Equality for All

Floor Speech

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Ms. KELLY of Illinois. I thank Congressman Jeffries for his leadership and my colleague from Texas for his generosity.

As we reflect on the events in Ferguson, let me begin by offering my prayers to the family of Michael Brown and the entire Ferguson community. Tonight, we stand before the House as Representatives of our communities and as concerned citizens.

We stand here to say we, too, mourn Michael Brown. We mourn his loss and what it represents--the very real fear and frustration of Black and brown families across the Nation who worry for their sons. We are here to speak for those who are weary after another incident of a young Black man being killed by police.

Ferguson speaks to the broader challenges we face as a Nation--race relations--but particularly the fraught relationship between the Black community and the police. Members of my family have and do serve in law enforcement, and I am fortunate that, for most of my life, I have been able to have many positive personal experiences with that community. My grandparents' grocery store in Harlem always had police officers checking in.

On the whole, I believe those who put their lives on the line for our communities are good, but that doesn't negate the fact that, in America today, we still have too many in the Black community who fear the police or feel disrespected by the police, including my son and his friends, and we still have too many police officers who fear the Black community. This is a dynamic that colors every encounter and paves the way for tragic outcomes.

Regardless of your perspectives on the events in Ferguson, we can all agree that no community should live in fear of the institutions that are charged with protecting it. We must hold our law enforcement officials to the highest professional standards and provide them with the training they need to effectively police diverse communities.

This training must address the biases and stereotypes that influence decisions in the field and that creates obstacles to mutual understanding, and in working to achieve that understanding, we can and must strive toward a justice system that treats all Americans fairly and values all American lives equally.

I am encouraged by the many peaceful, productive protests across the country from everyday citizens of all colors calling for change in the way our country views and values young Black men, but this is just the beginning and not enough. As a mother, a wife, and a Member of Congress, I believe that this change must begin today.

I encourage everyone who is outraged by Ferguson to look for ways that they can prevent a similar tragedy from happening in your community. Don't let this issue fade until the next tragedy. Get involved with your local government.

Go to your local town hall, city council, and community policing meetings. Know who represents you and who is policing your streets. Be a part of the change, and lend your voice to the discussion on the direction of your community; vote, exercise your rights, demand and expect accountability. That is how we work together toward the kind of change that makes our communities safer and honors the memory of Michael Brown.

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