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National Baptist Convention - New Orleans 9/8/89 [3]
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06963455
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/5/89
9/6/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION, USA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON Wednesday, September
6, with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
All comments
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Sept. 4, 1989
Draft: Seven
Title: Baptists
89 SEP 5 P12 : 09
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989/2:30 p.m.
Reverend Jemison, members of the staff and members of the
board of directors.
((You know, with so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I
almost expect to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") )
((PAUSE))
((The last time I was here, I addressed thousands of
Republicans. Now I am addressing sixteen thousand Baptists, and
I'm just as anxious to make a good impression today as I was
then. But Barbara put it all in perspective for me. She said:
"Now George, just imagine you're standing in front of another
Sunday school class. "))
( (But I never had a Sunday school class this big. ))
((PAUSE))
Well, every Sunday school student knows that it is written
in the Bible that wherever two or three people gather together to
worship, there is a church. And, in many ways, that is what we
have here for a few days in New Orleans -- the biggest
congregation inside the biggest church on Earth. ( (PAUSE))
You draw your inspiration from the faith of a great church.
It was the first American Baptists in Rhode Island who, as sons
of Pilgrims, led the campaign for religious toleration. It was
2
the Baptists who played an important role in securing our freedom
of religion in the American Constitution. It was the Baptists
who, as pioneers, built sturdy new churches on the empty plains
and prairies of the West. But it is another tradition that we
honor in New Orleans today. We honor your parents and
grandparents, who were also brave pioneers -- pioneers who blazed
trails into another frontier -- the freedom frontier. ( (PAUSE) )
It took this convention, the leadership of your pastors and
your people, to extend the struggle for freedom to all men and
women. ( (PAUSE) ) It took leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., Wyatt Tee Walker, E.V. Hill, Jerry Moore and T.J. Jemison.
And it took nothing less than another Great Awakening -- an
awakening to the promise of civil rights. ( (PAUSE) )
I have watched this movement blossom in my lifetime, from my
days in college to my days in Congress. So know one thing: in
the struggle for equality and opportunity, your hopes and dreams
are the highest aspirations of my Presidency. ( (PAUSE) )
It was just more than a year ago that I was privileged to
give a nominating address here, one in which I promised our
country would stand for a greater tolerance. I said, "We've come
far, but I think we need a new harmony among the races in our
country. We're on a journey to a new century, and we've got to
leave the tired old baggage of bigotry behind."
Of course, discrimination is not the only problem that we
face today. Just as you led America in the civil rights
3
movement, SO you are now leading communities struggling with
another national problem.
Is it crime? Not quite. Is it homelessness? No, not by
itself. Is it drugs? Yes, but it is even more than that. As
serious as all of these problems are, they are related to another
one -- the decline of the most basic of all institutions -- the
family. Too many children in America are growing up without
direction, without values, without esteem for themselves or
anyone else. So our goal is simple, and it is vital: We must
work together to save the American family. ((PAUSE))
Family life is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara,
and as it is for you. Strong families are bound by more than
blood; they are bound by the precious memories of Christmas
morning, a toddler's first steps, a grandfather's tall tales, and
the lasting pride of a graduation ceremony. And our families are
bound by something else: simple acts of learning and teaching;
simple acts to instill the values of fairness, honesty and hard
work.
Of course, there are more single parents today than ever
before. And, difficult though it may be, most single parents are
raising happy, well-adjusted children with the help of family and
friends, and by drawing on their own inner strength. But imagine
the lonely plight of a single mother who has no help; who has no
money; who has no ability to keep her kids from being lost --
lost to the unhealthy life of the streets. So to save the
4
American family also means providing support for these parents,
who are struggling against tough odds.
Nor can we ignore the difficulties of poor working couples
with children. The challenge of strengthening these families
requires both public and private efforts. And church leadership
is meeting the challenge -- in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, where hungry families find sustenance; in
ministries where Baptists are providing families with everything
from high chairs to a hand-up.
You know that no matter how close-knit your family may be,
the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is our problem. When one generation is raised
without values, it uncoils Starts a chain of misery that weighs down
future generations. Almost half of all black families are headed
by one parent, and many of these parents are overwhelmed. And
because they are overwhelmed, four out of ten black children live
in poverty. And because of this, it is becoming harder for your
churches to reach so many promising young men and women.
How can you teach respect for a hard-earned dollar, when
easy drug money flourishes? ((PAUSE))
How can you teach that achievement is found in quiet moments
and subtle rewards, when a murderous materialism // glitters//
with the promise of gold chains, // fast cars/ / and fashion
clothes? ((PAUSE))
5
How can you teach a young black man, living in poverty, to
work for a better future, when he has a greater chance of going
to prison than of going to college? ((PAUSE))
In short, without strong families, how can values triumph
over vice?
The answers can only come from the heart, from the heart of
every parent. And the answers can come from you, from the people
of our churches.
I have come to New Orleans today to pledge my support and to
recognize your heroic efforts. We can work together in many ways
to strengthen families, with greater choice in child-care and
education; and by replacing the crippling fear of crime with the
promise of opportunity.
First, let me begin with child-care. Often, while parents
work, love and care comes from the extended family --
grandparents, aunts and uncles. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already taken a load off the shoulders of working parents, some
single; some together. And in this same spirit, I offer a few
ways government can help.
I have proposed a child-care tax credit, to be focused on
those who need such assistance the most -- the working poor.
But this approach is different from past programs, because
it would empower parents, not the government, to choose the best
care for their children -- be it a grandparent, a neighbor or a
6
local church. We need to give parents a choice in their
children's care, not take it away.
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is time we
sent them a message. Just as we should support single-parent
families, so we should also support two-parent families where one
parent chooses to care for the children at home. And we should
never, never discriminate against religiously affiliated child
care. ((PAUSE) )
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of family
and love that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist
Church. And, if necessary, I am determined to protect Shiloh and
every other church-affiliated child-care center in America with
my veto pen. ((PAUSE))
But child-care for families is not enough. Families need
opportunity: I want to renew my proposal for federal enterprise
zones, to bring opportunity to the barren lots of the South
Bronx, to the streets of Watts, to farm towns and to every
community in need. And also I renew my proposal for tenant
management of public housing. We can no longer deny these people
the autonomy and the dignity they deserve. ((PAUSE))
These are ways to bring opportunity to those who need it
most. But opportunity will be wasted if young men and women lack
the means to take advantage of it. And that means education.
Today's job market will settle for nothing less than full
literacy, and an aptitude for skilled labor. And those who are
7
incapable -- and they are great in number -- will fall further
and further behind.
What's the answer? I see you pointing the way. For a
century and a half, your churches have demonstrated the
liberating power of learning. Annie Rose, a community leader in
Alexandria, Virginia, tells a fascinating story about her father.
You see, Annie Rose is 95-years-old, and her father, Henry Rose,
was born into slavery.
Liberated at age 21, Henry Rose walked all the way from
Texas to Virginia, and worked on the railroad until a Baptist
society sponsored him at a seminary school. Annie Rose says her
father was so poor that when he graduated, he had to wear a boot
on one foot and a shoe on the other. But Henry Rose had
something better than a matching pair of shoes. He had
knowledge. He had pride. And as a Baptist minister, he founded
five churches and two schools, establishing institutions with
great traditions of service that live on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this remarkable man's life. If
a he could beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and
prejudice to lead a community, then any obstacle can be overcome.
And we will overcome. Opportunity comes when we give
parents and students greater choice. This means magnet schools;
this means public and private partnerships like "Say Yes to
Education," which sends impoverished minority students to
college; and this means increased support for historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
8
But education is more than schooling; it is nothing less
than the communication of values. And once again, you are
leading the way. Just look right here New Orleans, where the
Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young men for
adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program. ((PAUSE))
But to get to school, to get to work, to get to a child-care
center, families must also be free to walk the streets of their
cities without fear. And today, freedom from fear means freedom
from drugs. ((PAUSE)) That is why Tuesday night I announced an
all-out assault, a way to attack the drug menace on every front.
Nowhere are drug dealers more vicious, more predatory, than
to 05
in the inner-city. They've turned whole communities into war
zones, making the routine of daily life miserable and dangerous
for thousands of honest families. It is time to get tough. Let
us join together to sweep out these merchants of death, to
dmg
reclaim our cities, to reclaim our streets. ((PAUSE)
)
outandi have just reittrate duy
To provide child-care, to improve education, to create
opportunity and to defeat drugs -- these are steps to strengthen
families that require nothing less than a sustained national
effort, a national partnership. I believe government can and
should be a strong partner.
As I said here just a little more than a year ago: "A
government that remembers that the people are its master is a
good and needed thing. I respect old fashioned common sense, and
have no great love for the imaginings of social planners. I like
what's been tested and found to be true."
