Political Quotes

“The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King's vision of ending inequality through providing jobs, justice, and peace to all Americans is a vision that many have fought and died to make a reality. As the Civil Rights Movement battled against discrimination and inequality in the 1960's, I adopted Dr. King's vision of jobs, justice, and peace when I ran for Congress in 1964. I remember the Jim Crow era, poll taxes, and institutionalized segregation when I arrived in Congress. Yet, for all of these institutional scars and discriminatory impediments, the work we did in Congress aided in fulfilling the promises of equality enshrined in our Constitution. After a historic effort, the Civil Rights Act was passed, the Voting Rights Act was adopted, and a new era of federal protections around equality was ushered in the 20th Century. Some fifty years later, this era has yet to be fully realized. While the initial challenges of recognizing and upholding civil rights have been met, many of the original problems persist, but in an evolved form. Fifty plus years later, the American people confront issues of voter suppression, gender and sexual orientation discrimination. Many communities feel under siege from those sworn to protect their liberty. Hate crimes and religious intolerance are on the rise as reported nightly on the news. And women contend with a pay inequity hampering their standing with men in the workplace.…”