Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
323154577
label
National Baptist Convention 9/8/89 [OA 8748]
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
323154577
contentType
document
title
National Baptist Convention 9/8/89 [OA 8748]
citationUrl
identifierLocal
13873-006
collections
Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Mark Davis Subject Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
323154577
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
7068a865cc098152
ocrText
Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Davis, Mark, Files
Subseries:
Subject File, 1989-1991
OA/ID Number:
13873
Folder ID Number:
13873-006
Folder Title:
National Baptist Convention, 9/8/89
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
19
2
6
6
FAMILY
U.S. Postage
PAID
Focus on
for
Demarestx
the Family
Focus on the Family
Pomona, CA 91799
Mark
Davis
LOOK
Religion and
the Presidents
Throughout American history, our highest elected
officials have acknowledged the importance of
God in preserving a democratic republic.
This month, George Bush is sworn in as the 41st
inadequate to the government of any
President of the United States. His faith has
other. -John Adams, (President, 1797-1801)
"From this day forward, the millions of
already been discussed in this issue, but we
soon after becoming Vice President of the United
our school children will daily proclaim in
thought it appropriate to look back in our history
States in 1789.
every city and town, every village and rural
to see what previous Presidents have said about
school house, the dedication of our nation
the importance of religious belief in American
and our people to the Almighty. "-Dwight
life.
"I shall need the favor of that Being in
D. Eisenhower, on signing a law for including
whose hands we are, Who led our fore-
the words "under God" in the Pledge of
"
it would be peculiarly improper to
fathers, as Israel of old, from their native
Allegiance to the Flag, June 14, 1954.
omit in this first official act my fervent sup-
land, and planted them in a country flow-
plications to that Almighty Being who rules
ing with all the necessaries and comforts of
over the universe, who presides in the
life; Who has covered our infancy with His
councils of nations, and whose providen-
providence, and our riper years with His
"The world is different now And yet
tial aids can supply every human defect,
wisdom and power
Thomas Jefferson
the same revolutionary beliefs for which
that His benediction may consecrate to the
in his Second Inaugural Address, 1805.
our forefathers fought are still at issue
liberties and happiness of the people of the
around the globe-the belief that the rights
United States a Government instituted by
of man come not from the generosity of the
"
themselves for these essential purposes
finally, it is my fervent prayer to that
state but from the hand of God."-John F.
In tendering this homage to the Great
Almighty
Being
that He will so overrule
Kennedy, (President, 1961-1963) in his
Author of every public and private good, I
all my intentions and actions and inspire
Inaugural Address, 1961.
assure myself that it expresses your sen-
the hearts of my fellow-citizens that we may
timents not less than my own, nor those of
be preserved from dangers of all kinds and
"
my fellow-citizens at large
No people
continue forever a united happy people."
Can we doubt that
a
Divine
Prov-
can be bound to acknowledge and adore
-Andrew Jackson, (President, 1824-1836) in
idence placed on this land, this island of
the Invisible Hand which conducts the
speech given March 4, 1833.
freedom, here as a refuge for all those peo-
affairs of men more than those of the United
ple in the world who yearn to breathe free?
States. "-George Washington's First
Jews and Christians enduring persecution
Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789.
"It is the duty of nations, as well as of
behind the Iron Curtain; the boat people of
men, to own their dependence upon the
Southeast Asia, Cuba and of Haiti; the vic-
overruling power of God and to recognize
tims of drought and famine in Africa, the
"We have no government armed with
the sublime truth announced in the Holy
freedom fighters in Afghanistan, and our
power capable of contending with human
Scriptures and proven by all history, that
own countrymen held in savage captivity
passions unbridled by morality and
those nations only are blessed whose God
God bless America. "-Ronald Reagan
religion. Our Constitution was made only
is the Lord.' Abraham Lincoln (President,
(President, 1980-1988) in a speech given July 17,
for a moral and religious people. It is wholly
1861-1865).
1980.