9
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America is
turning to today. Americans will always come back to our basic
traditions, our values.
So I'm an optimist. I believe we will reach out to families
in need. I believe we will see a strengthening of the many
patterns of family life. And I believe we will see a sharing of
values -- values rooted in the conviction that we, as individuals
and as families are engaged in a single enterprise called
America.
Thank you for all that you've done. And thank you for
inviting me to New Orleans.
God bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
let pure makesh Jength stayo this may
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/5/89
9/6/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION, USA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON Wednesday, September
6, with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
23 : 21d No 9 comment FEE $18.68 from Legislative Affairs.
Rob Partman 9/6/89
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Date: 9/6/sp
TO: Chriss Winston
FROM:
Office CLARK of KENT National ERVIN Service Lis
x6266
Action
Your Comment
Let's Talk
Pla 9 dES 68
FYI
Att-leck are am suggeted verinut to
the Prevident's speed to the Baptists.
Nate that in whiching to resirious marked n
the text, there is a separate typed
inst which shall precede the
pealtimate pmgngh m the first
PP
069634SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/5/89
9/6/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION, USA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON Wednesday, September
6, with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Sept. 4, 1989
Draft: Seven
Title: Baptists
89 SEP 5 P12 : 09
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989/2:30 p.m.
Reverend Jemison, members of the staff and members of the
board of directors.
((You know, with so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I
almost expect to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In"))
((PAUSE))
((The last time I was here, I addressed thousands of
Republicans. Now I am addressing sixteen thousand Baptists, and
I'm just as anxious to make a good impression today as I was
then. But Barbara put it all in perspective for me. She said:
"Now George, just imagine you're standing in front of another
Sunday school class. "))
((But I never had a Sunday school class this big.) )
((PAUSE))
actually verse
Well, every Sunday school student knows that it is written
in the Bible that wherever two or three people gather together to
they who
worship, there is a church. And, in many ways, that is what we
have here for a few days in New Orleans -- the biggest
Where
or are
congregation inside the biggest church on Earth. ((PAUSE))
Shere my acgetter
You draw your inspiration from the faith of a great church.
It was the first American Baptists in Rhode Island who, as sons
.3
there
of Pilgrims, led the campaign for religious toleration. It was
Home am the
inidst
them". be wg So tend toirated This And innecurately. of it correctly paragraph w
2
the Baptists who played an important role in securing our freedom
of religion in the American Constitution. It was the Baptists
who, as pioneers, built sturdy new churches on the empty plains
and prairies of the West. But it is another tradition that we
honor in New Orleans today. We honor your parents and
grandparents, who were also brave pioneers -- pioneers who blazed
trails into another frontier -- the freedom frontier. ( (PAUSE) )
It took this convention, the leadership of your pastors and
your people, to extend the struggle for freedom to all men and
women. ( (PAUSE)) It took leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., Wyatt Tee Walker, E.V. Hill, Jerry Moore and T.J. Jemison.
And it took nothing less than another Great Awakening -- an
awakening to the promise of civil rights. ( (PAUSE))
I have watched this movement blossom in my lifetime, from my
days in college to my days in Congress. So know one thing: in
the strugg (among le for equality and opportunity, your hopes and dreams
was
are the highest aspirations of my Presidency. ( (PAUSE))
first
It was just more than a year ago that I was privileged to
7
give a nominating address here, one in which I promised our
knokening.
country would stand for a greater tolerance. I said, "We've come
far, but I think we need a new harmony among the races in our
country. We're on a journey to a new century, and we've got to
leave the tired old baggage of bigotry behind."
Of course, discrimination is not the only problem that we
face today. Just as you led America in the civil rights
3
movement, so you are now leading communities struggling with
another national problem.
Is it crime? Not quite. Is it homelessness? No, not by
itself. Is it drugs? Yes, but it is even more than that. As
serious as all of these problems are, they are related to another
one -- the decline of the most basic of all institutions -- the
family. Too many children in America are growing up without
direction, without values, without esteem for rof themselves or
anyone else. So our goal is simple, and it is vital: We must
work together to save the American family. ((PAUSE))
Family life is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara,
and as it is for you. Strong families are bound by more than
blood; they are bound by the precious memories of Christmas
morning, a toddler's first steps, a grandfather's tall tales, and
the lasting pride of a graduation ceremony. And our families are
bound by something else: simple acts of learning and teaching;
simple acts to instill the values of fairness, honesty and hard
work.
Fogether
Of course, there are more single parents today than ever
before. And, difficult though it may be, most single parents are
raising happy, well-adjusted children with the help of family and
friends, and by drawing on their own inner strength. But imagine
the lonely plight of a single mother who has no help; who has no
money; who has no ability to keep her kids from being lost --
lost to the unhealthy life of the streets. So to save the
4
American family also means providing support for these parents,
who are struggling against tough odds.
Nor can we ignore the difficulties of poor working couples
with children. The challenge of strengthening these families
requires both public and private efforts. And church leadership
is meeting the challenge -- in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, where hungry families find sustenance; in
ministries where Baptists are providing families with everything
from high chairs to a hand-up. sense of self-estlem
You know that no matter how close-knit your family may be,
the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is everyoned our problem. When one generation is raised
without values, it uncoils a chain of misery that weighs down
future generations. Almost half of all black families are headed
by one parent, and many of these parents are overwhelmed. And
because they are overwhelmed, four out of ten black children live
in poverty. And because of this, it is becoming harder for your
churches to reach so many promising young men and women.
How can you teach respect for a hard-earned dollar, when
easy drug money flourishes? ((PAUSE))
the classroom
How can you teach that achievement is found in quiet moments
and subtle rewards, when a murderous greedy materialism // glitters/ /
with the promise of gold chains / fast cars/ / and fashion fast
C clothes? ((PAUSE))
M.
the warkplace
living
5
How can you teach a young black man, living in poverty, to
work for a better future, when he has a greater chance of going
to prison than of going to college? ((PAUSE))
In short, without strong families, how can values virtue triumph
over vice?
The answers can only come from the heart, from the heart of
every parent. And the answers can come from you, from the people
of our churches.
I have come to New Orleans today to pledge my support and to
recognize your heroic efforts. We can work together in many ways
to strengthen families, with greater choice in child-care and
education; and by replacing the crippling fear of crime with the
promise of opportunity.
First, let me begin with child-care. Often, while parents
work, love and care comes from the extended family --
grandparents, aunts and uncles. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already taken a load off the shoulders of working parents, some
single; some together. And in this same spirit, I offer a few
ways government can help.
I have proposed a child-care tax credit, to be focused on
those who need such assistance the most -- the working poor.
But this approach is different from past programs, because
it would empower parents, not the government, to choose the best
care for their children -- be it a grandparent, a neighbor or a
6
local church. We need to give parents a choice in their
children's care, not take it away.
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is time we
sent them a message. Just as we should support single-parent
families, so we should also support two-parent families where one
parent chooses to care for the children at home. And we should
never, never discriminate against religiouslyaffiliated child
care. ( (PAUSE) )
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of family
and love that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist
Church. And, if necessary, I am determined to protect Shiloh and
every other church-affiliated child-care center in America with
my veto pen. ((PAUSE))
But child-care for families is not enough. Families need
opportunity: I want to renew my proposal for federal enterprise
zones, to bring opportunity to the barren lots of the South
Bronx, to the streets of Watts, to farm towns and to every
community in need. And also I renew my proposal for tenant
management of public housing. We can no longer deny these people
the autonomy and the dignity they deserve. ( (PAUSE))
These are ways to bring opportunity to those who need it
most. But opportunity will be wasted if young men and women lack
the means to take advantage of it. And that means education.
Today's job market will settle for nothing less than full
literacy, and an aptitude for skilled labor. And those who are
7
incapable -- and they are great in number -- will fall further
and further behind.
What's the answer? I see you pointing the way. For a
century and a half, your churches have demonstrated the
liberating power of learning. Annie Rose, a community leader in
Alexandria, Virginia, tells a fascinating story about her father.
You see, Annie Rose is 95-years-old, and her father, Henry Rose,
was born into slavery.
Liberated at age 21, Henry Rose walked all the way from
Texas to Virginia, and worked on the railroad until a Baptist
society sponsored him at a seminary school. Annie Rose says her
father was so poor that when he graduated, he had to wear a boot
on one foot and a shoe on the other. But Henry Rose had
something better than a matching pair of shoes. He had
knowledge. He had pride. And as a Baptist minister, he founded
five churches and two schools, establishing institutions with
great traditions of service that live on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this remarkable man's life. If
he could beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and
prejudice to lead a community, then any obstacle can be overcome.
