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Stan Scott Tribute 9/11/91 [OA 6036] [2]
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Stan Scott Tribute 9/11/91 [OA 6036] [2]
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Folder Title:
Stan Scott Tribute 9/11/91 [OA 6036] [2]
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26
17
2
7
To POTUS
Snow/Dooley
September 9, 1991
Draft Two
SCOTT.TS
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
Washington Sheraton
September 11, 1991
7:30 P.M.
[Introductory Acknowledgments; including greetings from Lou
Sullivan]
[joke/comments about the audience]
Thank you for letting me join this tribute to Stan Scott,
and the Stanley Scott Scholarship Fund. Tonight, we praise our
close friend and say to Stan: Thanks.
Stan offers living proof that love nourishes virtue; that
hard work pays; that good things happen to good people and, most
impressive, that some journalists can turn to honest work. //
Four passions govern Stan's life: love of family; love of
country; love of adventure; and love of good works. [[I'm
leaving out his love of the Los Angeles Lakers. ]] //
His family instilled in Stan a hunger for knowledge. His
love of country inspired him to give back some of freedom's
blessings. His love of adventure gave him the courage to shift
careers without shifting gears: journalism, politics, corporate
communications, private business. His love of good works moved
him to try new ideas, new angles, new approaches; to make the
best of his gift for friendship.
2
If you look around this room, you get an appreciation of the
power of Stan's personality. Here, we have people of all colors,
all parties, all backgrounds. For this night, at least, Ron Brown
and Clayton Yeutter will not behave like Tyson and Holyfield.
They'll be what they are: friends who disagree. 11
Democrats such as Bill Gray and Sidney Barthelemy join
Republicans such as Connie Newman and Buddy Roemer.
We are here because we know that education can foster true
brotherhood. It can lead us as individuals and as a nation to
the true equality we have sought so long. It can dissolve the
ignorance, prejudice and hatred that build high walls between
people.
The United Negro College Fund strengthens America by
extending educations to deserving men and women at 41
historically black colleges and universities. The Stanley Scott
scholarships will build upon that legacy. 11
No one here underestimates the importance of the UNCF's
mission, or the difficulties it faces. Many UNCF institutions
have suffered through some tough times, but they have survived,
thanks to the hard work of people in this room, and to the
professionals who work at UNCF institutions. //
The UNCF keeps hope alive by ministering specially to black
American men and women. I am proud of my long involvement with
UNCF, and of serving as the honorary chairman of Campaign 2000.
[possible Bush family insert] A mind is a terrible thing to
waste -- and so are UNCF colleges and universities.
3
Before I go any further, let me ask everyone to recognize
Chris Edley's fabulous work as UNCF president // -- including his
raising a fine and distinguished family. //
Let's also hear it for Bill Gray, who will serve as the next
distinguished president of the UNCF. //
Horace Mann once observed that "Education, beyond all other
devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions
of men -- the balance-wheel of the social machinery."
Education preserves the values that define us as a people.
Our common culture has given rise to everything noble in our
past, including the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s -- the
greatest liberation movement in our history as a nation. // Yet
that culture now finds itself under assault.
I have talked before about the notion of political
correctness, but we also must confront the phenomenon of
"multiculturalism." This term on many campuses describes an
effort to belittle the incredible strength of our culture -- to
supplant tolerance, reason, and service with intolerance,
superstition, suspicion and disharmony.
America became great because it was not a snobbish nation.
It gladly absorbed the genius of cultures that our forefathers
called home -- and it will do so forever. But Americans also
enjoy a unity of spirit that led our founders to call our nation
the United States, and that inspired our national motto: E
pluribus unum: Out of many, one.
5
American culture, and the boldness of men who do not wait for
others to show the way. The Stanley Scott Scholarship fund will
extend the gift of knowledge to young men and women who might not
otherwise get college educations. It will strengthen the 41 UNCF
institutions. It will strengthen our nation.
But we must do more. Ladies and gentlemen, let us put aside
our differences to build strength. Let us remember that civility
lies at the heart of civil rights.
The people in this room can make a huge difference. Many of
you have. I think, for instance, of the wasting illness that
claimed my friend, Lee Atwater. The press and some in politics
taunted Lee, misrepresenting his character and his behavior. The
terrible personal attacks tortured his family and friends. Yet
during all this, Ron Brown quietly and gently sent messages of
condolence and friendship to Lee and Sally Atwater. He didn't
boast of it. He didn't leak it to the press. He did what
friends do: He gave a piece of his heart. Ron and Lee didn't
agree on much, but they knew that no political dispute is worth
surrendering people's basic decency.
Many of us will disagree over particulars of social policy,
but we have only ourselves to blame if we fail to promote a Good
Society: a nation united in its quest for brotherhood;
indivisible in its determination to provide sound educations for
everyone; committed to promoting the kind of fairness that really
counts: a growing economy that gives every man and woman a fair
chance to go as far as their abilities will take them.
6
Stan Scott has given life to the ideals I have discussed
tonight, and has given his life to promoting them.
His character and accomplishments expose the pettiness of
disputes that divide us. We may have little fights; Stan has
taken on what literally is the fight of his life. We see our
friend wrestling with an unseen and remorseless foe, and we say:
Let us help. We watch Stan carry on with typical vigor and good
cheer and we care. Every person in this room would gladly assume
some of Stan's pain to restore his strength and health.
Stan, we love you. We're pulling for you. You have served
your nation and your many friends long and selflessly. When I
ask advice, you give it -- and seek no reward. Dozens here have
enjoyed the benefit of your efforts and counsel, and they respect
beyond all measure the fact that you demand nothing in exchange
for the opportunities you have opened for them.
Unity, education, brotherhood: These qualities describe the
mission of UNCF. They describe Stan Scott.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's thank a great American. // Stan,
thanks for giving us a look at our better selves -- and depriving
us of excuses when we think things seem too tough, the odds to
long; the path too cluttered with obstructions.
You have overcome. And in time, so shall we all.
God bless you, my friend, and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 268388ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 SEP 9 A9: 05
DATE:
9/9/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY 9/9/91 4:00 pm
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH N/C
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 pm TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, with a copy to this
office. Thank you.
SEE BLUMENTHAL, COUNSEL, GARDNER
MEMO
RESPONSE:
-
MASTER-
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Snow/Dooley
September 4, 1991
Draft One
91 SEP 9 A8: 16
SCOTT.TS
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
Washington Sheraton
September 11, 1991
7:30 P.M.
