In
remarks at Little Rock A.M.E. Church in Charlotte, Hillary Clinton
discusses the fact that too many African American men like Keith Lamont
Scott have died in police incidents every year, and while we don’t yet
know all the facts of Lamont’s case, we must commit to fundamentally
reforming our criminal justice system and ensuring opportunity in every
community. Reflecting on the challenges that disproportionately affect
African Americans, Clinton said, “I worry about the safety and security
of my grandchildren, but my worries are not the same as black
grandmothers. They have different, and deeper fears about the world that
their grandchildren face.”
Clinton also laid out her plans to ensure African Americans can share in America’s prosperity. She vowed to promote policies that
would help African Americans get ahead and stay ahead by creating good
jobs and quality affordable housing in every zip code. Clinton said, “We
are called to care for and cherish each other. It’s not easy, it is
not. But that is our mission and that is what we are called to do, not
only as Christians but as Americans, as human beings to understand and
respect each other. To fight for each other’s children, each other’s
dignity, each other’s opportunity as if they were our own.” Clinton’s remarks, as transcribed, are below:
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
I
am so […] and so honored to be here. Thank you so much Reverend Dr.
Walker. Thanks to the members of the Little Rock A.M.E. Zion. I have to
confess – we were putting together the […] Rev. Walker was […]
But he told me his church […] 134 years ago was founded in a house on a rock and that rock has been sturdy and steady […]
I
am so delighted to be here with your Congresswoman, Congresswoman
Adams, who has a […] path in the Congress, such a […] of conviction. And
my thanks also to Donna […] for her leadership for that stirring
description […] Thank you so much.
This church for all those years
has been a source of strength and solace, for generations of
congregants and […] It has helped people get […]. It has helped people
deal with the sorrows that come […] and it has […] the world outside
challenged the faith that comes from belief. In here, in this
magnificent house of worship, we pray for peace when there is too much
violence outside of these walls. In here, we are called to confront
injustice, even when the world out there fails to see it. In here, we
see the world as it is, but we pray for the strength and wisdom to build
the world as it should be.
It has been 12 days since Mr. Scott
was shot and killed. Twelve days since his wife Rakeiya Scott watched
her husband die, and seven children lost their father. Now we don’t yet
know all the details about the shooting, but we do know this family and
this community is in pain. And therefore we pray for them and we pray
for all families who have suffered similar losses. But we do more than
pray. As Ms. Bradford said, ‘We do what each of us can do.’ Not everyone
can march, but everyone can talk, and everyone can reach out and
everyone can vote.
Too many African American families have been in
the same tragic situation that the Scott family has found themselves.
In fact, the day before Mr. Scott died, another father, Terence
Crutcher, was killed in a police encounter in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And there
have been many others. So many fathers and sons and even mothers and
daughters who have died either after encounters with the police or at
the hands of civilians with guns while they were doing things that were
ordinary, everyday activities. Walking home from the store with iced tea
and Skittles, listening to music in their car with friends.
And
we also know – and we must not forget – that violence has touched the
families of police officers. Men and women who put on the uniform and
put their lives on the line to protect others. From Dallas to Baton
Rouge to Philadelphia, the families of fallen officers have also been
dealt a great blow and they deserve our prayers as well.
It’s been
a hard year, hasn’t it? Think about how many times President Obama has
had to console our nation about another senseless tragedy, another
shattered family, another distressed community. And our children are
watching, and they feel it too. You’ve seen that right here in
Charlotte. Last Monday at the city council meeting, 10-year-old Taje
Gaddy said, ‘I wake up every morning scared that I won’t get to grow up
because I am black.’
A nine-year-old, Zianna Oliphant, who’s here
with us today, along with her brother Marquis and her family, also spoke
at that city council meeting, with tears pouring down her face. And
when I read what she had said, I had tears in my eyes too. She said, ‘We
are black people and we shouldn’t have to feel like this. It’s a shame
that our fathers and mothers are killed, and we can’t even see them
anymore. It’s a shame that we have to go to their graveyard and bury
them. We need our fathers and mothers to be by our side.’ What courage
and clarity that young lady showed to the world.
But can you
imagine, nine years old. She should be thinking about happy adventures,
dreaming about all the wonderful things her future holds for her.
Instead she’s talking about graveyards. Our entire country should take a
moment to really look at what’s going on here, and across America, to
imagine what we see on the news, and what we hear about, imagine through
our children’s eyes.