And we will overcome. Opportunity comes when we give
parents and students greater choice. This means magnet schools;
this means public and private partnerships like "Say Yes to
Education," which sends impoverished minority students to
college; and this means increased support for historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
8
But education is more than schooling; it is nothing less
than the communication of values. And once again, you are
leading the way. Just look right here New Orleans, where the
Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young men for
adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program. ( (PAUSE) )
But to get to school, to get to work, to get to a child-care
center, families must also be free to walk the streets of their
cities without fear. And today, freedom from fear means freedom
from drugs. ((PAUSE)) That is why Tuesday night I announced an
all-out assault, a way to attack the drug menace on every front.
Nowhere are drug dealers more vicious, more predatory, than
in the inner-city. They've turned whole communities into war
zones, making the routine of daily life miserable and dangerous
for thousands of honest families. It is time to get tough. Let
us join together to sweep out these merchants of death, to
reclaim our cities, to reclaim our streets. ( (PAUSE))
To provide child-care, to improve education, to create
opportunity and to defeat drugs -- these are steps to strengthen
families that require nothing less than a sustained national
effort, a national partnership. I believe government can and
should be a strong partner.
As I said here just a little more than a year ago: "A
government that remembers that the people are its master is a
good and needed thing. I respect old fashioned common sense, and
)
have no great love for the imaginings of social planners. I like
what's been tested and found to be true."
9
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America is
turning to today. Americans will always come back to our basic
traditions, our values.
So I'm an optimist. I believe we will reach out to families
in need. I believe we will see a strengthening of the many
patterns of family life. And I believe we will see a sharing of
values -- values rooted in the conviction that we, as individuals
and as families are engaged in a single enterprise called
America.
Thank you for all that you've done. K And thank you for
inviting me to New Orleans.
God bless you and God bless America.
#
INSERT
Thank # you fr centime what # to you do better Vince to mhe
Arrens a a
place.
Last June in New York, I delivered a speech in which I outlined
what I have called my "Points of Light" initiative, a three-part
strategy to make community service central to the life and work
of every American and every American institution. To talk to you
about community service is truly to preach to the choir. For at
the very core of your faith is the conviction that any definition
of a successful life must include serving others. As the
Scriptures say of the Saviour, "He went about doing good".
The solution to the social problems that we face today and that I
have discussed with you here - the disintegration of the family,
illiteracy and poor educational performance, drugs and crime -
ultimately depends to a very large degree on what you and your
communities do. You must help me to carry the message to every
corner of America that the problems of our communities are
everyone's responsibility. Our salvation lies in the commitment
of every man, woman, child and institution in America to play a
direct and consequential role in community problem solving.
069634SS
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/5/89
9/6/89 NOON
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION, USA
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
CARD
WINSTON
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
BENNETT
FITZWATER
PETERSMEYER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please forward any comments directly to Chriss Winston,
Rm. 122, x2930, no later than NOON Wednesday, September
6, with a copy to my office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
See comments
SEP 6 All 49
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
Davis/Martin
Sept. 4, 1989
Draft: Seven
Title: Bâptists
89 SEP 5 P12 : 09
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989/2:30 p.m.
Reverend Jemison, members of the staff and members of the
board of directors.
((You know, with so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I
almost expect to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") )
((PAUSE))
((The last time I was here, I addressed thousands of
Republicans. Now I am addressing sixteen thousand Baptists, and
I'm just as anxious to make a good impression today as I was
then. But Barbara put it all in perspective for me. She said:
"Now George, just imagine you're standing in front of another
Sunday school class. ) )
( (But I never had a Sunday school class this big. ))
((PAUSE))
Well, every Sunday school student knows that it is written
in the Bible that wherever two or three people gather together to
worship, there is a church. And, in many ways, that is what we
have here for a few days in New Orleans -- the biggest
congregation inside the biggest church on Earth. ((PAUSE))
You draw your inspiration from the faith of a great church.
It was the first American Baptists in Rhode Island who, as sons
of Pilgrims, led the campaign for religious toleration. It was
2
the Baptists who played an important role in securing our freedom
of religion in the American Constitution. It was the Baptists
who, as pioneers, built sturdy new churches on the empty plains
and prairies of the West. But it is another tradition that we
honor in New Orleans today. We honor your parents and
grandparents, who were also brave pioneers -- pioneers who blazed
trails into another frontier -- the freedom frontier. ( (PAUSE) )
It took this convention, the leadership of your pastors and
your people, to extend the struggle for freedom to all men and
women. ((PAUSE) ) It took leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., Wyatt Tee Walker, E.V. Hill, Jerry Moore and T.J. Jemison.
And it took nothing less than another Great Awakening -- an
awakening to the promise of civil rights. ( (PAUSE) )
I have watched this movement blossom in my lifetime, from my
days in college to my days in Congress. So know one thing: in
the struggle for equality and opportunity, your hopes and dreams
are the highest aspirations of my Presidency. ( (PAUSE) )
It was just more than a year ago that I was privileged to
give a nominating address here, one in which I promised our
country would stand for a greater tolerance. I said, "We've come
far, but I think we need a new harmony among the races in our
country. We're on a journey to a new century, and we've got to
leave the tired old baggage of bigotry behind."
Of course, discrimination is not the only problem that we
face today. Just as you led America in the civil rights
3
movement, SO you are now leading communities struggling with
another national problem.
Is it crime? Not quite. Is it homelessness? No, not by
itself. Is it drugs? Yes, but it is even more than that. As
serious as all of these problems are, they are related to another
one -- the decline of the most basic of all institutions -- the
family. Too many children in America are growing up without
direction, without values, without esteem for themselves or
anyone else. So our goal is simple, and it is vital: We must
work together to save the American family. ((PAUSE))
Family life is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara,
and as it is for you. Strong families are bound by more than
blood; they are bound by the precious memories of Christmas
morning, a toddler's first steps, a grandfather's tall tales, and
the lasting pride of a graduation ceremony. And our families are
bound by something else: simple acts of learning and teaching;
simple acts to instill the values of fairness, honesty and hard
work.
Of course, there are more single parents today than ever
before. And, difficult though it may be, most single parents are
raising happy, well-adjusted children with the help of family and
friends, and by drawing on their own inner strength. But imagine
the lonely plight of a single mother who has no help; who has no
money; who has no ability to keep her kids from being lost --
lost to the unhealthy life of the streets. So to save the
4
American family also means providing support for these parents,
who are struggling against tough odds.
Nor can we ignore the difficulties of poor working couples
with children. The challenge of strengthening these families
requires both public and private efforts. And church leadership
is meeting the challenge -- in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, where hungry families find sustenance; in
ministries where Baptists are providing families with everything
from high chairs to a hand-up.
You know that no matter how close-knit your family may be,
the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
Jolen 05178
problem. It is our problem. When one generation is raised
without values, it uncoils a chain of misery that weighs down
About
with children
future generations. Almost half of all black families are headed
by one parent, and many of these parents are overwhelmed. And
more than
because they are overwhelmed, four out of ten black children live
-
in poverty. And because of this, it is becoming harder for your
churches to reach so many promising young men and women.
How can you teach respect for a hard-earned dollar, when
easy drug money flourishes? ( (PAUSE))
How can you teach that achievement is found in quiet moments
and subtle rewards, when a murderous materialism // glitters/ /
with the promise of gold chains, // fast cars / / and fashion
clothes? ((PAUSE))
5
How can you teach a young black man, living in poverty, to
work for a better future, when he has a greater chance of going
to prison than of going to college? ((PAUSE))
In short, without strong families, how can values triumph
over vice?
The answers can only come from the heart, from the heart of
every parent. And the answers can come from you, from the people
of our churches.
I have come to New Orleans today to pledge my support and to
recognize your heroic efforts. We can work together in many ways
to strengthen families, with greater choice in child-care and
education; and by replacing the crippling fear of crime with the
promise of opportunity.
First, let me begin with child-care. Often, while parents
work, love and care comes from the extended family --
grandparents, aunts and uncles. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already taken a load off the shoulders of working parents, some
single; some together. And in this same spirit, I offer a few
ways government can help.
I have proposed a child-care tax credit, to be focused on
Holer
low-income
5178
those who need such assistance the most -- the working poor Afamilies.
But this approach is different from past programs, because
it would empower parents, not the government, to choose the best
care for their children -- be it a grandparent, a neighbor or a
6
local church. We need to give parents a choice in their
children's care, not take it away.
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is time we
sent them a message. Just as we should support single-parent
families, so we should also support two-parent families where one
parent chooses to care for the children at home. And we should
never, never discriminate against religiously affiliated child
care. ((PAUSE))
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of family
and love that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist
Church. And, if necessary, I am determined to protect Shiloh and
every other church-affiliated child-care center in America with
my veto pen. ( (PAUSE))
But child-care for families is not enough. Families need
opportunity: I want to renew my proposal for federal enterprise
zones, to bring opportunity to the barren lots of the South
Bronx, to the streets of Watts, to farm towns and to every
community in need. And also I renew my proposal for tenant
management of public housing. We can no longer deny these people
the autonomy and the dignity they deserve. ( (PAUSE) )
These are ways to bring opportunity to those who need it
most. But opportunity will be wasted if young men and women lack
the means to take advantage of it. And that means education.