[Introductory Acknowledgments; including greetings from Lou
Sullivan]
[joke/comments about the audience]
Thank you for letting me join this tribute to Stan Scott,
and the Stanley Scott Scholarship Fund. Tonight, we praise our
close friend and say to Stan: Thanks.
Stan offers living proof that love nourishes virtue; that
hard work pays; that good things happen to good people and, most
impressive, that some journalists can turn to honest work. //
Four passions govern Stan's life: love of family; love of
country; love of adventure; and love of good works. His family
instilled in Stan a hunger for knowledge. His love of country
inspired him to give back some of the blessings that freedom had
showered upon him. His love of adventure gave him the courage to
shift careers without shifting gears: journalism, politics,
corporate communications, private business. His love of good
works moved him to try new ideas, new angles, new approaches; to
make the best of his natural gift for friendship and his talent
2
looking past such traits as race and into people's hearts and
souls.
I would like to talk about all these passions by considering
two topics natural for this occasion: education and brotherhood.
who else but Stan Scott could
If you look around this room, you see a real Rainbow
attact such a gathering (CA)
coalition. For this night, at least, Ron Brown and Clayton
Yeutter will not behave (CA) like Tyson and Holyfield. // They are
what they are: friends, colleagues who disagree the vision of
everything except
Democrats such as Bill Gray and Sidney Barthelemy join stan Scott,
Republicans such as Connie Newman and Buddy Roemer.
(CA)
We gather here because we believe in education. Education
can lead us as individuals and as a nation to the true equality
we have sought so long. It can dissolve the ignorance, prejudice
and hatred that build high walls between people, of good will (CA)
The United Negro College Fund strengthens America by
(CA)
Hanta
extending educations to deserving men and women at 41
Uniu. did
historically black colleges and universities. The Stanley Scott
not close
HS doors-
scholarships will build upon that legacy. //
clark Colleget
relged w/
No one here underestimates the importance of the UNCF's
recame
mission, or the difficulties it faces. One affiliated
lark-
Atlanta u.
institution, Atlanta University, had to close its doors several
bout 2
years ago. [check] Others, including Fisk University, have
yrs ago.
suffered through some very tough times.
(OMB)
The UNCF keeps hope alive by ministering specially to black
opecifically assisting(CA)
American men and women. I am proud of my long involvement with
UNCF, and of serving as the honorary chairman of Campaign 2000.
3
A mind is a terrible thing to waste -- and so are
institutions to which people have devoted their hard work, their
ect (OCA)
intelligence, their faith and their love. UNCF has inspired many
of us for years, and will continue to do so in the future.
Before I go any further, let me ask everyone to recognize
Chris Edley's fabulous work as UNCF president // -- including his
raising a fine and distinguished family. //
Let's also hear it for Bill Gray, who will serve as the next
distinguished president of the UNCF.
here above shifting
(General Comment: Need joke
Horace Mann once observed that "Education, beyond all other
fromcongress to
devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions
UNCF)
of men -- the balance-wheel creates of the social machinery."
Education preserves the values that define us as a people.
Our common culture has given rise to everything noble in our
past, including the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s -- the
This is
greatest liberation movement in our history as a nation. //
Yet
over-
that culture now finds itself under unprecedented assault.
stated. D2 VI have talked before about the notion of political
correctness, but we also must confront the phenomenon of
"multiculturalism." If by "multiculturalism, we mean an
education that lets students experience the glories and insights
(CA)
of other cultures we must support it. But if "multiculturalism"
means ignoring the incredible strength of our culture, we must
reject it. If it means supplanting tolerance, reason, and
service with the plagues (D2) of intolerance, superstition, suspicion
and disharmony -- it is poison.
we must conden it (D²)
Race should not matter in America. As
Archibald Macleish once observed about Americans,
4
(OCD)
Archibald MacLeish once observed that, "Races didn't bother
Americans. They were something a lot better than any race. They
were a People. They were the first self-constituted, self-
declared, self-created People in the history of the world. And
their manners were their own business. And so were their
politics. And so, but ten physic(oCA) times so were their souls. "
We live in a multieultural society -- a society that
respects the genius of nations and cultures that our forefathers
called home, but enjoys a unity of spirit that enables us to call
ourselves: the United States -- one that inspires our motto, E
pluribus unum: Out of many, one. Our American culture has given
us a common ground for evaluating ourselves and our society. It
lets us communicate with one another as fellow citizens, brothers
and sisters.
Our educational system never soars higher than when it
teaches our children something new about the world, something new
both the common culture of America,
and the many cultures of the world and their
about cultures previously unknown, something new about themselves
and their fellow Americans
importance to de of us, (OCA)
Multiculturalism in its most radical forms ignores this. It
advocates instruction without standards -- without notions of
good or evil, excellence 05 mediocrity. It turns every branch of
learning into a branch of politics. It says: Math -- racially
OCA
biased. Literature -- dominated by too many White Males.
Physics -- the same thing. And so on.
What begins as a crusade to broaden our common culture
becomes a device for destroying it -- for feeding our students a
5 than
porridge that cultivates anger rather intellect; that tells them
what to think, not how to think.
In the end, minority students will suffer most if our
schools, on achieving vengeful justice for society's past
fail bent to teach broadly enough.
(OCA)
sins, give those students educations that fail miserably in a
santagonistic (mcc)
The
world that demands excellence -- a world that needs graduates who
our schools must not become
can add, subtract, multiply, divide, read, write, speak -- think.
Multiculturalism can seduce young people, invite them to form
intellectual ghettos But in the process it cheat (CA) our neediest
or they will
students of the chance to move from the poorhouse to the
penthouse.
The real world does not respect segregation, no matter how
(OCA) lofty its academic underpinnings. goal SmcChre It demands that -what we work does mean? it
together and answer to harsh, exacting standards. Fads come and
go, but the demand for first-rate minds never dies.
My friends, we must make a choice: Will we lock ourselves in
bitter combat about a flawed past, or will we learn from our
mistakes to build a brighter, more hopeful future? Will we look
upon one another as foes, or as brothers and sisters?
Time cannot outrun St. John's assurance that, "You will know
the truth and the truth will make you free." No matter how
strenuously the prophets of hatred shout or how tenaciously the
high priests of division and derision cling to their doctrines,
good people will triumph. The real question is when: If we work
hard, we will triumph soon. If we wait for others to extend
their hands first, we may have to wait generations.