16
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY CITIZEN
RCV BY:Xerox Telecopier 7021 ; 8- 9-89 ; 2:52PM ;
CCITT G3->
4566218;# 1
Republican
National
Committee
TELECOPIER TRANSMISSION
TO:
Mark Davis
Speechwriter
Office of Communications
FX: 456-6218
FR:
Phil Kawiar
DATE:
8/9/89
We are transmitting 5 pages (including this cover page. If there is
a problem with this transmission, please call (202-863-8550). Our
FAX number is (202-863-8773).
Dwight D. Elsanhower Republican Center: 310 First Street Southeast, Washington, D.C. 20003. (202) 863-8500. Telex: 701144
RCV BY:Xerox Telecopier 7021 : 8- 9-89 ; 2:53PM ;
CCITT G3->
4566218;# 2
Republican
National
Committee
Philip Kawlor
Director of
Research
TO:
MARY MATALIN
Chief of Staff
THROUGH:
B. JAY COOPER
Director of May Communications
FROM:
PHILIP KAWIOR
de
Director of Research
DATE:
AUGUST 3, 1989
SUBJECT:
ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING THE NATIONAL BAPTIST
CONVENTION, U.S.A., INC.
The National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.
With 7.5 million members, The National Baptist Convention USA is the
nation's largest Black denomination and the third largest Protestant
denomination in the country (after the Southern Baptists and United
Methodists).
Their national convention is considered to be the largest and most
powerful Black religious gathering.
Rev. T.J. Jemison: Political Activities
Rev. T.J. Jemison has been president of the group since 1982 when,
after several attempts, he unseated Rev. Joseph Jackson, a conservative
minister who had headed the group for 29 years. Jackson had endorsed
Republican presidential candidates in the past and was a founder of
"Democrats for Bush" in 1988.
Rev. Jemison was an early civil rights leader and of the Christian
Leadership Conference. Although not as conservative as his
predecessor, Jemison uses some of the the same social conservative
rhetoric, decrying drug abuse and promoting family values, that Jesse
Jackson sometimes adopts.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican Center 310 First Street Southeast Washington, D.C. 20003 (202) 863-8666
Telex: 701144 FAX: 863-8820
RCV BY:Xerox Telecopier 7021 ; 8- 9-89 ; 2:53PM ;
CCITT G3->
4566218;# 3
o
Under Rev. Jemison's leadership, the NBC has aggressively promoted
Jesse Jackson's candidacies for president (Jackson is an ordained
National Baptist minister). The convention claimed to have registered
2 million voters for Jackson in the 1984 Democratic primary. In 1988,
NBC ministers raised money for Jackson from their congregations.
o
In December 1983, Jemison gave his personal endorsement to Jesse
Jackson.
o
In 1984, Jemison tempered his harsh criticism of Ronald Reagan after
meeting with the President at the White House.
o
Dukakis received a warm reception from the group when he spoke to them
in 1988.
-- George Bush and Jesse Jackson vere also invited to appear before
this group during the campaign. George Bush declined the
invitation.
Post-election Activities
o
The NBC joined other Black churches in January 1989 in supporting Ron
Dellums' bill for tougher sanctions against South Africa and supported
ending USA aid for the Rebels in Angola.
o
One the the denomination's latest projects is a cable TV news magazine
on Black life and achievements. The program, "The Black World Today,"
would emphasize "good news regarding the Black community" instead of
"reports of drugs, crime and violence on the nightly news." Rev.
Jemison announced the program in July 1989.
Recommendation
The president should accept the invitation to address this group.
Reasons:
1. This is an important forum to articulate the president's message to
minorities.
With 7.5 million members, this is the largest Black religious
organization of its type. While many of its activists may be political
and economic liberals, supportive of Jesse Jackson and his agenda, at
the same time they are socially conservative. While Jemison is not
supportive of the GOP, many of the conventioneers will be.
2. An appearance before this group would carry with it much symbolic
meaning.
