    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 6 (Monday, February 18, 2008)]
    [Pages 182-184]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at a Celebration of African American History Month

    February 12, 2008

        The President. Thank you all for coming. Good afternoon, and welcome
    to the White House. Laura and I are honored that you all came as we
    celebrate African American History Month. This is a month in which we
    recognize the many African Americans who've made great contributions to
    our country. We honor the talent and their courage. We renew our
    commitment to securing liberty and justice for every American. That's
    why we're here.
        I appreciate many of the notables who have joined us. Madam
    Secretary, appreciate you coming--Mr. Secretary, Alphonso Jackson, and
    Marcia. Thanks for coming, Mr. Secretary. Proud you're here.
        If I skip some of the notables, it's because I'm going to say
    something about them a little later on. [Laughter] So, Congressman, I'll
    be with you in a minute. [Laughter]
        I appreciate Dr. Leonard Haynes, who's the Executive Director of the
    White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
    I am proud--Doc, thanks for coming. I'm proud to welcome all the
    presidents from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities here
    today; really appreciate your service to the country.
        I want to thank Ron Langston, National Director of the Minority
    Business Development Agency, Roslyn Brock, vice chairman of the NAACP.
    Roslyn, thank you for coming. Somewhere you are--there you are. I thank
    John Fleming, president, Association of the Study of African American
    Life and History. Yes, sir, Reverend Al Sharpton and his wife,
    Dominique; Reverend, it's good to see you.
        Audience member. Daughter.
        The President. Daughter. [Laughter] Daughter. [Laughter] I don't get
    them right all the time. [Laughter] But thank you for coming. And,
    Dominique, you're sure a lot prettier than your father. [Laughter]
        Thurgood Marshall, Jr., we're proud you're here. Yes, thanks for
    coming. Good to see you, sir. State Representative Calvin Smyre of the
    State of Georgia, who is the president

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    of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators. Sure proud you're
    here.
        Thank you all for coming. There's a lot of other notables here. Just
    consider yourself welcomed. [Laughter]
        The theme of this year's African American History Month is a
    celebration of America's cultural diversity. It is a tribute to a
    scholar who deepened our appreciation for diversity, Carter G. Woodson.
    When Dr. Woodson began his career in the early 20th century, most
    Americans knew little about African American heritage. Dr. Woodson set
    out to correct that. His scholarship helped pioneer the field of African
    American studies. And by the time he passed away in 1950, the son of
    freed slaves had become known as the Father of Black History.
        It is important for all our citizens to know the history of the
    African American struggle for equality. We must remember that the slave
    trade brought many Africans to America in chains, not by choice. We must
    remember how slaves claimed their God-given right to freedom. And we
    must remember how freed slaves and their descendants helped rededicate
    America to the ideals of its founding.
        Our Nation has come a long way toward building a more perfect Union.
    Yet as past injustices have become distant memories, there is a risk
    that our society may lose sight of the real suffering that took place.
    One symbol of that suffering is the noose. Recently, there have been a
    number of media reports about nooses being displayed. These disturbing
    reports have resulted in heightened racial tensions in many communities.
    They have revealed that some Americans do not understand why the sight
    of a noose causes such a visceral reaction among so many people.
        For decades, the noose played a central part in a campaign of
    violence and fear against African Americans. Fathers were dragged from
    their homes in the dark of the night before the eyes of their terrified
    children. Summary executions were held by torchlight in front of hateful
    crowds. In many cases, law enforcement officers responsible for
    protecting the victims were complicit in their deeds, and their deaths.
    For generations of African Americans, the noose was more than a tool of
    murder; it was a tool of intimidation that conveyed a sense of
    powerlessness to millions.
        The era of rampant lynching is a shameful chapter in American
    history. The noose is not a symbol of prairie justice but of gross
    injustice. Displaying one is not a harmless prank. Lynching is not a
    word to be mentioned in jest. As a civil society, we must understand
    that noose displays and lynching jokes are deeply offensive. They are
    wrong, and they have no place in America today.
        This afternoon we honor four Americans who understand what this
    symbol represents and who are leading the way toward ending racial
    injustice across our land.
        Congressman John Lewis earned his place in history long before
    winning a seat in the United States Capitol. As a young man, he became
    one of the leaders of the civil rights movement. He organized freedom
    rides and sit-ins and voter registration drives. One Sunday in 1965, he
    set out to lead a march from Selma to Montgomery. The marchers never
    made it past the rows of State troopers outside Selma, but their message
    made it all the way to Washington, DC. Five months later, Congress
    passed the Voting Rights Act. And more than 40 years later, John Lewis
    continues to inspire us, and we're blessed to have him here today.
        William Coleman has lived a life of many firsts. After graduating
    first in his class from Harvard Law School, he went on to become both
    the first black American to clerk on the Supreme Court and the first to
    hold a Cabinet post in a Republican administration, as Secretary of
    Transportation under President Gerald Ford. William Coleman has also
    helped open doors of opportunities for others. He worked alongside
    Thurgood Marshall, father of this good man, on the legal team that
    triumphed in Brown versus Board of Education. This ruling exposed the
    fallacy of separate but equal, and it helped return America to the great
    truth that all men are created equal. For this, we owe William Coleman
    our lasting thanks. We're honored to have you today, sir.
        Three years after Brown versus Board of Education, nine students in
    Little Rock stepped forward to test the Supreme Court's ruling. On
    September 25th, 1957, Federal

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    troops escorted them into the city's all-white Central High School. Once
    inside, the Little Rock Nine were spit on, harassed, and called names.
    One of the students was a senior named Ernest Green. As graduation day
    approached, some suggested it might be safer for Ernest to receive his
    diploma in the mail. Many people would have taken this advice, not
    Ernest Green. In May of 1958, Martin Luther King, Jr., was on hand to
    watch Ernest become the first African American to graduate from Little
    Rock's Central High School. We're honored to welcome Ernest Green to the
    White House during the 50th anniversary--[applause].
        And finally, as a young boy, Otis Williams remembers his mother
    packing food for their move from Texas--oh, what a tragic mistake--
    [laughter]--to Detroit. She did so because restaurants along the route
    refused to serve African Americans. In Detroit, Otis Williams grew up to
    become the leader of one of the most successful vocal groups in the
    history of our country, the Temptations. This group has recorded 37 top
    40 singles, including 4 number-one hits on the pop charts. Their success
    paved the way for other African American artists. Their melodies
    continue bringing Americans of all races together to this day.
        Otis can remember performing in a venue in South Carolina where
    blacks and whites in the crowd were separated by a barrier. The next
    year when the Temptations returned, the racial divide was gone. As Otis
    once put it, quote, ``The highest achievement for me has been to have
    our music penetrate all kinds of barriers, for it to be colorless.'' The
    music of the Temptations has given countless Americans sunshine on a
    cloudy day--[laughter]--and we cannot help ourselves from loving them.
    [Laughter]
        Throughout American--African American History Month, we remember how
    individuals, African American leaders of all kinds helped bring our
    Nation together. We recognize our Nation still has a long way to go. But
    in the example of the leaders like those we honor today, we see strength
    greater than any division, and we see hope for a day when freedom rings
    from every mountainside and every corner of the country.
        And now it is my great pleasure to introduce the Temptations.

    Note: The President spoke at 3 p.m. in the East Room at the White House.
    In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.