Today's job market will settle for nothing less than full
literacy, and an aptitude for skilled labor. And those who are
7
incapable -- and they are great in number -- will fall further
and further behind.
What's the answer? I see you pointing the way. For a
century and a half, your churches have demonstrated the
liberating power of learning. Annie Rose, a community leader in
Alexandria, Virginia, tells a fascinating story about her father.
You see, Annie Rose is 95-years-old, and her father, Henry Rose,
was born into slavery.
Liberated at age 21, Henry Rose walked all the way from
Texas to Virginia, and worked on the railroad until a Baptist
society sponsored him at a seminary school. Annie Rose says her
father was so poor that when he graduated, he had to wear a boot
on one foot and a shoe on the other. But Henry Rose had
something better than a matching pair of shoes. He had
knowledge. He had pride. And as a Baptist minister, he founded
five churches and two schools, establishing institutions with
great traditions of service that live on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this remarkable man's life. If
a he could beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and
prejudice to lead a community, then any obstacle can be overcome.
And we will overcome. Opportunity comes when we give
parents and students greater choice. This means magnet schools;
this means public and private partnerships like "Say Yes to
Education," which sends impoverished minority students to
college; and this means increased support for historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
8
But education is more than schooling; it is nothing less
than the communication of values. And once again, you are
leading the way. Just look right here New Orleans, where the
Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young men for
adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program. ((PAUSE))
But to get to school, to get to work, to get to a child-care
center, families must also be free to walk the streets of their
cities without fear. And today, freedom from fear means freedom
from drugs. (PAUSE) ) That is why Tuesday night I announced an
all-out assault, a way to attack the drug menace on every front.
Nowhere are drug dealers more vicious, more predatory, than
in the inner-city. They've turned whole communities into war
zones, making the routine of daily life miserable and dangerous
for thousands of honest families. It is time to get tough. Let
us join together to sweep out these merchants of death, to
reclaim our cities, to reclaim our streets. ((PAUSE))
To provide child-care, to improve education, to create
opportunity and to defeat drugs -- these are steps to strengthen
families that require nothing less than a sustained national
effort, a national partnership. I believe government can and
should be a strong partner.
As I said here just a little more than a year ago: "A
government that remembers that the people are its master is a
good and needed thing. I respect old fashioned common sense, and
have no great love for the imaginings of social planners. I like
what's been tested and found to be true."
9
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America is
turning to today. Americans will always come back to our basic
traditions, our values.
So I'm an optimist. I believe we will reach out to families
in need. I believe we will see a strengthening of the many
patterns of family life. And I believe we will see a sharing of
values -- values rooted in the conviction that we, as individuals
and as families are engaged in a single enterprise called
America.
Thank you for all that you've done. And thank you for
inviting me to New Orleans.
God bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
Davis/Martin
Sept. 4, 1989
Draft: Seven
Title: Baptists
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989/2:30 p.m.
Reverend Jemison, members of the staff and members of the
board of directors.
((You know, with so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I
almost expect to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In")
((PAUSE))
((The last time I was here, I addressed thousands of
Republicans. Now I am addressing sixteen thousand Baptists, and
I'm just as anxious to make a good impression today as I was
then. But Barbara put it all in perspective for me. She said:
"Now George, just imagine you're standing in front of another
Sunday school class. ) )
( (But I never had a Sunday school class this big.))
((PAUSE))
are
Well, every Sunday school student knows that it is written
in the Bible that wherever two or three people gather together to
2
worship, there is a church. And, in many ways, that is what we
have here for a few days in New Orleans -- the biggest
congregation inside the biggest church on Earth. ((PAUSE))
You draw your inspiration from the faith of a great church.
It was the first American Baptists in Rhode Island who, as sons
of Pilgrims, led the campaign for religious toleration. It was
2
the Baptists who played an important role in securing our freedom
of religion in the American Constitution. It was the Baptists
who, as pioneers, built sturdy new churches on the empty plains
and prairies of the West. But it is another tradition that we
honor in New Orleans today. We honor your parents and
grandparents, who were also brave pioneers -- pioneers who blazed
trails into another frontier -- the freedom frontier. ( (PAUSE) )
It took this convention, the leadership of your pastors and
your people, to extend the struggle for freedom to all men and
women. ( (PAUSE) ) It took leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., Wyatt Tee Walker, E.V. Hill, Jerry Moore and T.J. Jemison.
And it took nothing less than another Great Awakening -- an
awakening to the promise of civil rights. ( (PAUSE))
I have watched this movement blossom in my lifetime, from my
days in college to my days in Congress. So know one thing: in
the struggle for equality and opportunity, your hopes and dreams
are the highest aspirations of my Presidency. ((PAUSE))
It was just more than a year ago that I was privileged to
give a nominating address here, one in which I promised our
country would stand for a greater tolerance. I said, We ve come
&
far, but I think we need a new harmony among the races in our
country. We're on a journey to a new century, and we've got to
leave the tired old baggage of bigotry behind."
Of course, discrimination is not the only problem that we
face today. Just as you led America in the civil rights
3
movement, so you are now leading communities struggling with
another national problem.
Is it crime? Not quite. Is it homelessness? No, not by
itself. Is it drugs? Yes, but it is even more than that. As
serious as all of these problems are, they are related to another
one -- the decline of the most basic of all institutions -- the
family. Too many children in America are growing up without
direction, without values, without esteem for themselves or
anyone else. So our goal is simple, and it is vital: We must
work together to save the American family. ((PAUSE))
Family life is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara,
and as it is for you. Strong families are bound by more than
blood; they are bound by the precious memories of Christmas
morning, a toddler's first steps, a grandfather's tall tales, and
the lasting pride of a graduation ceremony. And our families are
bound by something else: simple acts of learning and teaching;
simple acts to instill the values of fairness, honesty and hard
work.
Of course, there are more single parents today than ever
before. And, difficult though it may be, most single parents are
raising happy, well-adjusted children with the help of family and
friends, and by drawing on their own inner strength. But imagine
the lonely plight of a single mother who has no help; who has no
money; who has no ability to keep her kids from being lost --
lost to the unhealthy life of the streets. So to save the
4
American family also means providing support for these parents,
who are struggling against tough odds.
Nor can we ignore the difficulties of poor working couples
with children. The challenge of strengthening these families
requires both public and private efforts. And church leadership
is meeting the challenge -- in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, where hungry families find sustenance; in
ministries where Baptists are providing families with everything
from high chairs to a hand-up.
You know that no matter how close-knit your family may be,
the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is our problem. When one generation is raised
without values, it uncoils a chain of misery that weighs down
future generations. Almost half of all black families are headed
by one parent, and many of these parents are overwhelmed. And
because they are overwhelmed, four out of ten black children live
in poverty. And because of this, it is becoming harder for your
churches to reach so many promising young men and women.
How can you teach respect for a hard-earned dollar, when
easy drug money flourishes? ((PAUSE))
How can you teach that achievement is found in quiet moments
and subtle rewards, when a murderous materialism // glitters//
with the promise of gold chains, // fast cars// and fashion
clothes? ((PAUSE))
NOT TO GIVE UP ON THEMSELUES,
WHEN EVERY ONE ELSE
(PERSUADE
5
HAS ALREADY given
ORWOMAN up on inom.
How can you teach a young PLACK man, living in poverty, to
that HARD work PAYS off, when TORALT
work for a better future, when he has a greater chance of going
The THAT esse EXTURE CPHERRS $102.00
to prison than of going to college? ( (PAUSE))
In short, without strong families, how can values triumph
over vice?
The answers can only come from the heart, from the heart of
every parent. And the answers can come from you, from the people
of our churches.
I have come to New Orleans today to pledge my support and to
recognize your heroic efforts. We can work together in many ways
to strengthen families, with greater choice in child-care and
education; and by replacing the crippling fear of crime with the
promise of opportunity.
First, let me begin with child-care. Often, while parents
work, love and care comes from the extended family --
grandparents, aunts and uncles. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already taken a load off the shoulders of working parents, some
single; some together. And in this same spirit, I offer a few
ways government can help.
I have proposed a child-care tax credit, to be focused on
those who need such assistance the most -- the working poor.
But this approach is different from past programs because
it would empower parents, not the government, to choose the best
care for their children -- be it a grandparent, a neighbor or a
ITSEEMS AS iF
6
local church. We need to give parents a choice in their
children's care, not take it away.