RCV BY:Xerox Telecopier 7021 ; 8- 9-89 ; 2:54PM ;
CCITT G3->
4566218;# 4
While George Bush may not win them over on such issues as federal
spending priorities, relations with South Africa, or affirmative
action, his presence would send the message that "I am not Ronald
Reagan." Stated otherwise, "We may disagree but there should be no
deep and visceral animus between us."
-- Should the president decline this invitation, Jemison would have
an opportunity to bash him and the Party.
3. A conciliatory address by the president to this predominantly
Southern-based group could help our candidates in the mid-term
election.
-- Should the president accept this invitation, RNC Outreach would
work with the White House on the speech and the preliminary
groundwork for this event.
This memorandum was prepared in conjunction with the Political Outreach
Division.
T7
RCV BY:Xerox Telecopier 7021 8- 9-89 ; 2:54PM
CCITT G3->
4566218;# 5
- ST*ABYW - new ,
-
0000077410 6
INCORPORATED 1925
ORGANIZED 1989
The National Paptist Convention. H.S.A., 3nc.
(MEMBERSHIP: 7,500,000)
VICE PREMIUM
Allies A. Stanks. as.
PRESIDENT
7. & D.D.
BAFTIST
- Yesh
Leabless
VICE PREMISMENT
& Value - U.S.
SECRETARY W. Presiders Richardson. D.D.
Culturals
Now Yest
TREASURER
NATURAL
VICE PREMIDENT
Many L. Loon D.D.
- Cres. D.D.
Warlds
Permay/vals
SEAL
VICE PRINDENT
P.J.
c. A. W. Clark, D.D.
Address
THIS
KITTORIAN
VICE-PRESIDENT
Channes M. Wagner. M. D.
David Mathews, D.D.
I
I
TROUSING COMMISSION
BOARDS OF THE CONVENTION
Checks W. Number D.D.
OFFICE or THE PRESIDENT
Chie
SUNDAY SCHOOL PUBLISHING SGASS
T. J. JEMISON, I.D. D.D.
MA. c. R. Address Director
EXCLUSATICAL
vis Spate Breat
Baten Range, Levishmen -
INDORSEMENT
John R. Whenler, U.S.
POREMEN MISSION ROAD
as
- s. Review, EL B.B. -
Office Phone
Phone
(9M) 926-3411
B. Law Whiterey, B.B.
(seen 383-3491
Mistigen
HOME MISSION BOARD
- Mem. S.A. -
District of Columbia
July 3, 1989
NATIONAL SAPTIST voice
- B. Comp. D.B. Bilter
WOMAN'S AUXILIARY
Honorable George Bush, President
Mr. Many o. - Prudemi
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- M. T. Soward. -
The White House
Washington, D. c. 20500
NAT'L CONCRESS or CHEMITIAN EDUCATION
T. - Chapping. D.D., Product
Obsigness
Dear Mr. President:
LAYMEN MOVEMENT
Wallet Cate, in Product
This letter is 4 follow-up of our brief conver-
-
sation in the White House on June 30th. We are all so
VIDERATOR'S ASSOCIATION
& a. - D.D.
anxious to have you come to New Orleans, Louisiana, on
Ohio
September 8, 1989 to address the 109th Annual Session
of the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
The sessions will be held in the New Orleans'
Convention Center. We expect some forty-five thousand
delegates to attend. This group would be greatly touched
by some strong announcement from you toward the "Rights"
of Blacks and women.
We would like for your Address to come at 8:00 P. M.
spin
However, if you prefer afternoon, we could adjust our
program to have you speak at 4:00. Whatever is your de-
action
sire.
begin
de Weed
Please communicate with me as soon as you are car-
tain you can attend. Please make every effort.
is
With ware regards, I am
POTUS will sign
TJJ:pba
Very J.J.Jemison sincerely yours,
Jemison
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION
Mark
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."))
- 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)
- 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, S0 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.
- 22 -
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.
- 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.
- 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.
#
#
#
Davis/Martin
Sept. 3, 1989
Draft: Six
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))
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 manifestations of
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
Too many
institutions -- the family. Millions of 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))
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, hard work and respect for others.
