Donald M. Payne: “I would like to thank the gentlelady from Ohio. As I stated in my introduction of her, she has just demonstrated an…”

“I would like to thank the gentlelady from Ohio. As I stated in my introduction of her, she has just demonstrated an outstanding leadership in our class that is second to none, and we can always depend on her to bring some clear thought to these issues at hand, so we would like to thank her once again. Madam Speaker, tomorrow there will be a press conference at 1:30 with Representatives Caroline Maloney and G.K. Butterfield to discuss the new JEC report on persistent economic challenges in black communities. The report is bleak. There is not a lot of good news in this report. Nearly one in seven Americans identify themselves as African American. The third-largest racial ethnic group in the United States, African Americans have made significant social and economic progress since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; however, the black community continues to face enormous challenges. Economic data reveals startling inequities. By many of the most important measures of economic well-being, blacks lag far behind the majority white population. And that is just the overview of the report. That is just the start. I hope the people watching at home and my colleagues in earshot of me will be there tomorrow to support our colleagues at 1:30 at the HVC Studio A. I would like to give my colleague, Representative Kelly, the opportunity to provide us more information on the issue at hand.…”