Congressional Black Caucus

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARSON of Indiana. I have to acknowledge my colleague, my friend, my brother, and leader, not only nationwide but internationally, but especially in Brooklyn, for his boldness, his tenacity, Mr. Speaker, his intestinal fortitude, and his ability as a sitting Member of Congress to still speak truth to power, Congressman Jeffries.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to express my deepest condolences to the Brown family, who lost their son far too soon. As a parent, I can only imagine their pain and grief, Mr. Speaker. No parent should have to go through such an ordeal.

As a young African American man, I can relate to the frustration being felt on the streets of Ferguson and streets across our country. The history of this great Nation, Mr. Speaker, past and present, is plagued with incidents of bigotry and discrimination in our justice system. Racial injustice continues to afflict our communities, and with each incident like this one, old wounds are reopened. The feelings felt in Ferguson are real and cannot and should not be discounted.

Mr. Speaker, many right now feel abandoned by our justice system or unfairly singled out for suspicion. These are very legitimate concerns that cannot be ignored or overshadowed by those who have turned to violence.

Now, as a former police officer, Mr. Speaker, I want to say I do respect our system of justice, but I also recognize the shortcomings. We certainly have a long way to go to guarantee our country's children of color are protected equally under the law in every instance, every neighborhood, and all across this great Nation. Mr. Speaker, no community should have to doubt whether justice has prevailed when a decision like this one has been handed down.

We must not let Michael Brown's death be in vain. That would be a disgrace. That would be a tragedy. Today, our Nation is still struggling to heal. But this cannot truly happen until we honestly assess how justice is provided across our country.

This process starts with peaceful protests, yes, but it ends with lasting reforms that protect all Americans equally, Mr. Speaker. This will not be easy or quick. But what is clear is that this march toward a better, more equitable country must begin with a unified front.

Now through this tragedy we should bring about lasting change. And so tonight on that note, I want to ask, Mr. Speaker, all of my colleagues, my fellow Americans, to stand with the Congressional Black Caucus to make this dream a reality.

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