Family life is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara,
and as it is for you. Of course, today's world is somewhat
Butperhaps the most mp cultus different as it can some we Jenes
sear what?
different. There are more single parents. And most many of them,
perhaps most are raising happy, well adjusted children. But
imagine the lonely plight of a single mother who has no help,
little money, and can't keep her kids from being engulfed by an
unhealthy street life. So to save the American family also means
providing support for these single parents who are without an
extended family, utterly alone.
Camerica is an analyon of people Will different Benetoges
and traditions, amiricas pmilis
4
Government can -- and should -- try to protect families from
the pressure of relentless economic and social change. But
outside the classroom, government cannot instill, impart or teach
values. The challenge of strengthening the family requires both
public and private efforts. And church leadership is meeting the
challenge -- from ministries like that of E.V. Hill of Los
Angeles, where hungry families find sustenance, to every Baptist
ministry that offers more than bread alone
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 a social disaster. When one generation is raised
without values, it uncoils a chain of misery to 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 and 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 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) )
5
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. I hear many of extended
families, where grandparents, aunts and uncles provide love and
care while a single parent works. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already reached out to lift a load off the shoulders of the
single, working parent - - who has to be most harried, harassed
and unappreciated person around.
I hear of churches that supply
supplysing
from
high chairs and bath sets to young parents.
hear of hundreds
of Baptist churches coming up with new ideas, making a
like....est
difference. And in this same spirit, I would like to offer a few
ideas of my own.
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 the 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. JUSTASWe MUST uppost
single paint, so we no
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is high time
we sent them a message. America's child care program shouldn't
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it 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 I am determined to use my veto pen, if necessary, to
protect Shiloh and every other church-affiliated child-care
center in America. ( (PAUSE))
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
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 to every community
in need. And also I renew my proposal for tenant management of
public housing. We can no longer deny these communities the
autonomy and 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 number in the millions -- 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 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 if restore the values of the American
OPP comes when me
family to America's schools. One way to do this is to 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
8
college; and this means increased support for historically Black
Colleges and Universities.
But education is more than schooling; it is nothing less
than the transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
the way. You need look no further than 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
Before going to school, to work, or to a child-care center,
families must be free from fear. Free to walk the streets of
their own neighborhood. This brings me to our third concern:
freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs. ( (PAUSE) )
That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out assault that
attacks 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 work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (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.
9
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."
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
is
be true. It is your faith and your values that America so
desperately tumy to needs today. Will we transmit to future generations
the values we were taught? Or will we unlearn our Sorget traditions and
forsake values?
Amu. our well new foroahe antmon, on value,
REITELATE
shelting
So, m an optimist. I believe we will
see a rebirth of
(in it manyforms)
family life, where more families will stay united, and those
parents who are single will find the support they need. And I
ashamy
believe we will see a return to values -- values rooted in the
conviction that we, as families, and as a nation -- are engaged
in a single enterprise, together.
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 family still remains the ) ladwerk 5
whole suptem
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) )
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 of single parents
are raising happy, well-adjusted children. But imagine the
lonely plight of a single mother who has no help; who has no
money; who has no authority 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 without an extended family, utterly alone.
4
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 hand-me-downs.
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))
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))
5
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
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
6
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
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
7
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.
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))
8
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."
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.
9
So I'm an optimist. 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
families, and as a nation. -- are engaged in a single enterprise -
-- together.
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))
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 1- 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
with their awn excer strength and the
halp
before. And, difficult though it may be,, most of single parents formly
oreand
are raising happy, well-adjusted children. But imagine the
lonely plight of a single mother who has no help; who has no
ability
money; who has no authority 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,
stuggle against tough odds,
who are without an extended family, utterly alone.
4
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
a hand
from high chairs to hand-me-downs.
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))
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))
5
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.
1
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
6
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
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
7
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.
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))
8
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."
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.
