Political Quotes

On the recordMay 17, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair, and I thank my good friend, David Cicilline, for his extraordinary leadership on this incredibly important legislation. The words, ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,'' were eloquent in their articulation but incomplete in their application. As the legendary Barbara Jordan once observed, those words did not originally apply to African Americans; they did not apply to people of color; they did not apply to Native Americans; they did not apply to women; they did not apply to members of the LGBT community. We have come a long way here in the United States of America, but we still have work to do. If you truly believe in liberty and justice for all, support the Equality Act. If you truly believe in equal protection under the law, support the Equality Act. If you truly believe that everybody is created equal and that we are all God's children, then support the Equality Act. Love does not discriminate, and neither should the law, regardless of sexual orientation and regardless of gender identity. It is time to support the Equality Act, and let's continue our Nation's long, necessary, and majestic march toward a more perfect Union.
Said by
Hakeem Jeffries
Democratic · New York

Share & report

More from Hakeem Jeffries

May 7, 2025

When the American people woke up this morning, they could reasonably ask the question, ‘What are their elected representatives on the floor of the House of Representatives going to be debating?’

msnbc.com
Apr 28, 2025

One of the reasons that [Judge] is a great hitter is that he does not swing at every pitch. He waits for the right one and then he swings. We’re not going to swing at every pitch. We’re going to swing at the ones that matter for the…

thenation.com
Apr 14, 2025

Republicans are trying to kill Social Security from the inside — it is a cut by another name — and we won’t let that happen.

msnbc.com

Other voices in this conversation