>Soon? timing problem
(mcCured
6
WEB DuBois said early this century: "Herein lies the tragedy
of the age: not that men are poor all men know something of
Educ
poverty; not that men are wicked -- who is good? Not that men
doesnt
are ignorant what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little
think
of men." That remains true today.
thists!
So let me say tonight: If we want to hasten the long-sought
time of racial reconciliation and progress, we must devote
ourselves to the cause of affirmative action. //
I thought that might get your attention. //
For me, affirmative action means giving a fair chance to
people of modest means and real abilities. Recently, many people
2
have advocated federal affirmative action based upon class --
upon real need -- and not just race. I agree with that notion.
There's no reason to give tax-supported "minority" scholarships
to surgeon's sons, when young men and women in the inner cities
need help. Yet neither should we ignore racism's awful legacy.
Precisely because so many minority Americans find themselves near
the bottom of the economic ladder, affirmative action will help
minorities -- as it should.
This affirmative action has lots of advantages. First, it
helps those who truly deserve and need it. It's more efficient
than remedies that look more at skin color than actual condition.
Second, since it does not draw strict lines by race, it
reduces the likelihood of inciting racial jealousies; angry
charges of discrimination and reverse discrimination; or fights
over who deserves what and why.
In the midst of CT hearings a POTUS discussion
of affirmative action is very problematic Not because of
POTUS words but because of CT may articulate it
differently. Ergo: A.A. delete.
7
Third, it threatens no one, and invites all Americans to
ensure that everyone, regardless of skin color, regardless of
class, regardless of family background, will get what affirmative
action must deliver: A fair chance.
Yet in the end no program or law can change people's hearts.
True racial harmony must begin and end with us. If we prescribe
remedies that will set people against one another on the basis of
their race and class, we move backward, not ahead. If we
prescribe remedies that de-emphasize hard work, deferred
gratifications, decency to oneself and others, and a real respect
for standards of excellence, we move backward -- toward
dependence, not independence.
Affirmative action should not strive to punish people long
dead for sins that still scar us; it ought to heal old wounds and
create new bridges. If we treat social justice as something that
pops out of a computer model, that can be measured by dry
statistics, we only fool ourselves. Elegant equations are no
substitute for serving our fellow men and women.
Tonight we promote the kind of affirmative action I have
described -- the kind fostered by the Stanley Scott scholarships.
These scholarships will give a chance to young men and women who
might not otherwise get them, and they will strengthen the 41
UNCF institutions.
As we think of affirmative action, and what the term ought
to mean, let us replace the vicious scrambling for numerical
entitlements with a real and personal commitment to brotherhood.
8
The solution for racial strife doesn't lie in Washington. It
lies in every town we call home.
Finally, let us think of ways to use our differences to
build strength. Let us remember that civility lies at the heart
of civil rights, and that we hurt everyone when we smear our
foes. Let us enter into an open, honest, probing discussion of
race relations, economic issues -- and the state of our
educational system. Let us not fear the truth.
The people in this room can make a huge difference. Many of
you have built bridges of brotherhood. I think, for instance, of
Lee Atwater's horrifying illness. The press and some in politics
taunted Lee, misrepresenting his character and his behavior.
They tortured his family with terrible personal attacks. Yet
during all this, Ron Brown quietly and gently sent messages of
condolence and friendship. Ron and Lee didn't agree on much, but
they knew that no political dispute is important enough to make
people abandon their basic decency.
Many of us in this room will disagree over particulars of
social policy, but we have only ourselves to blame if we do not
join together to promote a Good Society: a nation united in its
quest for brotherhood; a nation indivisible in its determination
to provide sound educations for everyone; a nation committed in
its heart and soul to promoting the kind of fairness that really
counts: a growing economy that gives every man and woman a fair
chance to go as far as their abilities will take them.
9
Stan Scott has given life to the ideals I have discussed
tonight, and has given his life to promoting them.
His character and accomplishments expose the pettiness of
disputes that divide us. We may have little fights; Stan has a
real one. We want to him (OCA) conquer his unseen and remorseless foe.
We want him to know we care. I know each of us would gladly
assume some of Stan's pain to restore his strength and health.
Stan, we love you. We're pulling for you. You have served
your nation and your many friends long and selflessly. When I
ask advice, you give it -- and seek no reward. Around this room
you will find dozens of people who have enjoyed the benefit of
your efforts and counsel, and who respect beyond all measure the
fact that you demand nothing in exchange for the opportunities
you have opened for them.
Unity, education, brotherhood: These three qualities
describe the mission of UNCF, and they describe the unique
accomplishments of Stan Scott.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's all stand and thank a great
American -- a man proud, noble and strong. // Stan, thanks for
giving us a look at our better selves -- and for depriving us of
excuses when we think things seem too tough, the odds tolong;
the path too cluttered with obstructions.
You have overcome. And in time, so shall we all.
God bless you, my friend, and may God bless the United
States of America.
# # # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON P5:52
September 9, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR TONY SNOW
FROM:
NELSON LUND
is
SUBJECT:
Presidential Address: Tribute to Stan Scott
At the request of Phillip D. Brady, Counsel's office has reviewed
the captioned draft address. Our comments follow.
(1) The attack on multiculturalism is somewhat difficult to
follow, and could be seen as gratuitous (especially in the
context of a UNCF event). Why not focus instead on an
affirmative statement in praise of the strength of our culture,
perhaps emphasizing the themes of education and Clarence Thomas,
while letting the President's rejection of the most radical forms
of multiculturalism remain implicit?
(2) The proposed redefinition of affirmative action in terms of
class rather than race should definitely be deleted. Proposals
like this have a complex history as well as a complex
relationship to existing Federal programs and to the President's
civil rights bill. If this proposal were made by the President
at this time, it could complicate -- and might well seriously
undermine -- the effort to advance the President's civil rights
agenda in Congress.
Counsel's office appreciates having had the opportunity to review
this matter.
CC: Phillip D. Brady
Document No. 268388ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 SEP 9 P4: 13
DATE:
9/9/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY 9/9/91 4:00pm
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 pm TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, with a copy to this
office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Snow/Dooley
September 4, 1991
Draft One
91 SEP 9 A8:16
SCOTT. TS
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
Washington Sheraton
September 11, 1991
7:30 P.M.
[Introductory Acknowledgments; including greetings from Lou
Sullivan]
[joke/comments about the audience]
Thank you for letting me join this tribute to Stan Scott,
and the Stanley Scott Scholarship Fund. Tonight, we praise our
close friend and say to Stan: Thanks.