9 B,F,
So I'm an optimist. I believe we will see a strengthening
of the many patterns of family life. 1 And I believe we will see a
sharing of values -- values rooted in the conviction that we,, as
in individuals and
as
families, and as a nation -- are engaged in a single enterprise -
called america
together.
Thank you for all that you've done. And thank you for
inviting me to New Orleans.
God bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
plmost
% 1/2 female
single family households
1/2 Kips vausedin such homs
Davis/Martin
Aug. 28, 1989
Draft: Four
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
( (With so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I almost expect
to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") ) ( (PAUSE))
((You know, 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))
But your convention is even more impressive for its strength
in the community. I understand that, as the Bible says, there
was a time when any small group committed to God could organize a
2
Baptist church and ordain ministers on the spot. This perfectly
suited the needs of the pioneers, as they built new churches on
the empty plains and prairies of the West. But this Baptist
tradition also suited the needs of another group of brave
pioneers, your forebears, who blazed trails into another frontier
-- the frontier of freedom. ( (PAUSE))
They drew inspiration for their struggle 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 the Baptists who played an important role in
securing the freedom of belief in our American Constitution.
But it took this convention, the leadership of your pastors
and your people, to extend this struggle for freedom to TEE all men
BAPT like MLK/ WYATT WALKER/E.U. Hill
and
women. ( (PAUSE)) It took ( (Acknowledge church/civil rights
JeRRy MOORE
JEMISON
leaders) ) Because of you, this country experienced 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))
I am here to offer you my hand, and to give you my word:
together, we will make America open and equal to all.
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
3
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."
But, 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 manifestations of
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
institutions -- the family. Millions of children in America are
growing up without ever knowing what it means to be raised by the
tender hand of a loving parent. So our goal is simple, and it is
vital: We must work together to save the American family.
((PAUSE))
In the largest context, we are all children of God. Then we
are all members of an extended family called society, the
American nation. But before that, we are members of individual
families, our parents, our children. And yet, our families are
bound by more than blood; they are bound by the precious memories
of Christmas morning, of a grandparent's wise advice, a toddler's
first step, or the pride of a graduation ceremony. This is my
source of strength, as it is for Barbara, and as it is for you.
Government can certainly help protect families from the
pressure of relentless economic and social change. But as a
4
nation, we also need private efforts to strengthen families, to
bring hope to America's children of despair.
You are providing an example for this kind of leadership in
churches across the nation, in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, giving sustenance to hungry families. ((another
example
No matter how close-knit your family may be, the decline of
the American family is not just someone else's problem. It is a
social disaster, a disaster for us all. The breakdown of the
stat
family unleashes a chain of misery that weighs down whole
generations. Because the family is dying, 43 percent of black
new
children live in poverty. Because the family is dying, half of
all black families are led by single mothers earning only a
quarter of black income. And because the family is dying, it is
becoming harder and harder for you and 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? (Pure)
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?
(Quise)
How can you teach a young black man living in poverty to
work for the future, when he has a greater chance of going to
prison than of going to college? (Garre)
In short, without strong families, how can values triumph
over vice?
5
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 us begin with child-care. I hear of extended
families, where grandparents, aunts and uncles provide love and
care while a single parent works. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already reached out to lift a load off the shoulders of the most
harried, harassed and unappreciated person around -- the single,
working parent. There are churches that supply high chairs and
bath sets to young parents. In fact, hundreds of Baptist
churches are coming up with new ideas, making a difference. And
in this same spirit, I would like to offer a few ideas of my own.
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 the 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.
6
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is high time
we sent them a message. America's child care program shouldn't
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it should never, never
discriminate against religiously affiliated child care.
( (PAUSE) )
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of love
that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist Church. And
I am determined to use my veto pen, if necessary, to protect
Shiloh and every other church-affiliated child-care center in
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
education: Strong families thrive on good schools. 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 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
7
two schools, establishing institutions with great traditions of
service that lives on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this man's life. If a he could
beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and prejudice
to lead a community, then what is standing in our way today?