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is time we
sent them a message. Just as we should support single-parent
families, so we should also support two-parent families where one
parent chooses to care for the children at home. And we should
never, never discriminate against religiously affiliated child
care. ((PAUSE))
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of family
and love that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist
Church. And, if necessary, I am determined to protect Shiloh and
every other church-affiliated child-care center in America, with
my veto pen. ( (PAUSE))
But child-care for families is not enough. Families need
opportunity: I want to renew my proposal for federal enterprise
zones, to bring opportunity to the barren lots of the South
Bronx, to the streets of Watts, to farm towns and to every
community in need. And also I renew my proposal for tenant
management of public housing. We can no longer deny these people
the autonomy and the dignity they deserve. ((PAUSE))
These are ways to bring opportunity to those who need it
most. But opportunity will be wasted if young men and women lack
the means to take advantage of it. And that means education.
Today's job market will settle for nothing less than full
literacy, and an aptitude for skilled labor. And those who are
7
incapable -- and they are great in number -- will fall further
and further behind.
What's the answer? I see you pointing the way. For a
century and a half, your churches have demonstrated the
liberating power of learning. Annie Rose, a community leader in
Alexandria, Virginia, tells a fascinating story about her father.
You see, Annie Rose is 95-years-old, and her father, Henry Rose,
was born into slavery.
Liberated at age 21, Henry Rose walked all the way from
Texas to Virginia, and worked on the railroad until a Baptist
society sponsored him at a seminary school. Annie Rose says her
father was so poor that when he graduated, he had to wear a boot
on one foot and a shoe on the other. But Henry Rose had
something better than a matching pair of shoes. He had
knowledge. He had pride. And as a Baptist minister, he founded
five churches and two schools, establishing institutions with
great traditions of service that live on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this remarkable man's life. If
a he could beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and
prejudice to lead a community, then any obstacle can be overcome.
shall
And we will overcome. Opportunity comes when we give
parents and students greater choice. This means magnet schools;
this means public and private partnerships like "Say Yes to
Education," which sends impoverished minority students to
college; and this means increased support for historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
8
But education is more than schooling; it is nothing less
than the communication of values. And once again, you are
leading the way. Just look right here New Orleans, where the
Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young men for
adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program. ( (PAUSE))
But to get to school, to get to work, to get to a child-care
center, families must also be free to walk the streets of their
cities without fear. And today, freedom from fear means freedom
from drugs. ( (PAUSE)) That is why Tuesday night I announced an
all-out assault, a way to attack the drug menace on every front.
Nowhere are drug dealers more vicious, more predatory, than
in the inner-city. They've turned whole communities into war
zones, making the routine of daily life miserable and dangerous
for thousands of honest families. It is time to get tough. Let
us join together to sweep out these merchants of death, to
reclaim our cities, to reclaim our streets. ( (PAUSE) )
To provide child-care, to improve education, to create
opportunity and to defeat drugs -- these are steps to strengthen
families that require nothing less than a sustained national
effort, a national partnership. I believe government can and
should be a strong partner.
As I said here just a little more than a year ago: "A
government that remembers that the people are its master is a
good and needed thing. I respect old fashioned common sense, and
have no great love for the imaginings of social planners. I like
what's been tested and found to be true."
9
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America is
turning to today. Americans will always come back to our basic
traditions, our values.
So I'm an optimist. I believe we will reach out to families
in need. I believe we will see a strengthening of the many
patterns of family life. And I believe we will see a sharing of
values -- values rooted in the conviction that we, as individuals
and as families are engaged in a single enterprise called
America.
Thank you for all that you've done. And thank you for
inviting me to New Orleans.
God bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 5, 1989
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
LEE S. LIBERMAN
ASSOCIATE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
National Baptist Convention Speech
Counsel's Office has no objection to the above-captioned draft
speech.
52:25 L PEP 68
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION FILE
NEW ORLEANS CONVENTION CENTER
SEPT. 8, 1989/2:30 P.M.
REVEREND JEMISON, REVEREND CLARK AND RICHARDSON,
DR. BEN Hooks, BOARD OF DIRECTORS. FRIENDS.
((You KNOW, WITH so MANY BAPTISTS HERE IN NEW
ORLEANS, I ALMOST EXPECT To HEAR: "WHEN THE SAINTS COME
MARCHING IN")) ((PAUSE))
- 2 -
((THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE WAS LAST AUGUST 18TH. I
WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AND I ADDRESSED THOUSANDS OF
REPUBLICANS. Now I AM ADDRESSING FIFTEEN THOUSAND
BAPTISTS, BUT THE FEELING OF SPEAKING BEFORE SUCH A
HUGE AUDIENCE IS THE SAME. BARBARA PUT IT ALL IN
PERSPECTIVE FOR ME. SHE SAID: "Now GEORGE, JUST
IMAGINE YOU'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF ANOTHER SUNDAY
SCHOOL CLASS. "))
and
- 3 -
((BUT I NEVER HAD A SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS THIS BIG.))
((PAUSE))
WELL, I HAVE COME TO NEW ORLEANS TO TELL YOU
SOMETHING, AND I WILL SAY IT PLAINLY: YOUR GOOD WORKS
ARE THE INSPIRATION OF AMERICA.
AND YOU, IN TURN, DRAW YOUR INSPIRATION FROM THE
FAITH OF GREAT CHURCH. IT WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN
BAPTISTS IN RHODE ISLAND WHO LED THE CAMPAIGN FOR
RELIGIOUS TOLERATION.
- 4 -
IT WAS THE BAPTISTS WHO PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN
SECURING OUR FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN THE AMERICAN
CONSTITUTION. IT WAS THE BAPTISTS WHO, AS PIONEERS,
BUILT STURDY NEW CHURCHES ON THE EMPTY PLAINS AND
PRAIRIES OF THE WEST. BUT IT IS ANOTHER TRADITION THAT
WE HONOR IN NEW ORLEANS TODAY. WE HONOR YOUR PARENTS
AND GRANDPARENTS, WHO WERE ALSO BRAVE PIONEERS --
PIONEERS WHO BLAZED TRAILS INTO ANOTHER FRONTIER -- THE
FREEDOM FRONTIER. ((PAUSE))
- 5 -
IT TOOK THIS CONVENTION, THE LEADERSHIP OF YOUR
PASTORS AND PEOPLE, TO EXTEND THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
TO ALL MEN AND WOMEN. ((PAUSE)) IT TOOK LEADERS LIKE
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., WYATT TEE WALKER, E.V.
HILL, JERRY MOORE, T.J. JEMISON, AND BEN Hooks. AND IT
TOOK NOTHING LESS THAN ANOTHER GREAT AWAKENING -- AN
AWAKENING TO THE PROMISE OF CIVIL RIGHTS. ((PAUSE))
- 6 -
I HAVE WATCHED THIS MOVEMENT BLOSSOM IN MY
LIFETIME, FROM MY DAYS IN COLLEGE TO MY DAYS IN
CONGRESS. So KNOW ONE THING: IN THE STRUGGLE FOR
EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY, YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS ARE
AMONG THE HIGHEST ASPIRATIONS OF MY PRESIDENCY.
((PAUSE))
WE'RE ON A JOURNEY TO A NEW CENTURY, AND WE'VE GOT TO
LEAVE THE TIRED OLD BAGGAGE OF BIGOTRY BEHIND.
- 7 -
OF COURSE, DISCRIMINATION IS NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM
THAT WE FACE TODAY. JUST AS YOU LED AMERICA IN THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, so YOU ARE NOW LEADING
COMMUNITIES STRUGGLING WITH ANOTHER NATIONAL PROBLEM.
Is IT CRIME? NOT QUITE. Is IT HOMELESSNESS? No,
NOT BY ITSELF. Is IT DRUGS? YES, BUT IT IS EVEN MORE
THAN THAT. As SERIOUS AS ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE,
THEY ARE RELATED TO ANOTHER ONE -- THE DECLINE OF THE
MOST BASIC OF ALL INSTITUTIONS -- THE FAMILY.
- 8 -
Too MANY CHILDREN IN AMERICA ARE GROWING UP WITHOUT
DIRECTION, WITHOUT VALUES, WITHOUT ESTEEM FOR
THEMSELVES OR ANYONE ELSE. So OUR GOAL IS SIMPLE, AND
IT IS VITAL: WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE THE AMERICAN
FAMILY. ((PAUSE))
- 9 -
FAMILY LIFE MUST BE OUR SOURCE OF STRENGTH. IT IS
FOR BARBARA, ME, AND IT IS FOR YOU. STRONG FAMILIES
ARE BOUND BY MORE THAN BLOOD; THEY ARE BOUND BY THE
PRECIOUS MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS MORNING, A TODDLER'S
FIRST STEPS, A GRANDFATHER'S TALL TALES, AND THE
LASTING PRIDE OF A GRADUATION CEREMONY. AND OUR
FAMILIES ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY SOMETHING ELSE: SIMPLE
ACTS OF LEARNING AND TEACHING; SIMPLE ACTS TO INSTILL
THE VALUES OF FAIRNESS, HONESTY AND HARD WORK.
