50 Years of Progress Cannot Erase 250 Years of Suffering

Floor Speech

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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in February 1967, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote his famous book, ``Where Do We Go From Here.''

In that book, he pondered upon the question of whether or not America was prepared to choose community over chaos; whether this Nation, so long protected by the crosswinds of two oceans, was finally prepared to rid itself of the impediments of bitterness and hatred; or whether the malignant sicknesses of racism and sexism were so intrinsic and interwoven into the American fabric that we would never be able to rid ourselves of it.

Today, Mr. Speaker, I submit to all of my colleagues that this question is still before us. That is to say, some 60 years later, we are still trying to decide who we are as a country.

Sixty years after the historic Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we are still trying to figure out if everyone still should have a vote that counts. We are still trying to determine if we will choose progress over regression, tomorrow over yesterday, truth over falsehood. In spite of the gains of the civil rights movement, the answer to these questions remains profoundly unclear.

In the words of Charles Dickens, we are living in the best of times and the worst of times, the age of wisdom and the age of foolishness.

After the last Presidential election in November, there are millions of Americans wondering if this country will ever come to know the things that make for peace.

I rise today because I fear that this Nation is on the precipice of the greatest rollback of civil rights since the end of Reconstruction in 1890.

I rise today because there are too many of my colleagues, in addition to too many people in America, who have no problem with rolling back the rights of the weakest and most vulnerable among us.

Given the long and meandering history of this Republic, there ought to be unanimous consent when it comes to ensuring that the people who have been systematically excluded from the American Dream are continually included in the future of American progress and prosperity. Sadly, that is not the case.

Whole segments of this society have arbitrarily decided that they have the omnipotent right to determine when there are too many Black people in boardrooms, as we saw on June 29, 2023, with the elimination of the affirmative action programs.

As a consequence, there are fewer African Americans in dental school. There are fewer African Americans in law school. There are fewer African Americans attending some of the most prestigious universities.

Some people have arbitrarily determined that African Americans enrolled in these selective universities is too much, as determined by the actions of the Students for Fair Admissions authored by Mr. Blum, or too many Black businesses finally being included in the procurement of government contracts and management opportunities is too much.

It pains me to have to remind the leaders of this country that a nation suffering from the sickness of racism for 250 years cannot stop taking its medicine. It needs to make sure that the cancer does not return.

Fifty years of progress cannot erase 250 years of suffering, and the suffering of which I speak is not limited to the African-American community but rather is located in the very soul of America. I am talking about those that are without jobs in Appalachia. I am talking about the life expectancy of Caucasian women in rural America.

We need to enforce and strengthen civil rights. Civilian rights are key to the growth of America, but let us never forget that hatred destroys the host more than it devastates the object of its belligerent contempt.

I say to all of my colleagues today: America needs diversity, equity, and inclusion more than Black people do. I say that because, even if the prognosticators are right that the last election was about economics, then that simply means that millions of people in this country were willing to sublimate the moral authority of their conscience because of the price of chicken.

Mr. Speaker, that is just as terrifying a reality as is the prospect of racism and sexism being the driving cause.

I think sometimes we forget that the policies we enshrine have real effects on the lives of people. I know in my district, the First Congressional District of Illinois, the incoming administration's promised attack on affirmative action, diversity, equity, and inclusion will mean that thousands of people on the south side of Chicago, the inner cities of America, and the suburban and rural parts of our country will not be able to provide for their families.

It won't matter to them what the price of chicken is because, no matter the price, everything is too expensive when your income disappears and your income is stagnant.

In spite of the differences between the two parties, let us never forget that there are still millions of people in this country who cannot afford to pay their rent, who cannot afford hospitalization, who cannot afford to pay their mortgages, who find rents out of control, whose wages have not changed, and who are struggling to give their children a better life, a better country, and a better future. By better, I mean a more ethical society in which to grow old.

Mr. Speaker, let us do whatever we must to build up what others are determined to tear down. Let us do whatever we can to hold up the light. Let us keep the dream alive.

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