Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the march of progress in America can be marked by the expansion of freedom. Slaves who were denied full citizenship under our Constitution were given their rights with amendments after our Civil War. Civil rights legislation in the 1960s helped African Americans and others claim their rightful place in our society. And women, denied a vote in America for generations, finally won that right early in the 20th century. Yet it took us until nearly the end of the 20th century to acknowledge the rights of another group of Americans who have suffered discrimination throughout history: people with disabilities. I would like to take a moment to recognize one of the heroes of the disability rights movement who passed away this past Thursday at the age of 68. Dr. Young Woo Kang was a champion for people with disabilities in America, his native South Korea, and throughout the world. Born in a small farming village in South Korea under the shadow of the Korean war, Young Woo Kang overcame adversity to become the first blind South Korean to earn a Ph.D. Dr. Kang's life reminds us that disability can happen to anyone at anytime. When he was 14 years old, a soccer injury cost him his eyesight. He spent the next 2 years in the hospital and endured several surgeries before learning that he would never regain his sight. That was in 1960. At that time, there were only two professions in South Korea open to the blind: masseur and fortune teller. But Young Woo Kang had other plans.…”