- 10 -
OF COURSE, THERE ARE MORE SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES
TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE. AND, DIFFICULT THOUGH IT MAY
BE, MOST SINGLE PARENTS ARE RAISING HAPPY, WELL-
ADJUSTED CHILDREN WITH THE HELP OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS,
AND BY DRAWING ON THEIR OWN INNER STRENGTH.
- 11 -
BUT IMAGINE THE LONELY PLIGHT OF A SINGLE MOTHER WHO
HAS NO HELP; WHO HAS NO MONEY; WHO HAS NO ABILITY TO
KEEP HER KIDS FROM BEING LOST -- LOST TO THE UNHEALTHY
LIFE OF THE STREETS. So TO SAVE THE AMERICAN FAMILY
ALSO MEANS PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THESE PARENTS, WHO ARE
STRUGGLING AGAINST TOUGH ODDS. NOR CAN WE IGNORE THE
DIFFICULTIES OF POOR WORKING COUPLES WITH CHILDREN.
THE CHALLENGE OF STRENGTHENING THESE FAMILIES REQUIRES
BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE EFFORTS.
- 12 -
AND CHURCH LEADERSHIP IS MEETING THE CHALLENGE -- IN
MINISTRIES LIKE THAT OF E.V. HILL OF Los ANGELES, WHERE
HUNGRY FAMILIES FIND SUSTENANCE; IN MINISTRIES WHERE
BAPTISTS ARE PROVIDING FAMILIES WITH EVERYTHING FROM
HIGH CHAIRS TO A HAND-UP.
You KNOW THAT NO MATTER HOW CLOSE-KNIT YOUR FAMILY
MAY BE, THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY IS NOT JUST
SOMEONE ELSE'S PROBLEM. IT IS EVERYONE'S PROBLEM.
- 13 -
WHEN ONE GENERATION IS RAISED WITHOUT VALUES, IT STARTS
A CHAIN OF MISERY THAT WEIGHS DOWN FUTURE GENERATIONS.
ABOUT HALF OF ALL BLACK FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN ARE
HEADED BY ONE PARENT, AND MANY OF THESE PARENTS ARE
OVERWHELMED. AND BECAUSE THEY ARE OVERWHELMED, MORE
THAN FOUR OUT OF TEN BLACK CHILDREN LIVE IN POVERTY.
AND BECAUSE OF THIS, IT IS BECOMING HARDER FOR YOUR
CHURCHES To REACH so MANY PROMISING YOUNG MEN AND
WOMEN.
- 14 -
How CAN YOU TEACH RESPECT FOR A HARD-EARNED DOLLAR,
WHEN EASY DRUG MONEY FLOURISHES? ((PAUSE))
How CAN YOU TEACH THAT ACHIEVEMENT IS FOUND IN
QUIET MOMENTS AND SUBTLE REWARDS, WHEN A MURDEROUS
MATERIALISM // GLITTERS// WITH THE PROMISE OF GOLD
CHAINS, // FAST CARS// AND FASHION CLOTHES? ((PAUSE))
How CAN YOU PERSUADE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN TO HAVE
FAITH IN THEMSELVES IF THEIR PARENTS HAVE LOST ALL
FAITH? ((PAUSE))
- 15 -
IN SHORT, WITHOUT STRONG FAMILIES, HOW CAN VALUES
TRIUMPH OVER VICE?
THE ANSWERS CAN ONLY COME FROM THE HEART, FROM THE
HEART OF EVERY PARENT. AND THE ANSWERS CAN COME FROM
YOU, FROM THE PEOPLE OF OUR CHURCHES.
- 16 -
I HAVE COME TO NEW ORLEANS TODAY TO PLEDGE MY
SUPPORT AND TO RECOGNIZE YOUR HEROIC EFFORTS. WE CAN
WORK TOGETHER IN MANY WAYS TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES, WITH
GREATER CHOICE IN CHILD-CARE AND EDUCATION; AND BY
REPLACING THE CRIPPLING FEAR OF CRIME WITH THE PROMISE
OF OPPORTUNITY.
FIRST, LET ME BEGIN WITH CHILD-CARE. OFTEN, WHILE
PARENTS WORK, LOVE AND CARE COME FROM THE EXTENDED
FAMILY -- GRANDPARENTS, AUNTS AND UNCLES.
- 17 -
AND IN MANY WAYS, THE CHURCH COMMUNITY IS THE GREATEST
EXTENDED FAMILY OF ALL. I'VE SEEN THAT SPIRIT OF FAMILY
AND LOVE PERMEATE THE DAY-CARE CENTER AT SHILOH BAPTIST
CHURCH IN WASHINGTON.
- 18 -
YOUR GREAT CHURCH HAS ALREADY TAKEN A LOAD OFF THE
SHOULDERS OF WORKING PARENTS, SOME SINGLE; SOME
TOGETHER. As WE WORK TO SOLVE THE CHILD CARE PROBLEMS
OF THIS COUNTRY, I AM DETERMINED TO PROTECT SHILOH AND
EVERY OTHER CHURCH-SPONSORED CHILD CARE CENTER IN
AMERICA.
IN THAT SPIRIT, I OFFER A FEW WAYS GOVERNMENT CAN
HELP.
- 19 -
I HAVE PROPOSED A CHILD-CARE TAX CREDIT, FOCUSED ON
THOSE WHO NEED SUCH ASSISTANCE THE MOST -- LOW-INCOME
FAMILIES.
BUT THIS APPROACH IS DIFFERENT FROM PAST PROGRAMS.
IT WOULD EMPOWER PARENTS, NOT THE GOVERNMENT, TO CHOOSE
THE BEST CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN -- BE IT A
GRANDPARENT, A NEIGHBOR OR A LOCAL CHURCH. WE NEED TO
GIVE PARENTS A CHOICE IN THEIR CHILDREN'S CARE, NOT
TAKE IT AWAY.
- 20 -
YET SOME IN CONGRESS DO NOT AGREE. PERHAPS IT IS
TIME WE SENT THEM A MESSAGE JUST AS WE SHOULD SUPPORT
SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES, so WE SHOULD ALSO SUPPORT TWO-
PARENT FAMILIES WHERE ONE PARENT CHOOSES TO CARE FOR
THE CHILDREN AT HOME.
AND SOME WOULD DISCRIMINATE AGAINST CHURCH-
SPONSORED CHILD CARE. I SAY THAT'S WRONG.
WHEN IT COMES To CHILD CARE, WE NEED MORE CHURCHES
NOT MORE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION. (PAUSE)
Yet SOME IN CONGRESS DO NOT AGREE. PERHAPS IT IS
TIME WE SENT THEM A MESSAGE. JUST AS WE SHOULD SUPPORT
SINGLE-PARENT FAMILIES, SO WE SHOULD ALSO SUPPORT TWO-
PARENT FAMILIES WHERE ONE PARENT CHOOSES TO CARE FOR
THE CHILDREN AT HOME.
AND SOME WOULD DISCRIMINATE AGAINST CHURCH-
SPONSORED CHILD CARE. I SAY THAT'S WRONG.
WHEN IT COMES TO CHILD CARE, WE NEED MORE CHURCHES
INVOLVED NOT MORE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION. (PAUSE)
- 21 -
WE NEED MORE CONGREGATIONS, WITH LOVE AND CONCERN
HELPING TO TAKE CARE OF OUR CHILDREN -- NOT MORE
GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS TELLING US HOW TO DO IT. (PAUSE)
AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED A CHILD CARE POLICY
THAT PUTS MONEY IN THE POCKETS OF PARENTS AND CHOICE IN
THE HANDS OF PARENTS.
BUT CHILD-CARE FOR FAMILIES IS NOT ENOUGH.
FAMILIES NEED OPPORTUNITY: I WANT TO RENEW MY PROPOSAL
FOR FEDERAL ENTERPRISE ZONES, TO BRING OPPORTUNITY TO
THE BARREN LOTS OF THE SOUTH BRONX, TO THE STREETS OF
WATTS, TO FARM TOWNS AND TO EVERY COMMUNITY IN NEED.
- 23 -
AND ALSO I RENEW MY PROPOSAL FOR TENANT MANAGEMENT OF
PUBLIC HOUSING. WE CAN NO LONGER DENY ANY OF OUR
PEOPLE THE AUTONOMY AND THE DIGNITY THEY DESERVE.
