programs through
    our housing institutions to teach people what it means to buy a home and
    how to help them access the downpayment help and also to make sure the
    contracts are clear and understandable.
        This is a mission at home, is to help people. And you know,
    Government can help. I like to say, Government can pass out money, but
    it cannot put hope in people's hearts or purpose in people's lives. And
    that's why it's vital for our country to count on those who can put hope
    in people's hearts and a sense of purpose in people's lives, and that's
    our faith community.
        You know, we will accomplish a lot here at home if we use all the
    resources available to our communities. And I will tell--continue to
    tell the American people, one of the great untapped resources for
    Government is to work side by side with the faith community. And I want
    to thank you all for your--hearing the call.
        Now, look, before I end, I do want to also remind you that we will
    not turn our back on people who suffer in the world as well. I have just
    come from Africa, and I'd like to share some thoughts, if you don't
    mind.
        First--and Condi was traveling with me,
    of course. I don't dare go overseas without her. [Laughter] At Goree
    Island, we stood at the Point of No Return, and it was a moving moment
    for our entire delegation. I went to Auschwitz earlier, and then I went
    to here, and it reminded me of the capacity for mankind to be cruel.
        But the interesting thing that I've come to realize, that I spoke at
    Goree Island, was, those who were sent to America as slaves and their
    ancestors who lived in a segregated society stood strong, never gave up
    faith, and in fact, helped America find her soul and her conscience.
        It's an interesting historical twist, when you think about it. Those
    who were chained, sent in those ships, separated from their families,
    those who were really beaten down, never lost their spirit, never lost
    their desire for freedom and hope, stood strong in the face of the
    oppressor, finally made the oppressor feel guilty, and in fact made us
    realize what it meant, ``liberty and justice for all.''
        South Africa and Botswana and Uganda and Nigeria--and by the way, it
    took a long time to fly from Senegal to South Africa. [Laughter] It took
    longer to fly from Senegal to South Africa than it took from America to
    Senegal, which means we're covering a lot of country. [Laughter]
        It's a continent of vast potential, is the way I'd like to describe
    it, a continent of possibility. And it's in our national interest that
    Africa do well. Africa has got to deal with a lot of issues. And first
    of all, the policy of this Government is to understand Africans are
    plenty capable of dealing with issues themselves; they just need help.

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        So for example, when it comes to helping deal with regional
    conflicts, one of the things we've got to do is help train their
    militaries so that they've got the capacity to move in and separate
    warring factions. One of the problems Africa faces, of course, is there
    is--every time there's a civil war, there's a lot of hurt, death,
    displacement. It makes it awfully hard for a society to function that is
    at war with itself, as you know.
        In those countries, I was struck by its potential and struck by the
    issues that are faced, one--education issues and health issues of
    course--no bigger issue in my judgment, however, than the pandemic of
    HIV/AIDS. And we live in an amazing world, and yet in the midst of our
    world, there's a lot of folks who are dying and will die. And it's time
    for the United States of America to act and act in a big way, which is
    what we're going to do.
        Reverend Rivers went over just to
    make sure that I fulfilled my promise. He was watching my every move.
    [Laughter] I asked for 15 billion. Now let me just give you a quick
    update; then Condi will be glad to answer
    any other questions you have about the trip.
        Some countries are prepared for our aid. As a matter of fact, a lot
    of countries are. And that was a very important question to ask. If in
    fact we fund--and we will fund, and I want to thank you for your help in
    convincing Congress that they've got to fund the initiative. As you
    know, we have authorized it. Now they've got to write the check. And we
    will--we will. But it was very important for us to see whether or not
    the--for example, the capacity to distribute antiretrovirals was in
    place. Nothing worse than stockpiling medicines that never get
    distributed to the actual people. We're not interested in helping
    organizations. We're interested in helping organizations actually get
    the medicine to the people.
        And we saw a good infrastructure. The Catholic Church, for example,
    in Uganda is fully prepared to pave the way for distribution of
    antiretrovirals, at the same time help with education and prevention.
        The first step, by the way, is for leadership to stand up and admit
    there is an issue. You've got to admit there's a problem. And most of
    the societies that we saw admitted there's a significant problem,
    starting with the leaders. You know, President Museveni of Uganda and President Obasanjo of Nigeria are very strong and said, ``We've got an
    issue. Forget stigma. We've got a health issue that we must deal with as
    a society.''
        And so, in America, the first thing we do is look for willingness to
    participate, and we saw some strong leadership, which is really
    important. The attitudes are changing on the continent.
        Secondly, we're looking for infrastructure, people who understand
    what works. You, know, there's an interesting effect with the
    antiretroviral drugs. It's called the Lazarus effect. And if we can get
    those antiretrovirals out, and people begin to--out in the country and
    in the cities, of course--people begin to improve, and all of a sudden,
    somebody sees a neighbor improving: ``Well, maybe I've got hope.'' So
    hope begins to rise.
        And so we've got to get these medicines out, and we've got to get a
    strategy out and a plan out. And what I'm telling you is, we saw some
    good strategies and some good plans proposed by strong leaders, which is
    a very heartening thing. Our taxpayers have got to know that when we
    spend that money, it's going to go to save lives.
        The other key component, interestingly enough, in Africa that's
    going to make a huge difference is the faith-based community. The faith-
    based community from all religions, all walks of life, are interested in
    being a part of this--solving this pandemic.
        And the other issue is hunger. Our country puts a billion a year up
    to help feed

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    the hungry. And we're by far the most generous nation in the world when
    it comes to that, and I'm proud to report that. This isn't a contest of
    who's the most generous. I'm just telling you as an aside. [Laughter]
    We're generous. We shouldn't be bragging about it. But we are. We're
    very generous.
        However, one of the things it seems like we've got to do is help
    Africa feed herself. There is no reason in the world why the great
    continent of Africa can't be self-sustaining in food, and not only self-
    sustaining; how about being--the capacity to help others eat. And it's
    got a great potential.
        So that's the mission. The mission at home is to help those who hurt
    and make the vast potential of America available to every citizen. The
    mission abroad is to use our good heart and good conscience and not turn
    our back away when we see suffering.
        It has been a--it's a huge honor to represent our country overseas.
    It is a--I am a proud American. I'm proud of what we stand for. I'm
    proud of our heritage. I understand we've had tough times in our
    history. But the thing about it is, we never get stuck in history. We
    always move beyond. We're always trying to improve. And we base it, our
    history and our decisionmaking, our future, on solid values. The first
    value is, we're all God's children.
        May God bless you. Thank you for your time.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:27 p.m. in Room 450 of the Dwight D.
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to
    Rev. Tony Evans, Oakcliff Baptist Church, Dallas, TX; Rev. Eugene F.
    Rivers III, Azusa Christian Community, Dorchester, MA; President Yoweri
    Kaguta Museveni of Uganda; and President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.