Political Quotes

“When I think of most Americans, I know that one of the major components of our work ethic is that we believe in working hard. We are not standing in line for government subsidies or handouts. We simply want to be able to have an opportunity. Last evening, I was on the floor speaking of the unfortunate circumstances of this past week, such as the mischaracterization of what affirmative action really means, which is an opportunity for all of our students to go to institutions of higher learning with a diverse student body that embodies and reflects America, responding to the decrease in numbers of African Americans since the dismantling of affirmative action at schools like the University of Michigan, Berkeley, and others. We then follow that decision with untimely and unfortunate comments, first by an owner of a national basketball team. It baffles me when the owner indicates that he does not want to see Black people at his stadium. It amazes me because if he looks out onto the playing floor, he might see a lot of them. We find that sports is something that brings us all together, from all walks of life. Then we have an individual that represents himself as one of the true traditions of America, a rancher--and much of that is done in Texas-- who wants to suggest that African Americans would be better off picking cotton and having gardens and chickens. The reason I raise these issues today is because we have parts of our society that reflect those injustices.…”