((PAUSE))
- 24 -
AND THEY DESERVE SOMETHING ELSE - A SAFE PLACE TO RAISE
THEIR CHILDREN AND JUST LIVE THEIR LIVES. AND so I'VE
ORDERED HUD TO TARGET AN ADDITIONAL $50 MILLION TO
EVICT THE DEALERS FROM PUBLIC HOUSING. LET'S GIVE
THESE KIDS A FIGHTING CHANCE TO LIVE A LIFE WITHOUT
DRUGS.
- 25 -
BUT I ASK YOU TODAY TO HELP ME. JOIN THE BATTLE TO
HELP DRIVE THESE DEALERS OUT ONCE AND FOR ALL. BECAUSE
THERE'S ONE THING I'M SURE OF: 11 IF THE 15,000 PEOPLE
IN THIS HALL - YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILIES, AND YOUR
NEIGHBORS - WHEN AMERICA DECIDES THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,
THE DEALERS WON'T STAND A CHANCE.
- 26 -
YES, WE MUST BRING OPPORTUNITY TO THOSE WHO NEED IT
MOST. BUT OPPORTUNITY WILL BE WASTED IF YOUNG MEN AND
WOMEN LACK THE MEANS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. AND THAT
MEANS EDUCATION.
TODAY'S JOB MARKET WILL SETTLE FOR NOTHING LESS
THAN FULL LITERACY, AND AN APTITUDE FOR SKILLED LABOR.
AND THOSE WHO ARE INCAPABLE -- AND THEY ARE GREAT IN
NUMBER -- WILL FALL FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND.
- 27 -
WHAT'S THE ANSWER? I SEE YOU POINTING THE WAY.
FOR A CENTURY AND A HALF, YOUR CHURCHES HAVE
DEMONSTRATED THE LIBERATING POWER OF LEARNING. No ONE
BETTER EXEMPLIFIES THIS TRADITION THEN THE REVEREND
HENRY ROSE, BORN INTO SLAVERY AND LIBERATED AT AGE 21.
HENRY ROSE WALKED ALL THE WAY FROM TEXAS TO
VIRGINIA, AND WORKED ON THE RAILROAD UNTIL A BAPTIST
SOCIETY SPONSORED HIM AT A SEMINARY SCHOOL.
- 28 -
REVEREND ROSE WAS so POOR THAT WHEN HE GRADUATED, HE
HAD TO WEAR A BOOT ON ONE FOOT AND A SHOE ON THE OTHER.
BUT HENRY ROSE HAD SOMETHING BETTER THAN A MATCHING
PAIR OF SHOES. HE HAD KNOWLEDGE. HE HAD PRIDE. AND
AS A BAPTIST MINISTER, HE FOUNDED FIVE CHURCHES AND TWO
SCHOOLS, ESTABLISHING INSTITUTIONS WITH GREAT
TRADITIONS OF SERVICE THAT LIVE ON TO THIS DAY.
- 29 -
THERE IS A LESSON FOR US IN THIS REMARKABLE MAN'S
LIFE. IF HE COULD BEAT THE OVERWHELMING ODDS OF
SLAVERY, OPPRESSION AND PREJUDICE To LEAD A COMMUNITY,
THEN ANY OBSTACLE CAN BE OVERCOME.
- 30 -
AND WE SHALL OVERCOME. WHEN WE GIVE PARENTS AND
STUDENTS GREATER CHOICE. THIS MEANS MAGNET SCHOOLS;
THIS MEANS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS LIKE "SAY
YES TO EDUCATION," WHICH SENDS IMPOVERISHED MINORITY
STUDENTS TO COLLEGE; AND THIS MEANS INCREASED SUPPORT
FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
BUT EDUCATION IS MORE THAN SCHOOLING; IT IS NOTHING
LESS THAN THE COMMUNICATION OF VALUES. AND ONCE AGAIN,
YOU ARE LEADING THE WAY.
- 31 -
JUST LOOK RIGHT HERE IN NEW ORLEANS, WHERE THE GREATER
LIBERTY BAPTIST CHURCH IS PREPARING MANY YOUNG MEN FOR
ADULTHOOD THROUGH ITS BLACK MANHOOD TRAINING PROGRAM.
((PAUSE))
BUT TO GET TO SCHOOL, TO GET TO WORK, TO GET TO A
CHILD-CARE CENTER, FAMILIES MUST ALSO BE FREE TO WALK
THE STREETS OF THEIR CITIES WITHOUT FEAR. AND TODAY,
FREEDOM FROM FEAR MEANS FREEDOM FROM DRUGS. ((PAUSE))
- 32 -
THAT IS WHY TUESDAY NIGHT I ANNOUNCED OUR NATION'S
FIRST COMPREHENSIVE, COORDINATED ALL-OUT ASSAULT; A WAY
TO ATTACK THE DRUG MENACE ON EVERY FRONT.
I BELIEVE THE CONGRESS WILL EVENTUALLY WORK WITH
ME, TO MAKE OUR NATIONAL STRATEGY THE LAW OF THE LAND.
BUT, MY SURPRISE -- AND PERHAPS TO YOUR'S AS WELL --
BEFORE I EVEN PRESENTED MY PLAN TO YOU, THE PARTISAN
ATTACKS HAD ALREADY BEGUN.
- 33 -
THIS IS NOT THE ISSUE FOR PARTISAN POLITICS. THIS
IS NOT THE TIME FOR PARTISAN POLITICS. THIS IS THE
TIME TO COME TOGETHER AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR
HISTORY, PASS A NATIONAL STRATEGY To FIGHT DRUGS.
WE CAN BEAT THE SCOURGE OF DRUGS IF WE FIGHT AS A
NATION UNITED. Theyre doing just that here in
New Onliams w here 22 drug free 30mls have been set up
to ma new Onlions Refer Place and west of here, in The bo deaux,
taking drug tests, This is exactly the united effects we need of
local police sit an crambe for their community any votum torely
americas is whom the was on dray,
- 34 -
To PROVIDE CHILD-CARE, To IMPROVE EDUCATION, TO
CREATE OPPORTUNITY AND TO DEFEAT DRUGS -- THESE ARE
STEPS TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES THAT REQUIRE NOTHING LESS
THAN A SUSTAINED NATIONAL EFFORT, A NATIONAL
PARTNERSHIP. I BELIEVE GOVERNMENT CAN AND SHOULD BE A
STRONG PARTNER. BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE SOLUTION
TO THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS FACING US TODAY ULTIMATELY
DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITIES DO.
restablesh community and formly
- 35 -
I LIKE WHAT'S BEEN TESTED AND FOUND TO BE TRUE.
YOUR FAITH HAS BEEN TESTED. YOUR VALUES HAVE BEEN
FOUND TO BE TRUE. AND IT IS YOUR FAITH AND YOUR VALUES
THAT AMERICA IS TURNING TO TODAY.
So I'M AN OPTIMIST. I BELIEVE WE CAN REACH OUT TO
FAMILIES IN NEED. I BELIEVE WE CAN SEE A STRENGTHENING
OF THE MANY PATTERNS OF FAMILY LIFE.
- 36 -
AND I BELIEVE WE WILL SEE A SHARING OF VALUES -- VALUES
ROOTED IN THE CONVICTION THAT WE, AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS
FAMILIES ARE ENGAGED IN A SINGLE, WONDERFUL ENTERPRISE
CALLED AMERICA.
GOD BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA.
# # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
89 SEP 8 P7 : 08
Sept. 6, 1989
INFORMATION
PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
MARK DAVIS MD
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
Cu'
SUBJECT:
Baptists
I. SUMMARY
The National Baptist Convention USA, 7.5 million members strong,
is the nation's largest black denomination; and the third largest
Protestant denomination in the country.
II. DISCUSSION
This speech addresses the socially conservative views of this
group, based on the premise that values begin with strong
families. It relates stronger families to 1) your child-care
provision, which supports religiously affiliated child care; 2)
opportunity programs like enterprise zones and tenant-management
of public housing; 3) the value of education, and 4) freedom from
fear, which means freedom from drugs.
Please take particular note of page 8. This passage describes
the low-road approach of those who criticize your drug plan.
Gov. Buddy Roemer and Ben Hooks may attend. This speech is
telepromptered.
Davis/Martin
Sept. 6, 1989
Draft: Nine
Title: Baptists
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989/2:30 p.m.
Reverend Jemison, members of the staff and members of the
board of directors.
( (You know, with so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I
almost expect to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In"))
((PAUSE) (won Aug 21988 - - ago. I was presid
((The last time I was here I addressed thousands of
president,
Republicans. Now I am addressing twelve thousand Baptists, and-
but the Rulling of speaking before such a
hurge audience is the same.
then Barbara put it all in perspective for though. me She said:
"Now George, just imagine you're standing in front of another
Sunday school class. ") )
( (But I never had a Sunday school class this big.) )
((PAUSE))
Well, I have come to New Orleans to tell you something, and
I will say it plainly: Your good works are the inspiration of
America.