I’m a grandmother, and like every
grandmother I worry about the safety and security of my grandchildren,
but my worries are not the same as black grandmothers. They have
different, and deeper fears about the world that their grandchildren
face. It makes my heart ache, when kids like Zianna, are going through
this and trying to make sense of the absolutely senseless. I know how I
would feel. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if my grandchildren had to be
scared and worried the way too many children across our country feel
right now. But because my grandchildren are white, because they are the
grandchildren of a former president and secretary of state, let’s be
honest here – they won’t face the kind of fear that we heard from the
young children testifying before the city council.
You know, every
child deserves the same sense of security, every child deserves the
same hope. They should not be facing fear, they should be learning and
growing, imagining who they can be, and what their contributions to our
country could be as well. We’ve got to take action, we’ve got to start
now, not tomorrow, not next year, now. We know we can’t solve all these
problems over night, which means we don’t have a moment to lose.
Proverbs
tells us, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ So let’s hold
on to a common vision. Let’s come together to make America a place where
every child, no matter who they are, where they’re born or what they
look like, has the chance to live up to their God-given potential.
Being
stronger together with this common vision means rejecting those forces
that try to pit us against each other. We can acknowledge that implicit
bias still exists, not just in police departments but throughout our
country, without vilifying police officers. We can call for reforms to
policing, while still appreciating the many courageous and admirable
officers out there who are doing their jobs with honor and integrity.
I
think about an officer named Montrell Jackson. You might not have heard
of him, but I want you to. He was one of the officers murdered in Baton
Rouge. A few days before he died, he wrote on Facebook, he was black
but he wore blue. ‘In uniform,’ he wrote, ‘I get nasty, hateful looks.
Out of uniform, some consider me a threat. These are trying times.
Please don’t let hate infect your heart.’ And then he closed by saying
that if anyone saw him on patrol and wanted a hug, ‘I got you.’
Montrell
Jackson knew that making our communities safer and juster are not
conflicting ideas. And most officers will tell you they can’t do one
without the other. I believe we need end-to-end reform in our criminal
justice system, not half measures but full measures, with real
follow-through. In America everyone should be respected by the law and
have respect for the law.
That starts with being honest. Being
unafraid to face the facts. Face the fact that black men are far more
likely to be stopped, searched by police, charged with crimes and
sentenced to longer prison terms than white men for doing the same
thing. We need to fix a system where too many black parents are taken
from their kids and imprisoned for minor offenses. We need to make sure
our police officers are trained in de-escalating tense situations. We
need to dismantle the so-called school-to-prison pipeline, and instead
invest in education from early childhood through high school into higher
education. And yes we have got to fight for common sense reforms to
stop the epidemic of gun violence in our communities.
Gun violence
is by far the leading cause of death for young black men, more than the
next nine causes combined. We’ve got to make sure there are good jobs,
equality affordable housing in every zip code in America. We need to
make investments in communities that have been left out and left behind.
I am a strong supporter of Congressman Jim Clyburn’s plan to put 10
percent of our federal funds into 20 percent of the communities that
have generational poverty for 30 years or more.
Now, there are
some out there who see this as a moment to command the flames of
resentment and division. Who want to exploit people’s fears, even though
it means tearing our nation even further apart. They say that all of
our problems will be solved simply by more ‘law and order.’ As if the
systemic racism plaguing our country doesn’t exist. Now, of course we
need safe neighborhoods, no one is against that. Of course, we need
communities that are free from the epidemic of gun violence, of course
we need that. But we also need justice and dignity and equality, and we
can have both. This is not an either-or question for America.
I
want us to commit ourselves to this common vision. That is where I will
build on the work that President Obama has done. And I will be sure that
this is not just about a campaign or an election. This is much bigger
than an election. These are issues I’ve been fighting for since I was a
young lawyer working for the Children’s Defense Fund. Going to South
Carolina to try to get young teenagers, 13, 14-year-olds out of jails
with adult offenders. I care deeply about this because it’s not just
personal to so many of us, it’s about the kind of country you want to be
and the future we want for all of our children and grandchildren. I
think about that every time I see my grandchildren or every time I see a
bright, energetic, impressive young woman like Zianna. Come up here a
minute, would you?
I love your dress.
You know, God loves us
all, right? We are called to care for and cherish each other. It’s not
easy, it is not. But that is our mission and that is what we are called
to do, not only as Christians but as Americans, as human beings to
understand and respect each other. To fight for each other’s children,
each other’s dignity, each other’s opportunity as if they were our own.
Now, make no mistake, this is not easy work. You’ve been doing this
since Adam and Eve came here. But it is righteous work. Protecting all
of God’s children is America’s calling. Remember what scripture also
tells us: ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ We will not grow weary
and we will not lose heart. We will get up every single day have faith
in one another and in our future and work for that better day for all of
God’s people. Thank you.”