We can succeed, if restore the value of an American
education. One way to do this is to 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 transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
the way. You need look no further than here in New Orleans,
where the Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young
men for adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program.
This brings me to our third concern: Families must be free
from fear. And freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs.
( (PAUSE)) That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out
assault that attacks 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
8
us work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (PAUSE))
Our fourth concern is opportunity. Strong families need
opportunity and economic empowerment. We should judge people by
their skills, not by their background. That is why I favor
expanding alternative certification of teachers and principals,
so that more Americans can share their knowledge in the
classroom.
I also 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 every community in need.
Where is the
8 there
Liberalism implies a generosity of spirit; but there is nothing
eneRoo About those
libera about who oppose enterprise zones
And finally, I renew my proposal for tenant management of
public housing. We can no longer deny these communities the
autonomy and dignity they deserve. ( (PAUSE) )
To provide child-care, to improve education, to defeat drugs
and to create opportunity -- these are goals 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."
Caneat- all Kinds of familis-
Davis/Martin
Aug. 28, 1989
can aea happy family
Draft: Four
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
( (With so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I almost expect
to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") ) ( (PAUSE))
( (You know, 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
have here for a few days in New Orleans -- the biggest
congregation inside the biggest church on Earth. ( (PAUSE))
de-empt Chunch born in pioneer spirit
Pioneers/ Chamel your
worship, there is a church. And, in many ways, that is what we
But your convention is even more impressive for its strength
in the community. I understand that, as the Bible says, there
was a time when any small group committed to God could organize a
2
Baptist church and ordain ministers on the spot. This perfectly
suited the needs of the pioneers, as they built new churches on
same
the empty, plains and prairies of the West. But this Baptist
tradition also suited the needs of another group of brave
pioneers, your forebears, who blazed trails into another frontier
-- the frontier of freedom. ((PAUSE))
REORDER
They drew inspiration for their struggle 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
lEADS LIKE
toleration. It was the Baptists who played an important role in
religion
securing the freedom of belief in our American Constitution.
But it took this convention, the leadership of your pastors
the
and your people, to extend this struggle for freedom to all men
Dr
and women. ( (PAUSE) ) A It took leaders like Martin Luther King
Wyatt Tee Walker, E.V. Hill, Jerry Moore and T.J. Jemison.
Because of you, this country experienced 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))
I am here to offer you my hand, and to give you my word:
together, we will make America open and equal to all.
It was just more than a year ago that I was privileged to
give a nominating address here, one in which I promised our
3
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."
But, 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 manifestations of
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
institutions -- the family. Millions of children in America are
DIPECTION VALUES / VALUE S.YSTEM
growing up without ever knowing what it means to be raised by the
tender hand of a loving parent So our goal is simple, and it is
vital: We must work together to save the American family.
((PAUSE))
In the largest context, we are all children of God. Then we
are all members of an extended family called society, the
American nation. But before that, we are members of individual
families, our parents, our children. And yet, our families are
bound by more than blood; they are bound by the precious memories
of Christmas morning, of a grandparent's wise advice, a toddler's
first step, or the pride of a graduation ceremony. This is my
source of strength, as it is for Barbara, and as it is for you.
Government can certainly help protect families from the
No ONE EXPECTS
NOT spinging its uposible / Unit toylo 0-2-20 of
/ a different world/
no help; no mony and 4 a
street life Mout values
pressure of relentless economic and social change. But as a
nation, we also need private efforts to strengthen families, to
Cou, release prem For family to
You are providing an example for this kind of leadership in
syzely values Succeed/
new values
bring hope to America's children of despair.
churches across the nation, in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, where hungry families find sustenance.
