Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank you, Congressman Jeffries, for leading the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour on this very important topic tonight, a topic that has once again captured national attention and sparked a dialogue in communities across this Nation. On Friday, President Obama helped provide context to the emotion Americans--and particularly African American men--have had around the tragedy of Trayvon Martin. Over the weekend, people of all ages and races gathered at Federal Government buildings in their cities to stand together, to rise up for justice and in honor of Trayvon. To many, the verdict we all heard on Saturday, July 13, was a miscarriage of justice, a consistent failure of our system that we've seen in this country one too many times. But tonight, I want to broaden this conversation on race and justice in America. I want to talk about how the emotion and discontent we are seeing from the average community and people of other races in this country is about much more than the Zimmerman verdict. Much of the emotion we are seeing is in response to the continual attack on the rights and the closing of doors to opportunity for millions of individuals in this country. I'm not just talking about African Americans tonight. I'm talking about people who come from poor families, who are trying to find their way out of a cycle of poverty.…”