Remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Dinner September 26, 2009
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Sept. 26 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 My offer of a serious, meaningful dialogue they will face increased pressure and isolation to resolve this issue remains open. But Iran and deny opportunity to their own people. must now cooperate fully with the Internation- These are the urgent threats of our time. al Atomic Energy Agency and take action to And the United States is committed to a new demonstrate its peaceful intentions. chapter of international cooperation to meet On this, the international community is them. This new chapter will not be written in 1 more united than ever before. Yesterday I week or even 1 year. But we have begun, and stood shoulder to shoulder with our European for the American people and the people of the allies in condemning Iran’s program. In our meetings and public statements, President world, it will mean greater security and pros- Medvedev of Russia and I agreed that Iran perity for years to come. must pursue a new course, or face conse- quences. All of the permanent members of the NOTE: The address was recorded at approxi- United Nations Security Council and Germa- mately 5:25 p.m. on September 25 at the Pitts- ny have made it clear that Iran must fulfill its burgh Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA, responsibilities. for broadcast on September 26. The transcript Iran’s leaders must now choose. They can was made available by the Office of the Press live up to their responsibilities and achieve in- Secretary on September 25, but was embar- tegration with the community of nations, or goed for release until 6 a.m. on September 26. Remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Dinner September 26, 2009 They didn’t want me to be on the right. I look out at all of you tonight—on Mem- [Laughter] This is the CBC. [Laughter] bers of Congress, on State and local officials, To all the outstanding guests here tonight, on leaders of all kinds—and I am reminded of to our outstanding chair of the Congressional the extraordinary acts of public service being Black Caucus, Barbara Lee, please give her a rendered by African Americans today. I’m re- big round of applause. To her outstanding minded of the difference each of you is mak- foundation chair, Kendrick Meek, please give ing at every level of government, in the quiet them a round of applause. neighborhoods of our small towns and the bus- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is in the tling streets of our big cities. house. The House Majority Whip, James Cly- But I’m also reminded that it wasn’t always burn, is in the house. Chairman of the DCCC this way. I’m reminded of a time long before Chris Van Hollen is in the house. And my the CBC was formed, long before the civil great friend and the chair of the DNC, Tim rights movement was sparked, when just a Kaine—please give him a big round of ap- lone African American was serving in the Unit- plause—Governor of the Commonwealth of ed States Congress. Virginia. I want to begin by congratulating all of the A North Carolinian by birth, the child, some recipients of the Phoenix Award for outstand- say, of slaves, George Henry White was the ing contributions to American life. I have to last of that first generation of African Ameri- single out one of tonight’s honorees, for whom cans elected to Congress in the aftermath of I can personally vouch, our Ambassador to the Appomattox. But at the end of the 1800s, United Nations, Susan Rice. Susan is doing a when a segregationist Supreme Court handed fantastic job as Ambassador, especially this down “separate but equal,” with African past week when we were at the United Na- Americans being purged from the voter rolls, tions, and we are all lucky, all of America is with strange fruit growing on the poplar trees, lucky, to have her representing us there. So White decided against seeking reelec- please give her a big round of applause. tion—meaning that once again, neither the 1460 Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 / Sept. 27 House nor the Senate would be occupied by a That’s why we acted boldly, that’s why we single African American Member. acted swiftly to put in place a Recovery Act that And at the end of an inspiring farewell ad- was passed with the help of Members of Con- dress, the gentleman from North Carolina said, gress here tonight and that’s being carried out “This, Mr. Chairman, is perhaps the Negroes’ with the help from Governors and mayors here temporary farewell to the American Congress; tonight. And as a consequence of those early ac- but let me say, phoenix-like, he will rise up tions, we’re cutting taxes for 95 percent of some day and come again.” working families—not for the rich folks, but for Members of the CBC, all of you gathered ordinary folks—putting some money in their here today, tonight is a fulfillment of that pockets. We’re extending and increasing unem- prophecy. While George Henry White might ployment insurance for 12 million Americans to not have foreseen the exact details of Mont- help them weather this economic storm. We are gomery and Selma, while he might not have making COBRA 65 percent cheaper so Ameri- foreseen the precise outlines of the Civil Rights cans don’t lose their health care coverage if Act and the Voting Rights Act and all the strug- they’re out there looking for work. We are sav- gles to come, he knew that someday African ing the jobs of teachers and police officers that Americans rely on all across the Nation. And Americans would sit in our city halls and state- we’re putting Americans to work rebuilding our houses. He knew that someday the Halls of crumbling roads and bridges and schools and Congress would be walked by Representatives waterways with the largest investment in our in- and Senators of every creed and color. He frastructure since the Interstate Highway Sys- knew, as Frederick Douglass knew, as Harriet tem was built in the 1950s. Tubman knew, as Martin Luther King, Jr., Because of the action we’ve taken so far, we knew, that the arc of the moral universe is long, have stopped the bleeding in our economy. So but it bends towards justice. the next time some of these folks come up ask- More than a century has passed since Con- ing you what the Recovery Act has done, you gressman White left Congress. In that time, we tell them it has prevented us from going into a have faced a number of difficult tests and bitter much worse place. That much we know. That’s trials, as a people and as a nation. There have been confirmed. been dangers to peace and security; there have But we also know that we’ve got a long way to been barriers to justice and equality; there have go, that the progress we’ve made has been un- been threats to opportunity. So we are by no even, and that this recession has hit communi- means the first generation of Americans to be ties of color with a particular ferocity. Today, tested, but tested we have been. Most recently, more than one in seven African Americans are we’ve been tested by an economic crisis unlike out of work, the highest in nearly a quarter of a any that we’ve seen since the Great Depression. century. More than 2 out of 10 African Ameri- Now, I have to say that some folks seem to cans—and 3 out of 10 Black children—are liv- have forgotten just how bad things were when I ing in poverty. took office. They seem to be exercising some So this economic crisis has made the prob- selective memory. So let’s just take a stroll lems in the communities of color much worse, down memory lane. Our economy was shedding but we all know that these problems have been 700,000 jobs every single month, more than the there for a long time. Communities were strug- entire population of Baltimore losing work ev- gling to catch up long before this economic ery month. Credit had dried up. Loans for ev- storm came ashore. One study that looked at erything from college to cars were nearly im- trends in this country over the past few decades possible to come by. Our entire financial system found that while roughly 7 out of every 10 mid- was poised on the brink of collapse with many dle class White children end up surpassing their fearing that what has been called the “great re- parents’ income, roughly 7 out of every 10 mid- cession” would become another great depres- dle class Black children do not. Think about sion. You remember that. that: for the majority of some Americans, 1461 Sept. 27 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2009 upward mobility; for the majority of others, How are we supposed to tell Americans like stagnation or even downward mobility. That Nathan Wilkes to wait? This is a man whose was taking place over the last decade, before health insurance came with a cap, so when the the economic crisis. That kind of inequality is claims started piling up because he had a sick unacceptable in the United States of America. child, he was left to frantically search for an- Now, bringing hope and opportunity to other option, or face $10,000 of out-of-pocket places where they’re in short supply, that’s not costs.