Political Quotes

“Let me first say to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I want to thank you also for staying the course for freedom, justice, and equality for so many years. Thank you, Mr. Conyers, and thank you for yielding. Madam Speaker, let me say that I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1095, and I also must thank Congressman Al Green for introducing this very important resolution but also for his consistent voice for liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Congressman Green. The Fair Housing Act was critical in ending the rampant discrimination in the housing industry 40 years. Today the Fair Housing Act continues to play a vital and significant role in ensuring fair and equal access to housing for all Americans. It is in part due to the failure, however, of this administration to enforce these civil rights laws that led to the predatory lending practices that fueled the housing crisis our Nation now faces. Just like many other innovative and progressive ideas about equality and fairness, I must remind us of the fact that the Fair Housing Act had a California precursor: the Rumford Fair Housing Act, one of the first fair housing laws in the Nation. Former Assemblyman William Byron Rumford, the first African American from Northern California elected to the California legislature, and whose seat I was later honored to hold, passed this landmark bill in 1963, and today I also honor his memory and his legacy.”