[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 28 (Monday, July 16, 2001)]
[Pages 1022-1023]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Videotape Remarks to the NAACP Convention

 July 9, 2001

    Thank you very much. I'm honored to be able to send my greetings to 
you for the 92d annual convention of the NAACP.
    Last year I joined you in person at your convention in Baltimore. I 
said that there is no denying the truth that racism, despite all our 
progress, still exists, and that there's no escaping the reality that 
the party of Lincoln has not always carried the mantle of Lincoln. I 
said that recognizing and confronting our history is important but 
transcending our history is essential.
    A year has passed since I gave that speech, and nearly 6 months have 
passed since I became the President. We must continue our work to ensure 
that my party keeps faith with the memory of Abraham Lincoln and 
Frederick Douglass.

[[Page 1023]]

    I started by selecting a diverse, well-qualified Cabinet and senior 
staff. People like Colin Powell, Rod Paige, Condoleezza Rice, and Larry 
Thompson are tearing down barriers and setting new standards for 
excellence. Appointments are important, but so is the agenda.
    I've made reform of our public schools my number one priority. I 
have worked closely with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to craft 
a bill that gives our schools more money but asks our schools for more 
in return. High standards, accountability, and a culture of excellence 
is the hallmark of school reform. Every child can learn, and no child 
should be left behind. I believe my education package is an important 
step in ensuring that our schools are worthy of our children's dreams.
    And my agenda also includes moving forward on my Faith-Based and 
Community Initiatives. All across the country, private religious and 
community organizations are serving and uplifting the Nation's poor 
through a variety of services, from feeding the hungry to providing drug 
treatment to educating children with disabilities. Our Faith-Based and 
Community Initiative reflects my belief that Government must be active 
enough to support these charitable groups but humble enough to let good 
people in local communities provide such services.
    Finally, my agenda is based on the principle of equal opportunity 
and equal justice. Yet, for too long, too many African-Americans have 
been subjected to the unfairness of racial profiling. That's why, 
earlier this year, I asked Attorney General John Ashcroft to develop 
specific recommendations to end racial profiling. It's wrong, and it 
must be ended in America.
    There are other ways my agenda will help ensure that the American 
Dream touches every willing heart, from creating opportunities for 
affordable housing and health care to encouraging savings and reducing 
taxes on working people. But throughout, my agenda is laced with some 
common themes: trusting the people, empowering communities and 
charities, and creating one nation of justice and equality.
    It matters what Presidents do. It also matters what Presidents say 
and how they say it. I've tried to speak in a tone that brings us 
together and unites us in purpose. I believe that even when 
disagreements arise, we should treat each other with civility and with 
respect. That is a basic requirement of democracy.
    When he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, the Reverend Martin 
Luther King, Jr., said that whenever he was on an airplane, he was 
always reminded of how dependent we all are on each other. He said, ``A 
flight is successful only because of the hard work and devotion of the 
known pilots and unknown ground crew.'' His point was that we all have a 
role to play, and we cannot succeed as a group unless each one of us 
succeeds as an individual.
    As the President of one of the most diverse nations in the world, I 
carry the responsibility of making sure that every voice is heard and 
every person is respected. This is the legacy and the unfinished work of 
Lincoln, King, and so many others, in ways large and small, have brought 
us to where we are today. They dreamt of a unified America. Now we must 
continue to work to convert that dream into a reality.
    I hope you have a productive and successful convention. And I look 
forward to working with you on matters that are vital to America.
    God bless you all, and God bless America.

Note: The President's remarks were videotaped at approximately 3 p.m. on 
July 2 in the Library at the White House for later transmission to the 
convention in New Orleans, LA. The transcript was released by the Office 
of the Press Secretary on July 9.