Stan offers living proof that love nourishes virtue; that
hard work pays; that good things happen to good people and, most
impressive, that some journalists can turn to honest work. //
Four passions govern Stan's life: love of family; love of
country; love of adventure; and love of good works. His family
instilled in Stan a hunger for knowledge. His love of country
inspired him to give back some of the blessings that freedom had
showered upon him. His love of adventure gave him the courage to
shift careers without shifting gears: journalism, politics,
corporate communications, private business. His love of good
works moved him to try new ideas, new angles, new approaches; to
make the best of his natural gift for friendship and his talent
2
looking past such traits as race and into people's hearts and
souls.
I would like to talk about all these passions by considering
two topics natural for this occasion: education and brotherhood.
If you look around this room, you see a real Rainbow
coalition. For this night, at least, Ron Brown and Clayton
Yeutter will not behave like Tyson and Holyfield. // They are
what they are: friends, colleagues who disagree. //
Democrats such as Bill Gray and Sidney Barthelemy join
Republicans such as Connie Newman and Buddy Roemer.
We gather here because we believe in education. Education
can lead us as individuals and as a nation to the true equality
we have sought so long. It can dissolve the ignorance, prejudice
and hatred that build high walls between people of good will.
The United Negro College Fund strengthens America by
extending educations to deserving men and women at 41
historically black colleges and universities. The Stanley Scott
atlanta
scholarships will build upon that legacy. 11
U. did
notclose
No one here underestimates the importance of the UNCF's
its dear
mission, or the difficulties it faces. One affiliated
marged auth neiged out
clack Colleget
institution, Atlanta University, had to close its doors several
years ago. [check] Others, including Fisk University, have
became clark-
suffered through some very tough times.
attanta
u,
The UNCF keeps hope alive by ministering specially to black about
American men and women. I am proud of my long involvement with
UNCF, and of serving as the honorary chairman of Campaign 2000.
2 years ago,
Seally
X5178
3
A mind is a terrible thing to waste -- and so are
institutions to which people have devoted their hard work, their
intelligence, their faith and their love. UNCF has inspired many
of us for years, and will continue to do so in the future.
Before I go any further, let me ask everyone to recognize
Chris Edley's fabulous work as UNCF president // -- including his
raising a fine and distinguished family. //
Let's also hear it for Bill Gray, who will serve as the next
distinguished president of the UNCF. //
Horace Mann once observed that "Education, beyond all other
devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions
of men -- the balance-wheel of the social machinery."
Education preserves the values that define us as a people.
Our common culture has given rise to everything noble in our
past, including the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s -- the
greatest liberation movement in our history as a nation. // Yet
that culture now finds itself under unprecedented assault.
I have talked before about the notion of political
correctness, but we also must confront the phenomenon of
"multiculturalism. If by "multiculturalism, " we mean an
education that lets students experience the glories and insights
of other cultures, we must support it. But if "multiculturalism"
means ignoring the incredible strength of our culture, we must
reject it. If it means supplanting tolerance, reason, and
service with the plagues of intolerance, superstition, suspicion
and disharmony -- it is poison.
4
Archibald MacLeish once observed that, "Races didn't bother
Americans. They were something a lot better than any race. They
were a People. They were the first self-constituted, self-
declared, self-created People in the history of the world. And
their manners were their own business. And so were their
politics. And so, but ten times so, were their souls.' "
We live in a multicultural society -- a society that
respects the genius of nations and cultures that our forefathers
called home, but enjoys a unity of spirit that enables us to call
ourselves: the United States -- one that inspires our motto, E
pluribus unum: Out of many, one. Our American culture has given
us a common ground for evaluating ourselves and our society. It
lets us communicate with one another as fellow citizens, brothers
and sisters.
Our educational system never soars higher than when it
teaches our children something new about the world, something new
about cultures previously unknown, something new about themselves
and their fellow Americans.
Multiculturalism in its most radical forms ignores this. It
advocates instruction without standards -- without notions of
good or evil, excellence mediocrity. It turns every branch of
learning into a branch of politics. It says: Math -- racially
biased. Literature -- dominated by too many White Males.
Physics -- the same thing. And so on.
What begins as a crusade to broaden our common culture
becomes a device for destroying it -- for feeding our students a
5
porridge that cultivates anger rather than intellect; that tells them
seally
what to think, not how to think.
45178
In the end, minority students will suffer most if our
schools, bent on achieving vengeful justice for society's past
sins, give those students educations that fail miserably in a
world that demands excellence -- a world that needs graduates who
can add, subtract, multiply, divide, read, write, speak -- think.
Multiculturalism can seduce young people, invite them to form
intellectual ghettos. But in the process it cheats our neediest
students of the chance to move from the poorhouse to the
penthouse.
The real world does not respect segregation, no matter how
lofty its academic underpinnings. It demands that we work
together and answer to harsh, exacting standards. Fads come and
go, but the demand for first-rate minds never dies.
My friends, we must make a choice: Will we lock ourselves in
bitter combat about a flawed past, or will we learn from our
mistakes to build a brighter, more hopeful future? Will we look
upon one another as foes, or as brothers and sisters?
Time cannot outrun St. John's assurance that, "You will know
the truth and the truth will make you free." No matter how
strenuously the prophets of hatred shout or how tenaciously the
high priests of division and derision cling to their doctrines,
good people will triumph. The real question is when: If we work
hard, we will triumph soon. If we wait for others to extend
their hands first, we may have to wait generations.
6
WEB DuBois said early this century: "Herein lies the tragedy
of the age: not that men are poor -- all men know something of
poverty; not that men are wicked -- who is good? Not that men
are ignorant -- what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little
of men. If That remains true today.
So let me say tonight: If we want to hasten the long-sought
time of racial reconciliation and progress, we must devote
ourselves to the cause of affirmative action. //
I thought that might get your attention. //
For me, affirmative action means giving a fair chance to
people of modest means and real abilities. Recently, many people
have advocated federal affirmative action based upon class --
upon real need -- and not just race. I agree with that notion.
There's no reason to give tax-supported "minority" scholarships
to surgeon's sons, when young men and women in the inner cities
need help. Yet neither should we ignore racism's awful legacy.
Precisely because so many minority Americans find themselves near
the bottom of the economic ladder, affirmative action will help
minorities -- as it should.
This affirmative action has lots of advantages. First, it
helps those who truly deserve and need it. It's more efficient
than remedies that look more at skin color than actual condition.
