Political Quotes

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I represent the Second District of Mississippi. I would like to pay tribute to those four Historically Black Colleges that reside in the Second District, but before I do, I want to, for the Record, make sure that people understand the role of Historically Black Colleges and how they actually came to exist. For those who think education has always been here for anyone who would want it, I just take you back to that 150 years ago that my colleague from North Carolina talked about. Well, that 150 years was the beginning of people recognizing that African Americans should have the opportunity to go to school, just like anyone else. But, unfortunately, in this country, if you were of color, there were no provisions for you to have a college education. So, for a lot of people in this country, it didn't matter how bright they were, it was the fact that there were no institutions available for you to go. It is also important to look at my situation in my area that I represent, Mr. Speaker. When I went to college, I had never met an African-American doctor, lawyer, dentist, or anything because they didn't exist. When I got to college, my college physician was an African American, but I went to Tougaloo College. He was a graduate of Tougaloo, and he had to go to medical school out of State because no medical school would admit him.…”