Strength in Diversity Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. MFUME. Mr. Speaker, this legislation, this bill, this movement, and this purpose that we are debating today really found its genesis long ago with a Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, when, on May 17, 1954, nine men robed in black assembled not far from here to announce on the steps their unanimous decision to end segregation in public education. On that day, among the Nation's Black citizens, there was, indeed, a celebration, and it was a celebration, indeed, by many of its Whites.

Many of us thought that this decision was the launching of the threshold of a new era in life when education all across this Nation would be treated the way it should be for all of its citizens. Many people felt in the bowels of their being and in their very existence that this Nation again at long last would find a way to launch itself into a new era.

So this is the manifestation of that new era. This legislation extends the guarantees, the protections, and the expectations of that decision; and it is the expectations that we are talking about today: to be able to provide the kind of education and the kind of treatment of education that would extend to all people, to increase diversity, and to do away with those things that have held us back for so many, many years.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the sponsor of this bill. I urge my colleagues to understand her intent and the expectations that it brings with it so that we might do the right thing and pass it. I urge an ``aye'' vote, Mr. Speaker.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans and Democrats agree that discrimination and State-sanctioned segregation are repugnant, illegal, and blatantly immoral. Action must be taken to achieve greater equality for our Nation's students and in our schools.

We continue to strive toward a future where all students, regardless of race or color, have the chance to succeed. Education and hard work are the paths out of poverty for millions, and education provides students with the tools and skills they need to build a successful life.

It is disappointing that a bipartisan path forward to address these issues was possible but not attained because of political posturing from Democrats. Apparently, political wins are more important than building upon bipartisan, bicameral legislative solutions that will help our Nation's children prosper.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on H.R. 2639 so that we can have the opportunity to work on a bipartisan solution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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