No matter how close-knit your family may be, the decline of
the American family is not just someone else's problem. It is a
social disaster, a disaster for us all. The breakdown of the
family unleashes a chain of misery that weighs down whole
generations. When almost half of all black families are headed
you
TN trouble
by one parent, the family is dying And because the family is
dying, 43 percent of black children live in poverty. Because the
introuble
family is dying, half of all black families are led by single
mothers earning only a quarter of black income. And because the
INtRouble
family IS dying, it is becoming harder and harder for you and
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 teach a young black man living in poverty to
work for the future, when he has a greater chance of going to
prison than of going to college? ( (PAUSE) )
5
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 us begin with child-care. I hear of extended
families, where grandparents, aunts and uncles provide love and
care while a single parent works. And in many ways, the church
community is the greatest extended family of all. You have
already reached out to lift a load off the shoulders of the most
harried, harassed and unappreciated person around -- the single,
working parent. There are churches that supply high chairs and
bath sets to young parents. In fact, hundreds of Baptist
churches are coming up with new ideas, making a difference. And
in this same spirit, I would like to offer a few ideas of my own.
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 the 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 high time
we sent them a message. America's child care program shouldn't
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it should never, never
discriminate against religiously affiliated child care.
((PAUSE))
bamly and
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of love
that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist Church. And
I am determined to use my veto pen, if necessary, to protect
Shiloh and every other church-affiliated child-care center in
America.((PAUSE))
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
education:
Strong families thrive on good schools.
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 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
UNDER
7
to
pride. And as a Baptist minister, he founded five churches and
two schools, establishing institutions with great traditions of
service that lives on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this removicable man's life. If a he could
beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and prejudice
then we CAN succeed, WE toocAn ed.
to lead a community, then what is standing in our way today?
We succeed, if restore the values of an the American formly to
can
Americas
Schools
education. One way to do this is to 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 transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
the way. You need look no further than here in New Orleans,
where the Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young
write
men for adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program.
This brings me to our third concern: Families must be free
from fear. And freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs.
((PAUSE) ) That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out
assault that attacks 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
8
us work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (PAUSE))
Our fourth concern is opportunity. Strong families need
opportunity and economic empowerment. We should judge people by
calent
their skills, not by their background.
That
is
why
I
favor
expanding alternative certification of teachers and principals,
so that more Americans can share their knowledge in the
classroom.
to they the
I also 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 every community in need.
And finally, I renew my proposal for tenant management of public
housing. We can no longer deny these communities the autonomy
and dignity they deserve. ( (PAUSE) )
To provide child-care, to improve education, to defeat drugs
and to creáte opportunity -- these are goals 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."
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. It is your faith and your values that America so
desperately needs today. Will we transmit to future generations
I'm AN optimist -
COLORS & SHAPES /
NEXT GENE OF FAMILY COLOT INAIL its FORMS,
VALUES REINFORCED
BUT BECAUSE I DEliEVE
.... EVEMONE in poon
ABOUT UALUES - TRANSMIT,
you CARE
-I know 17 WILL IT WIL
#
#
#
bless you and God bless America.
greater future. Thank you for inviting me to New Orleans, God
With your support and your leadership, I know it will be the
adventure.
of a new century a century of unlimited opportunity and
second millennium. Or they can start their careers at the dawn
perpetuate the ancient curse of poverty and despair into the
first class of the next century The children of this class can
Kids born this year will be the graduating seniors of the
and die?
the values we were taught? Or will the family simply disappear
6
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) )
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
NEW YORK POST, THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1989
Eulogy for a teen takes aim at
In the lot across the
lived and thrived and cried
can't see a lesson. It's
street from the Grover Me-
and laughed, only the flies
about stupidity. You want
morial Baptist Church,
moved now in the August
sun, sharing the desolation
PETE
to think things are moving
there was a rusted shell of
on, that we're all going
a truck from the Belmont
with the cops.