Second, since it does not draw strict lines by race, it
reduces the likelihood of inciting racial jealousies; angry
charges of discrimination and reverse discrimination; or fights
over who deserves what and why.
7
Third, it threatens no one, and invites all Americans to
ensure that everyone, regardless of skin color, regardless of
class, regardless of family background, will get what affirmative
action must deliver: A fair chance.
Yet in the end no program or law can change people's hearts.
True racial harmony must begin and end with us. If we prescribe
remedies that will set people against one another on the basis of
their race and class, we move backward, not ahead. If we
prescribe remedies that de-emphasize hard work, deferred
gratifications, decency to oneself and others, and a real respect
for standards of excellence, we move backward -- toward
dependence, not independence.
Affirmative action should not strive to punish people long
dead for sins that still scar us; it ought to heal old wounds and
create new bridges. If we treat social justice as something that
pops out of a computer model, that can be measured by dry
statistics, we only fool ourselves. Elegant equations are no
substitute for serving our fellow men and women.
Tonight we promote the kind of affirmative action I have
described -- the kind fostered by the Stanley Scott scholarships.
These scholarships will give a chance to young men and women who
might not otherwise get them, and they will strengthen the 41
UNCF institutions.
As we think of affirmative action, and what the term ought
to mean, let us replace the vicious scrambling for numerical
entitlements with a real and personal commitment to brotherhood.
8
The solution for racial strife doesn't lie in Washington. It
lies in every town we call home.
Finally, let us think of ways to use our differences to
build strength. Let us remember that civility lies at the heart
of civil rights, and that we hurt everyone when we smear our
foes. Let us enter into an open, honest, probing discussion of
race relations, economic issues --- and the state of our
educational system. Let us not fear the truth.
The people in this room can make a huge difference. Many of
you have built bridges of brotherhood. I think, for instance, of
Lee Atwater's horrifying illness. The press and some in politics
taunted Lee, misrepresenting his character and his behavior.
They tortured his family with terrible personal attacks. Yet
during all this, Ron Brown quietly and gently sent messages of
condolence and friendship. Ron and Lee didn't agree on much, but
they knew that no political dispute is important enough to make
people abandon their basic decency.
Many of us in this room will disagree over particulars of
social policy, but we have only ourselves to blame if we do not
join together to promote a Good Society: a nation united in its
quest for brotherhood; a nation indivisible in its determination
to provide sound educations for everyone; a nation committed in
its heart and soul to promoting the kind of fairness that really
counts: a growing economy that gives every man and woman a fair
chance to go as far as their abilities will take them.
9
Stan Scott has given life to the ideals I have discussed
tonight, and has given his life to promoting them.
His character and accomplishments expose the pettiness of
disputes that divide us. We may have little fights; Stan has a
real one. We want to him conquer his unseen and remorseless foe.
We want him to know we care. I know each of us would gladly
assume some of Stan's pain to restore his strength and health.
Stan, we love you. We're pulling for you. You have served
your nation and your many friends long and selflessly. When I
ask advice, you give it -- and seek no reward. Around this room
you will find dozens of people who have enjoyed the benefit of
your efforts and counsel, and who respect beyond all measure the
fact that you demand nothing in exchange for the opportunities
you have opened for them.
Unity, education, brotherhood: These three qualities
describe the mission of UNCF, and they describe the unique
accomplishments of Stan Scott.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's all stand and thank a great
American -- a man proud, noble and strong. // Stan, thanks for
giving us a look at our better selves -- and for depriving us of
excuses when we think things seem too tough, the odds to long;
the path too cluttered with obstructions.
You have overcome. And in time, so shall we all.
God bless you, my friend, and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
#
Document No. 268388ss
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
91 SEP 9 P4: P 08
DATE:
9/9/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: TODAY 9/9/91 4:00pm
SUBJECT:
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
PETERSMEYER
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BRADY
SMITH
BROMLEY
UNTERMEYER
CARD
SNOW
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 4:00 pm TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, with a copy to this
office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
Tony Major comments PD
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Snow/Dooley
September 4, 1991
Draft One
91 SEP 9 A 8 : 16
SCOTT.TS
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
Washington Sheraton
September 11, 1991
7:30 P.M.
[Introductory Acknowledgments; including greetings from Lou
Sullivan]
[joke/comments about the audience]
Thank you for letting me join this tribute to Stan Scott,
and the Stanley Scott Scholarship Fund. Tonight, we praise our
close friend and say to Stan: Thanks.
Stan offers living proof that love nourishes virtue; that
hard work pays; that good things happen to good people and, most
impressive, that some journalists can turn to honest work. //
Four passions govern Stan's life: love of family; love of
country; love of adventure; and love of good works. His family
instilled in Stan a hunger for knowledge. His love of country
inspired him to give back some of the blessings that freedom had
showered upon him. His love of adventure gave him the courage to
shift careers without shifting gears: journalism, politics,
corporate communications, private business. His love of good
works moved him to try new ideas, new angles, new approaches; to
make the best of his natural gift for friendship and his talent
2
looking past such traits as race and into people's hearts and
souls.
I would like to talk about all these passions by considering
two topics natural for this occasion: education and brotherhood.
If you look around this room, you see a real Rainbow
coalition. For this night, at least, Ron Brown and Clayton
Yeutter will not behave like Tyson and Holyfield. // They are
what they are: friends, colleagues who disagree. //
Democrats such as Bill Gray and Sidney Barthelemy join
Republicans such as Connie Newman and Buddy Roemer.
We gather here because we believe in education. Education
can lead us as individuals and as a nation to the true equality
we have sought so long. It can dissolve the ignorance, prejudice
and hatred that build high walls between people of good will.
The United Negro College Fund strengthens America by
extending educations to deserving men and women at 41
historically black colleges and universities. The Stanley Scott
scholarships will build upon that legacy. //
No one here underestimates the importance of the UNCF's
mission, or the difficulties it faces. One affiliated
institution, Atlanta University, had to close its doors several
years ago. [check] Others, including Fisk University, have
suffered through some very tough times.
The UNCF keeps hope alive by ministering specially to black
American men and women. I am proud of my long involvement with
UNCF, and of serving as the honorary chairman of Campaign 2000.
3
A mind is a terrible thing to waste -- and so are
institutions to which people have devoted their hard work, their
intelligence, their faith and their love. UNCF has inspired many
of us for years, and will continue to do so in the future.
