Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, when I was 9 years old, some white racists burned a cross on my front lawn. The Ku Klux Klan killed a dog on our lawn and placed a dead possum in our mailbox, simply because we dared to live in a certain section of Waterbury. It was members of the Jewish community that helped our family during those very trying days against the racist Ku Klux Klan. A Catholic priest at Sacred Heart High School helped me to be able to get a good high school education and helped me to be able to go on to Yale University. The remarks made by Mr. Muhammad and supported to a degree by Mr. Farrakhan were anti-white, anti-Catholic, and anti-Jewish. Yes, the Ku Klux Klan would hate blacks, Catholics, and Jews, while it seems like the Nation of Islam would hate whites, Catholics, and Jews. Hatred and bigotry would be wrong regardless of the direction of the offense or the color of its victim. We as blacks cannot constantly point to others to explain why certain problems exist in our society. We must also look at ourselves. I implore the Congressional Black Caucus not to utilize any of its taxpayer-supported resources aiding the efforts of the Nation of Islam. I heard from others that we have to appreciate the good done by the Nation of Islam. However, we must remember that there are thousands of people in jail today who have also done some good. Hatred and bigotry cannot be tolerated, Mr. Speaker.…”