Political Quotes

“I thank Congressman Jeffries for his leadership and my colleague from Texas for his generosity. As we reflect on the events in Ferguson, let me begin by offering my prayers to the family of Michael Brown and the entire Ferguson community. Tonight, we stand before the House as Representatives of our communities and as concerned citizens. We stand here to say we, too, mourn Michael Brown. We mourn his loss and what it represents--the very real fear and frustration of Black and brown families across the Nation who worry for their sons. We are here to speak for those who are weary after another incident of a young Black man being killed by police. Ferguson speaks to the broader challenges we face as a Nation--race relations--but particularly the fraught relationship between the Black community and the police. Members of my family have and do serve in law enforcement, and I am fortunate that, for most of my life, I have been able to have many positive personal experiences with that community. My grandparents' grocery store in Harlem always had police officers checking in. On the whole, I believe those who put their lives on the line for our communities are good, but that doesn't negate the fact that, in America today, we still have too many in the Black community who fear the police or feel disrespected by the police, including my son and his friends, and we still have too many police officers who fear the Black community.…”