And you, in turn, draw your inspiration from the faith of a
great church. It was the first American Baptists in Rhode Island
who led the campaign for religious toleration. It was the
Baptists who played an important role in securing our freedom of
religion in the American Constitution. It was the Baptists who,
2
as pioneers, built sturdy new churches on the empty plains and
prairies of the West. But it is another tradition that we honor
in New Orleans today. We honor your parents and grandparents,
who were also brave pioneers -- pioneers who blazed trails into
another frontier -- the freedom frontier. ( (PAUSE) )
It took this convention, the leadership of your pastors and
your people, to extend the struggle for freedom to all men and
women.
( (PAUSE) ) It took leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., Wyatt Tee Walker, E.V. Hill, Jerry Moore and T.J. Jemison.
And it took nothing less than another Great Awakening -- an
awakening to the promise of civil rights. ( (PAUSE) )
I have watched this movement blossom in my lifetime, from my
days in college to my days in Congress. So know one thing: in
the struggle for equality and opportunity, your hopes and dreams
are among the highest aspirations of my Presidency. ((PAUSE) )
We're on a journey to a new century, and we've got to leave the
tired old baggage of bigotry behind.
of course, discrimination is not the only problem that we
face today. Just as you led America in the civil rights
movement, so you are now leading communities struggling with
another national problem.
Is it crime? Not quite. Is it homelessness? No, not by
itself. Is it drugs? Yes, but it is even more than that. As
serious as all of these problems are, they are related to another
one -- the decline of the most basic of all institutions -- the
family. Too many children in America are growing up without
3
direction, without values, without esteem for themselves or
anyone else. So our goal is simple, and it is vital: We must
work together to save the American family. ((PAUSE))
must be our
Family life source of strength, as It is for Barbara me,
and
it is for you. Strong families are bound by more than
blood; they are bound by the precious memories of Christmas
morning, a toddler's first steps, a grandfather's tall tales, and
the lasting pride of a graduation ceremony. And our families are
bound together by something else: simple acts of learning and
teaching; simple acts to instill the values of fairness, honesty
and hard work.
of course, there are more single parent families today than
ever before. And, difficult though it may be, most single
parents are raising happy, well-adjusted children with the help
of family and friends, and by drawing on their own inner
strength. But imagine the lonely plight of a single mother who
has no help; who has no money; who has no ability to keep her
kids from being lost -- lost to the unhealthy life of the
streets. So to save the American family also means providing
support for these parents, who are struggling against tough odds.
Nor can we ignore the difficulties of poor working couples
with children. The challenge of strengthening these families
requires both public and private efforts. And church leadership
is meeting the challenge -- in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, where hungry families find sustenance; in
4
ministries where Baptists are providing families with everything
from high chairs to a hand-up.
You know that no matter how close-knit your family may be,
the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is everyone's problem. When one generation is
raised without values, it starts a chain of misery that weighs
down future generations. About half of all black families with
children are headed by one parent, and many of these parents are
overwhelmed. And because they are overwhelmed, more than four
out of ten black children live in poverty. And because of this,
it is becoming harder for your churches to reach so many
promising young men and women.
How can you teach respect for a hard-earned dollar, when
easy drug money flourishes? ( (PAUSE) )
How can you teach that achievement is found in quiet moments
and subtle rewards, when a murderous materialism // glitters//
with the promise of gold chains,// fast cars// and fashion
clothes? ((PAUSE))
How can you persuade young men and women to have faith in
themselves if their parents have lost all faith? ( (PAUSE))
In short, without strong families, how can values triumph
over vice?
The answers can only come from the heart, from the heart of
every parent. And the answers can come from you, from the people
of our churches.
5
I have come to New Orleans today to pledge my support and to
recognize your heroic efforts. We can work together in many ways
to strengthen families, with greater choice in child-care and
education; and by replacing the crippling fear of crime with the
promise of opportunity.
First, let me begin with child-care. Often, while parents
work, love and care come from the extended family --
grandparents, aunts and uncles. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already taken a load off the shoulders of working parents, some
single; some together. And in this same spirit, I offer a few
ways government can help.
I have proposed a child-care tax credit, to be focused on
those who need such assistance the most -- low-income families.
But this approach is different from past programs, because
it would empower parents, not the government, to choose the best
care for their children -- be it a grandparent, a neighbor or a
local church. We need to give parents a choice in their
children's care, not take it away.
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is time we
sent them a message. Just as we should support single-parent
families, so we should also support two-parent families where one
parent chooses to care for the children at home. And we should
never, discriminate against religiously-affiliated child care.
((PAUSE))
Some Not say Go Federal the to Mony Church for affiliated Child Care child
should
Carre. 1 one kids
need more church guidan
I
I engawe say we need work
6
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of family
and love that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist
Church. I am determined to protect Shiloh and every other
church-affiliated child-care center in America. ((PAUSE))
But child-care for families is not enough. Families need
opportunity: I want to renew my proposal for federal enterprise
zones, to bring opportunity to the barren lots of the South
Bronx, to the streets of Watts, to farm towns and to every
community in need. And also I renew my proposal for tenant
management of public housing. We can no longer deny these
I need your
people oudreig straty will
the autonomy and the dignity they deserve.
(
(PAUSE)
with
And since I've neutioned public housing - help
me
for it
These are ways to bring opportunity to those who need it
welp down
MP
Yes we
the drug
most. But opportunity will be wasted if young men and women lack
pushus
the means to take advantage of it. And that means education.
out at
Today's job market will settle for nothing less than full
puble
literacy, and an aptitude for skilled labor. And those who are
hover
incapable -- and they are great in number -- will fall further
and further behind.
What's the answer? I see you pointing the way. For a
century and a half, your churches have demonstrated the
liberating power of learning. Annie Rose, a community leader in
Alexandria, Virginia, tells a fascinating story about her father.
You see, Annie Rose is 95-years-old, and her father, Henry Rose,
was born into slavery.
Liberated at age 21, Henry Rose walked all the way from
Texas to Virginia, and worked on the railroad until a Baptist
7
society sponsored him at a seminary school. Annie Rose says her
father was so poor that when he graduated, he had to wear a boot
on one foot and a shoe on the other. But Henry Rose had
something better than a matching pair of shoes. He had
knowledge. He had pride. And as a Baptist minister, he founded
five churches and two schools, establishing institutions with
great traditions of service that live on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this remarkable man's life. If
he could beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and
prejudice to lead a community, then any obstacle can be overcome.
And we shall overcome. Opportunity comes when we give
parents and students greater choice. This means magnet schools;
this means public and private partnerships like "Say Yes to
Education," which sends impoverished minority students to
college; and this means increased support for historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
But education is more than schooling; it is nothing less
than the communication of values. And once again, you are
leading the way. Just look right here in New Orleans, where the
Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young men for
adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program. ( (PAUSE))
But to get to school, to get to work, to get to a child-care
center, families must also be free to walk the streets of their
cities without fear. And today, freedom from fear means freedom
from drugs. ((PAUSE)) That is why Tuesday night I announced our
8
nation's first comprehensive, coordinated all-out assault; a way
to attack the drug menace on every front.
I believe the Congress will eventually work with me, to make
our national strategy the law of the land. To my surprise -- and
perhaps to your's as well -- before I even presented my plan to
you, the partisan attacks had already begun. This is bad
politics his bad is not policy the issue and bad for for partner America politics. no This is not for the partners this
I challenge those who hunger for a partisan issue to take
politics
the high road instead, to work for our national strategy, not
the against East it the in on- history pass a National strategy to
This is the time to come together and for
I
challenge those who seek more spending and more taxes to fight
instead seek more cooperation and bipartisanship We can beat
the seourge, as long as we are a nation united we can beat
the scoure of drup if we Eigh
To provide child-care, to improve education, to create as it water
opportunity and to defeat drugs -- these are steps to strengthen
families that require nothing less than a sustained national
effort, a national partnership. I believe government can and
should be a strong partner. But I also believe that the solution
to the social problems facing us today ultimately depends on what
you and your communities do.
I respect old fashioned common sense, and have no great love
for the imaginings of social planners. I like what's been tested
and found to be true
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America is
turning to today.
9
So I'm an optimist. I believe we can reach out to families
in need. I believe we can see a strengthening of the many
patterns of family life. And I believe we will see a sharing of
values -- values rooted in the conviction that we, as individuals
and as families are engaged in a single enterprise called
America.
for america.
Thank you for all that you've done and for what you will
continue to do to make America a better place. And thank you for
inviting me to New Orleans.
God bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
Thank you for having me here today and