Steve Cohen: “I thank the gentleman from Missouri for yielding, and I appreciate the whip for bringing this hour to the attention of…”

“I thank the gentleman from Missouri for yielding, and I appreciate the whip for bringing this hour to the attention of Members of Congress and the opportunity to speak on this historic 20th anniversary of this slaughter. I had the opportunity to visit Rwanda in the company of one of the great men who served in this House, Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey. Congressman Payne had made several trips to Rwanda and several trips to Africa. We visited the memorial there to the victims, which is a very special place in the world, burial spots and flowers and plaques and the museum company there, too. It made a great impression on me, and it would make a great impression on anybody. One thing that came out of the trip was my realization that today, in Rwanda, the Hutus and the Tutsis get along and that what was horrific 20 years ago, in one of the most horrific ethnic cleansings--or attempted ethnic cleansings and hate, atrocities, murders, over time, the Rwandan people have overcome them. The distinctions are no longer present, and the people do get along. Obviously, because of the horrific situation, there is an imbalance in the populations, and I am sure there are still some memories; but we do need to learn, as I am sure has been said, about when we turn to thinking of other people as different because we are all the same. There was a time a little after this, I think it was about 1999, when I was at Union Station.…”