Before I go any further, let me ask everyone to recognize
Chris Edley's fabulous work as UNCF president // -- including his
raising a fine and distinguished family. //
Let's also hear it for Bill Gray, who will serve as the next
distinguished president of the UNCF. //
Horace Mann once observed that "Education, beyond all other
devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions
of men -- the balance-wheel of the social machinery."
Education preserves the values that define us as a people.
Thindaped
Our common culture has given rise to everything noble in our
past, including the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s -- the
greatest liberation movement in our history as a nation.
Yet
that culture now finds itself under unprecedented assault.
I have talked before about the notion of political
correctness, but we also must confront the phenomenon of
"multiculturalism." If by "multiculturalism, we mean an
education that lets students experience the glories and insights
of other cultures, we must support it. But if "multiculturalism"
means ignoring the incredible strength of our culture, we must
reject it. If it means supplanting tolerance, reason, and
service with the plagues ef intolerance, superstition, suspicion
and disharmony -- it is poison
we must condenns it.
4
Archibald MacLeish once observed that, "Races didn't bother
Americans. They were something a lot better than any race. They
were a People. They were the first self-constituted, self-
declared, self-created People in the history of the world. And
their manners were their own business. And so were their
politics. And so, but ten times so, were their souls. "
We live in a multicultural society -- a society that
respects the genius of nations and cultures that our forefathers
called home, but enjoys a unity of spirit that enables us to call
ourselves: the United States -- one that inspires our motto, E
pluribus unum: Out of many, one. Our American culture has given
us a common ground for evaluating ourselves and our society. It
lets us communicate with one another as fellow citizens, brothers
and sisters.
Our educational system never soars higher than when it
teaches our children something new about the world, something new
about cultures previously unknown, something new about themselves
and their fellow Americans.
Multiculturalism in its most radical forms ignores this. It
advocates instruction without standards -- without notions of
good or evil, excellence mediocrity. It turns every branch of
learning into a branch of politics. It says: Math -- racially
biased. Literature -- dominated by too many White Males.
Physics -- the same thing. And so on.
What begins as a crusade to broaden our common culture
becomes a device for destroying it -- for feeding our students a
5
porridge that cultivates anger rather intellect; that tells them
what to think, not how to think.
In the end, minority students will suffer most if our
schools, bent on achieving vengeful justice for society's past
sins, give those students educations that fail miserably in a
world that demands excellence -- a world that needs graduates who
can add, subtract, multiply, divide, read, write, speak -- think.
Multiculturalism can seduce young people, invite them to form
intellectual ghettos. But in the process it cheats our neediest
students of the chance to move from the poorhouse to the
penthouse.
The real world does not respect segregation, no matter how
lofty its academic underpinnings. It demands that we work
together and answer to harsh, exacting standards. Fads come and
go, but the demand for first-rate minds never dies.
My friends, we must make a choice: Will we lock ourselves in
bitter combat about a flawed past, or will we learn from our
mistakes to build a brighter, more hopeful future? Will we look
upon one another as foes, or as brothers and sisters?
Time cannot outrun St. John's assurance that, "You will know
the truth and the truth will make you free." No matter how
strenuously the prophets of hatred shout or how tenaciously the
high priests of division and derision cling to their doctrines,
good people will triumph. The real question is when: If we work
hard, we will triumph soon. If we wait for others to extend
their hands first, we may have to wait generations.
6
WEB DuBois said early this century: "Herein lies the tragedy
of the age: not that men are poor -- all men know something of
poverty; not that men are wicked -- who is good? Not that men
are ignorant -- what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little
of men." That remains true today.
So let me say tonight: If we want to hasten the long-sought
time of racial reconciliation and progress, we must devote
ourselves to the cause of affirmative action. 11
I thought that might get your attention. //
For me, affirmative action means giving a fair chance to
people of modest means and real abilities. Recently, many people
have advocated federal affirmative action based upon class --
upon real need -- and not just race. I agree with that notion.
There's no reason to give tax-supported "minority" scholarships
to surgeon's sons, when young men and women in the inner cities
need help. Yet neither should we ignore racism's awful legacy.
Precisely because so many minority Americans find themselves near
the bottom of the economic ladder, affirmative action will help
minorities -- as it should.
This affirmative action has lots of advantages. First, it
helps those who truly deserve and need it. It's more efficient
than remedies that look more at skin color than actual condition.
Second, since it does not draw strict lines by race, it
rergo: Aff action section delete
reduces the likelihood of inciting racial jealousies; angry
charges of discrimination and reverse discrimination; or fights
over who deserves what and why.
the mudst of the Thomas hearings is
a POTUS In discussion very problemate. of affermative action Not but because of Thomas POTUS may words
7
Third, it threatens no one, and invites all Americans to
ensure that everyone, regardless of skin color, regardless of
class, regardless of family background, will get what affirmative
action must deliver: A fair chance.
Yet in the end no program or law can change people's hearts.
True racial harmony must begin and end with us. If we prescribe
remedies that will set people against one another on the basis of
their race and class, we move backward, not ahead. If we
prescribe remedies that de-emphasize hard work, deferred
gratifications, decency to oneself and others, and a real respect
for standards of excellence, we move backward -- toward
dependence, not independence.
Affirmative action should not strive to punish people long
dead for sins that still scar us; it ought to heal old wounds and
create new bridges. If we treat social justice as something that
pops out of a computer model, that can be measured by dry
statistics, we only fool ourselves. Elegant equations are no
substitute for serving our fellow men and women.
Tonight we promote the kind of affirmative action I have
described -- the kind fostered by the Stanley Scott scholarships.
These scholarships will give a chance to young men and women who
might not otherwise get them, and they will strengthen the 41
UNCF institutions.
As we think of affirmative action, and what the term ought
to mean, let us replace the vicious scrambling for numerical
entitlements with a real and personal commitment to brotherhood.
8
The solution for racial strife doesn't lie in Washington.
It
lies in every town we call home.
Finally, let us think of ways to use our differences to
build strength. Let us remember that civility lies at the heart
of civil rights, and that we hurt everyone when we smear our
foes. Let us enter into an open, honest, probing discussion of
race relations, economic issues -- and the state of our
educational system. Let us not fear the truth.
The people in this room can make a huge difference. Many of
you have built bridges of brotherhood. I think, for instance, of
Lee Atwater's horrifying illness. The press and some in politics
taunted Lee, misrepresenting his character and his behavior.
They tortured his family with terrible personal attacks. Yet
during all this, Ron Brown quietly and gently sent messages of
condolence and friendship. Ron and Lee didn't agree on much, but
they knew that no political dispute is important enough to make
people abandon their basic decency.
