Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Proudly Representing Maryland's 7th District

Why We Need Affirmative Action --
The Young People of America Can't Wait

April 8, 2003

Statement of Representative Elijah E. Cummings, D-Maryland
on the Floor of the United States House of Representatives

U.S. House of Representatives
108^th Congress

Washington, D.C

[Congressional Record Page: H2929]
Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding, and I also will take a moment to thank him for organizing this Special Order on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to applaud the young Americans of our time who by the tens of thousands are standing up for what Dr. King dreamed about. They stood on the streets of our Nation's capital as my colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) said, many of them sleeping in the cold of night, trying simply to make a difference.

Last week, lawyers argued in the Supreme Court debating the merits of the University of Michigan admissions case. As the justices pondered the constitutionality of policies of inclusion in America's great public universities, young Americans of every racial background marched for justice on the streets of Washington, D.C.

These young people filled my heart with hope and pride, Mr. Speaker. They fully understand, as Dr. King often declared, that to change America for the better we must be prepared to exercise the full measure of our citizenship. And they also understand that their acts of citizenship are inextricably intertwined with universal educational opportunities.

I should also note, Mr. Speaker, that last week America marked the anniversary of that tragic moment in 1968 when Dr. King was killed while standing up for what is simply right. A growing number of young Americans are honoring that sacrifice in our time. They are determined, as members of the Congressional Black Caucus are, to realize Dr. King's dream for America now, not in some distant time. They understand that a dream deferred is indeed a dream denied. They care about somebody other than themselves. But more than caring, they were willing to share their time, their convenience, and their efforts to speak out.

It has often been said that so many people measure their responses to a crisis by the level of their inconvenience. In other words, if they are going to be inconvenienced, they do not do anything. And it is so pleasing to see these young people know that they were going to be inconvenienced but still stand up.

Mr. Speaker, those who cite Dr. King's dream to support their assertion that this Nation must be color blind to the racial exclusion that continues to plague America should take the time to read what Dr. King actually had to say. I recall for you and for this House that Dr. King once wrote a book entitled ``Why We Can't Wait.''
Anyone who reads his words will understand that the unwavering focus of Dr. King's life was his unrelenting struggle for universal justice and inclusion in every important area of American life.

Mr. Speaker, the peaceful demonstrators out there on the Capital's streets last week were advancing a simple, eloquent, and peaceful demand for more justice and opportunities in their lives and, yes, for generations yet unborn. They were marching in the footsteps of heroes like our good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), and the recently departed Reverend Josiah Williams.

JOHN LEWIS' contribution to America reminds us that the men and women who led that 1965 ``Bloody Sunday'' march for voting rights across Selma, Alabama's Edmund Pettus Bridge were also young and brave.

So I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to declare that the young Americans of today are determined to change our future for the better. They have the seed of greatness within them. They believe that they too can change the course of history and change the course of destiny. They are justified in this faith. Principled acts of citizenship convinced Virginia Tech's Board of Regents just last week to restore that university's policy of inclusion.

Mr. Speaker, from their college dormitories and homes throughout the United States, the young people of America are watching what we say and do in this great chamber of democracy tonight. They have sent us a powerful message and they are waiting to see how we respond. Their message is the same challenge Dr. King delivered in the years of my youth when he said, ``Now is the time for all of us to move forward, not retreat, on the road toward a more just society.'' Dr. King declared, ``Now is our time. We cannot wait.''

Today, our young people are reminding us that their lives are moving forward in time. They are telling us that they deserve justice and opportunity now. And we who hold national positions of trust should be listening to what these young Americans are saying, Mr. Speaker. We must listen and we must act accordingly and we must synchronize our conscience with our conduct.

[Page: H2930]
As I bring these brief remarks to a close, permit me to recall for you what Dr. King declared during a freedom rally in St. Louis back in 1957. He said, ``The destiny of our Nation is involved. We can't afford to slow up. The motor is now cranked up,'' Dr. King went on to say, ``we are moving up the highway of freedom toward the city of equality. We can't afford to slow up because our Nation has a date with destiny.''

I was a small child when Dr. King spoke in St. Louis about our national date with destiny, Mr. Speaker. Now our own children's shared destiny is at stake, whatever the color of their skin may be. And we are the ones to whom they are looking for a renewed America of universal opportunity.
We must do what is required, Mr. Speaker. America's young people cannot wait, and we thank them for being impatient.