Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill could not be more straightforward. H.R. 995 would require the USDA and the Department of the Interior to change the terminology used to describe the racial background or place of origin of people. These very outdated and offensive racial terms have no place in our Federal regulations. Modernizing these terms should be a continuous effort across all agencies. I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries) for his leadership on this issue by pushing this legislation forward. Mr. Speaker, I want to include in the Record the phrases that this bill would change: replacing the references to the term ``Negro'' with ``Black or African American;'' replacing the definition of ``Negro'' with the definition of ``African American'' as ``a person having origins;'' replacing the references of the term ``Oriental'' with ``Asian American;'' and replacing the references to the terms ``Eskimo'' and ``Aleut'' with ``Alaska Native.'' I think it is only fair that we move to pass this bill and finally address people as we should. I also want to bring attention to the title of the bill, which is the 21st Century Respect Act. Mr. Speaker, I also want to add that the bill was reported out of committee by unanimous vote. I want to read into the Record Representative Jeffries' remarks on H.R.…”