Many of us in this room will disagree over particulars of
social policy, but we have only ourselves to blame if we do not
join together to promote a Good Society: a nation united in its
quest for brotherhood; a nation indivisible in its determination
to provide sound educations for everyone; a nation committed in
its heart and soul to promoting the kind of fairness that really
counts: a growing economy that gives every man and woman a fair
chance to go as far as their abilities will take them.
9
Stan Scott has given life to the ideals I have discussed
tonight, and has given his life to promoting them.
His character and accomplishments expose the pettiness of
disputes that divide us. We may have little fights; Stan has a
real one. We want to him conquer his unseen and remorseless foe.
We want him to know we care. I know each of us would gladly
assume some of Stan's pain to restore his strength and health.
Stan, we love you. We're pulling for you. You have served
your nation and your many friends long and selflessly. When I
ask advice, you give it -- and seek no reward. Around this room
you will find dozens of people who have enjoyed the benefit of
your efforts and counsel, and who respect beyond all measure the
fact that you demand nothing in exchange for the opportunities
you have opened for them.
Unity, education, brotherhood: These three qualities
describe the mission of UNCF, and they describe the unique
accomplishments of Stan Scott.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's all stand and thank a great
American -- a man proud, noble and strong. // Stan, thanks for
giving us a look at our better selves -- and for depriving us of
excuses when we think things seem too tough, the odds to long;
the path too cluttered with obstructions.
You have overcome. And in time, so shall we all.
God bless you, my friend, and may God bless the United
States of America.
#
#
#
#
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
91 SEP 9 P2: 28
September 9, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR TONY SNOW
FROM;
John S. Gardner Jos.
SUBJECT:
Stan Scott Speech
I'll let the lawyers comment on the affirmative action part;
I have only a few comments on the other sections.
1. There ought to be a pronunciation guide for W.E.B. DuBois; it
would be embarassing for the President to mispronounce it.
2. Why should the President say that America is a multicultural
society -- p. 4, second full para., line 1. Seems to me this gives
away the store to the multiculturalists and contradicts the notion,
a few lines later, that there is in fact an "American culture."
Having the President say this could easily lead to misinterpretation,
both willful and not, from our opponents on the issue. Instead, just
say that "America is a society that respects the genius
We don't want to give the impression that the United States has an
official multicultural policy like Canada does (indeed, one of the
glories of this country should be that the government doesn't get
involved in things like this).
Thanks.
McClures
Comments
Show/Dooley
September 4, 1991
Draft One
SCOTT.TS
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: TRIBUTE TO STAN SCOTT
Washington Sheraton
September 11, 1991
7:30 P.M.
Delete RainDow Coalition
[Introductory Acknowledgments; including greetings from Lou
Sullivan]
[joke/comments about the audience]
Thank you for letting me join this tribute to Stan Scott,
and the Stanley Scott Scholarship Fund. Tonight, we praise our
close friend and say to Stan: Thanks.
Stan offers living proof that love nourishes virtue; that
hard work pays; that good things happen to good people and, most
impressive, that some journalists can turn to honest work. //
Four passions govern Stan's life: love of family; love of
country; love of adventure; and love of good works. His family
instilled in Stan a hunger for knowledge. His love of country
inspired him to give back some of the blessings that freedom had
showered upon him. His love of adventure gave him the courage to
shift careers without shifting gears: journalism, politics,
corporate communications, private business. His love of good
works moved him to try new ideas, new angles, new approaches; to
make the best of his natural gift for friendship and his talent
2
looking past such traits as race and into people's hearts and
souls.
I would like to talk about all these passions by considering
two topics natural for this occasion: education and brotherhood.
If you look around this room, you see a real Rainbow
coalition. For this night, at least, Ron Brown and Clayton
Yeutter will not behave like Tyson and Holyfield. // They are
what they are: friends, colleagues who disagree. //
Democrats such as Bill Gray and Sidney Barthelemy join
Republicans such as Connie Newman and Buddy Roemer.
We gather here because we believe in education. Education
can lead us as individuals and as a nation to the true equality
we have sought so long. It can dissolve the ignorance, prejudice
and hatred that build high walls between people of good will.
The United Negro College Fund strengthens America by
extending educations to deserving men and women at 41
historically black colleges and universities. The Stanley Scott
scholarships will build upon that legacy. //
No one here underestimates the importance of the UNCF's
mission, or the difficulties it faces. One affiliated
institution, Atlanta University, had to close its doors several
years ago. [check] Others, including Fisk University, have
suffered through some very tough times.
The UNCF keeps hope alive by ministering specially to black
American men and women. I am proud of my long involvement with
UNCF, and of serving as the honorary chairman of Campaign 2000.
3
A mind is a terrible thing to waste -- and so are
institutions to which people have devoted their hard work, their
intelligence, their faith and their love. UNCF has inspired many
of us for years, and will continue to do so in the future.
Before I go any further, let me ask everyone to recognize
Chris Edley's fabulous work as UNCF president // -- including his
raising a fine and distinguished family. //
Let's also hear it for Bill Gray, who will serve as the next
distinguished president of the UNCF. //
Horace Mann once observed that "Education, beyond all other
devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions
of men -- the balance-wheel of the social machinery."
Education preserves the values that define us as a people.
Our common culture has given rise to everything noble in our
past, including the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s -- the
greatest liberation movement in our history as a nation. // Yet
that culture now finds itself under unprecedented assault.
I have talked before about the notion of political
correctness, but we also must confront the phenomenon of
"multiculturalism." If by "multiculturalism," we mean an
education that lets students experience the glories and insights
of other cultures, we must support it. But if "multiculturalism"
means ignoring the incredible strength of our culture, we must
reject it. If it means supplanting tolerance, reason, and
service with the plagues of intolerance, superstition, suspicion
and disharmony -- it is poison.
4
Archibald MacLeish once observed that, "Races didn't bother
Americans. They were something a lot better than any race. They
were a People. They were the first self-constituted, self-
declared, self-created People in the history of the world. And
their manners were their own business. And so were their
politics. And so, but ten times so, were their souls."
We live in a multicultural society -- a society that
respects the genius of nations and cultures that our forefathers
called home, but enjoys a unity of spirit that enables us to call
ourselves: the United States -- one that inspires our motto, E
pluribus unum: Out of many, one. Our American culture has given
us a common ground for evaluating ourselves and our society. It
lets us communicate with one another as fellow citizens, brothers
and sisters.
