On the recordJune 13, 1996
There are individuals in this country who are trying to turn back the hands of time, trying to make 1996 look like 1896, but we are not going back. We have come too far now. We have come to a threshold of freedom, and we have reached the periphery of liberation and we have seen the ambition of liberty. We are not going back. There are those who try to burn opportunities by burning affirmative action. Some try to burn political inclusion by burning congressional districts, and some even try to burn our spirits by burning churches. But we are not going back. I am benefiting from fruits of a tree that I did not plant, I did not nourish, and I did not even shape. I am here today because of people like the gentleman from South Carolina who stood in those many lines and who marched the many highways. And I just want to say thanks to the gentleman, and I know I speak for the gentleman from Illinois as well.
Source
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