Bill Lee: “First, let me thank Congressman Dwight Evans for, once again, hosting this very important Special Order and for really…”

“First, let me thank Congressman Dwight Evans for, once again, hosting this very important Special Order and for really continuing this fight for racial and economic justice both here in the House of Representatives but also in his congressional district. So I thank the gentleman very much for his tremendous leadership. Fifty years ago at the height of the civil rights movement, violence erupted in cities across America. Over generations, systemic racism had produced what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called a tale of two cities. One city was bright and full of opportunity for a select few, and another city was shrouded in darkness and locked in a never-ending cycle of poverty. African Americans, suffocating under the pressure of institutional racism and discrimination, took to the streets. After race riots erupted in Watts and Chicago; Newark, New Jersey; and Detroit, our government took notice. President Johnson convened the Kerner Commission, which Congressman Evans laid out, which had three goals to investigate the root cause of the unrest. Many activists and civil rights leaders were concerned that the Commission wouldn't reveal the true facts. But to our surprise--and I remember this very clearly--the report was brutally honest. According to the report, White racism was responsible for the rising tensions and explosive violence ripping our Nation apart. So that should have been a wake-up call.…”