Our educational system never soars higher than when it
teaches our children something new about the world, something new
about cultures previously unknown, something new about themselves
and their fellow Americans.
Multiculturalism in its most radical forms ignores this. It
advocates instruction without standards -- without notions of
?
good or evil,
excellence mediocrity.
It turns every branch of
learning into a branch of politics. It says: Math -- racially
biased. Literature -- dominated by too many White Males.
Physics -- the same thing. And so on.
What begins as a crusade to broaden our common culture
becomes a device for destroying it -- for feeding our students a
5
porridge that cultivates anger rather intellect; that tells them
what to think, not how to think.
In the end, minority students will suffer most if our
antagonistic!
schools, bent on achieving vengeful justice for society's past
sins, give those students educations that fail miserably in a
world that demands excellence -- a world that needs graduates who
can add, subtract, multiply, divide, read, write, speak -- think.
Multiculturalism can seduce young people, invite them to form
intellectual ghettos. But in the process it cheats our neediest
students of the chance to move from the poorhouse to the
penthouse.
The real world does not respect segregation, no matter how
lofty its academic underpinnings P It demands that we work
what does this mean?
together and answer to harsh, exacting standards. Fads come and
go, but the demand for first-rate minds never dies.
My friends, we must make a choice: Will we lock ourselves in
bitter combat about a flawed past, or will we learn from our
20
mistakes to build a brighter, more hopeful future? Will we look
D
upon one another as foes, or as brothers and sisters?
Affrm.
Time cannot outrun St. John's assurance that, "You will know
the truth and the truth will make you free." No matter how
Action Acguage
strenuously the prophets of hatred shout or how tenaciously the
high priests of division and derision cling to their doctrines,
good people will triumph. The real question is when: If we work
hard, we will triumph soon. If we wait for others to extend
their hands first, we may have to wait generations.
soon?
timing
problem
6
WEB DuBois said early this century: "Herein lies the tragedy
of the age: not that men are poor -- all men know something of
poverty; not that men are wicked -- who is good? Not that men
are ignorant -- what is truth? Nay, but that men know so little
of men." That remains true today.
So let me say tonight: If we want to hasten the long-sought
time of racial reconciliation and progress, we must devote
ourselves to the cause of affirmative action. //
I thought that might get your attention. //
For me, affirmative action means giving a fair chance to
people of modest means and real abilities. Recently, many people
have advocated federal affirmative action based upon class --
upon real need -- and not just race. I agree with that notion.
There's no reason to give tax-supported "minority" scholarships
to surgeon's sons, when young men and women in the inner cities
need help. Yet neither should we ignore racism's awful legacy.
Precisely because so many minority Americans find themselves near
the bottom of the economic ladder, affirmative action will help
minorities -- as it should.
This affirmative action has lots of advantages. First, it
helps those who truly deserve and need it. It's more efficient
than remedies that look more at skin color than actual condition.
Second, since it does not draw strict lines by race, it
reduces the likelihood of inciting racial jealousies; angry
charges of discrimination and reverse discrimination; or fights
over who deserves what and why.
7
Third, it threatens no one, and invites all Americans to
ensure that everyone, regardless of skin color, regardless of
class, regardless of family background, will get what affirmative
action must deliver: A fair chance.
Yet in the end no program or law can change people's hearts.
True racial harmony must begin and end with us. If we prescribe
remedies that will set people against one another on the basis of
their race and class, we move backward, not ahead. If we
prescribe remedies that de-emphasize hard work, deferred
gratifications, decency to oneself and others, and a real respect
for standards of excellence, we move backward -- toward
dependence, not independence.
Affirmative action should not strive to punish people long
dead for sins that still scar us; it ought to heal old wounds and
create new bridges. If we treat social justice as something that
pops out of a computer model, that can be measured by dry
statistics, we only fool ourselves. Elegant equations are no
substitute for serving our fellow men and women.
Tonight we promote the kind of affirmative action I have
described -- the kind fostered by the Stanley Scott scholarships.
These scholarships will give a chance to young men and women who
might not otherwise get them, and they will strengthen the 41
UNCF institutions.
As we think of affirmative action, and what the term ought
to mean, let us replace the vicious scrambling for numerical
entitlements with a real and personal commitment to brotherhood.
8
The solution for racial strife doesn't lie in Washington. It
lies in every town we call home.
Finally, let us think of ways to use our differences to
build strength. Let us remember that civility lies at the heart
of civil rights, and that we hurt everyone when we smear our
foes. Let us enter into an open, honest, probing discussion of
race relations, economic issues -- and the state of our
educational system. Let us not fear the truth.
The people in this room can make a huge difference. Many of
you have built bridges of brotherhood. I think, for instance, of
Lee Atwater's horrifying illness. The press and some in politics
taunted Lee, misrepresenting his character and his behavior.
They tortured his family with terrible personal attacks. Yet
during all this, Ron Brown quietly and gently sent messages of
condolence and friendship. Ron and Lee didn't agree on much, but
they knew that no political dispute is important enough to make
people abandon their basic decency.
Many of us in this room will disagree over particulars of
social policy, but we have only ourselves to blame if we do not
join together to promote a Good Society: a nation united in its
quest for brotherhood; a nation indivisible in its determination
to provide sound educations for everyone; a nation committed in
its heart and soul to promoting the kind of fairness that really
counts: a growing economy that gives every man and woman a fair
chance to go as far as their abilities will take them.
9
Stan Scott has given life to the ideals I have discussed
tonight, and has given his life to promoting them.
His character and accomplishments expose the pettiness of
disputes that divide us. We may have little fights; Stan has a
real one. We want to him conquer his unseen and remorseless foe.
We want him to know we care. I know each of us would gladly
assume some of Stan's pain to restore his strength and health.
Stan, we love you. We're pulling for you. You have served
your nation and your many friends long and selflessly. When I
ask advice, you give it -- and seek no reward. Around this room
you will find dozens of people who have enjoyed the benefit of
your efforts and counsel, and who respect beyond all measure the
fact that you demand nothing in exchange for the opportunities
you have opened for them.
Unity, education, brotherhood: These three qualities
describe the mission of UNCF, and they describe the unique
accomplishments of Stan Scott.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's all stand and thank a great
American -- a man proud, noble and strong. // Stan, thanks for
giving us a look at our better selves -- and for depriving us of
excuses when we think things seem too tough, the odds to long;
the path too cluttered with obstructions.
You have overcome. And in time, so shall we all.
God bless you, my friend, and may God bless the United
States of America.
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