Paper Box Co. Flies
The people of the ruined
HAMILL
somewhere together. Then
another human life is gone.
buzzed around its edges.
neighborhood were penned
This is 1989, not 1789. You'd
They rose in pairs and
behind blue portable
like to think things had
then settled again, on a
fences. There was a
The thin tapes of a burglar
glasses and flak jackets. In
come further than this.'
pink plastic comb, on a
fenced-off lot to the left of
alarm system covered
his 16 years on the earth,
smashed car radio, on bent
the Grover Baptist; to its
He was standing with
each window of the house
Yusuf Hawkins had never
Colt .45 cans, patroling the
right stood the New Fron-
others behind the fences;
of God. And there were
seen anything like this.
rubble of Brownsville.
tier Baptist Church and
cars pulled up, men in
cops everywhere: in the
"I wish there was a les-
In this vast Dean Street
then there were more lots,
suits got out and there was
lots, standing between the
son in all of this," said a
Iot, where houses once
wild with weed trees
pushing and confusion at
people and the church, up
black man who said his
the doors of the church.
stood, where human beings
drooping in the sultry heat.
on the rooftops, with field
name was Bob D. "But I
Paul O'Dwyer was there,
NEW YORK POST, THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1989
both blacks and whites in society
and Percy Sutton, and
blacks to hate whites any-
Grocery: all the windows
"He's just a Koch flunkie,"
was Louis Farrakhan, in a
there was warm applause
more than whites should
above the store were cov-
said a woman named Edna
white hat, flanked by the
when David Dinkins got
hate blacks. It's sick. We
ered with plywood. People
Mae Foster. You ever
blank-faced men of the
out and moved through the
gotta get the schools work-
bought sodas and ciga-
hear him say a word about
Fruit of Islam. A stout
crowd.
ing better. We gotta get
rettes and candy and went
Koch, except lickin' his
black woman in African
"The thing about this,"
some jobs in here. Black
back out into the sun.
shoes?"
dress detached herself
Bob D. said, "is that it was
people gotta get their act
Down the street, there
The arrivals kept com-
from the crowd, her eyes
so blatant. You can't blame
together too, to fight
were more lots, another
ing: Spike Lee ("Do the
wild and angry:
drugs. There's nothing
drugs, to fight for some-
fire-charred building. A
right thing!" came the
"You know that's all we
positive comes from this,
thing
Whites gotta
car pulled up, its doors
chant. "Do the right
got! You know when every-
only negative."
fight for the same things.
thumping with the au-
thing!") Vernon Mason
body's gone, all we got is
A woman named Ida
We're here. We gotta live
thority of power. Ben Ward
(unnoticed by the growing
Farrakhan!"
Mason, 26, spoke up: "Igno-
here, all of us."
got out, with a few others,
crowd); Al Sharpton
A few people said, "That's
rance is the problem. Pure
Down at the corner, there
and the black crowd booed.
("Hey, Al, give 'em hell!");
right, yuou're right
ignorance. It's no good to
were cops in front of the
Ward mopped his brow
and then a big cheer, swell-
And in the wet heat of
be prejudiced, no good for
Saratoga Super Deli &
and moved to the church.
ing, then rising, and here
See HAMILL on Page 12
Teen's eulogy takes blacks and whites to task
HAMILL from Page 3
the words were inaudible.
only with the triumphant
cal points, instead of rous-
ing for richer rhetoric. But
he talked about people who
Brownsville at high noon,
Mario Cuomo arrived and
truths of the blues.
ing people to destructive
Wells was relentlessly
were "guilty of self-ag-
there was some truth in this.
there were boos and then
And here was still another
passions, he spoke about
human; he was talking
grandizement instead of
The saddest kind of truth.
he moved into the church. I
black minister, standing
values. He talked about
about all of us. "Everyone
helping people." He asked
For black Americans have
saw Mark Breland, the
over the body of another
young people who adorn
of us ought to be able to
for black unity, saying,
tried love, through the unre-
welterweight champion,
young black man in the
their bodies instead of
ask ourselves at the end of
"We must not curry favor
lenting moral force of the
off on the side with a
country where the leading
feeding their minds, who
our days, what have you
with those in power, be-
Christian church; they've
friend; he's had his own
cause of death for such
offer sex as currency and
done with your life? And
cause those in power today
tried accommodation and
brushes with racism, but
young men is homicide. And
ignore love, who lust for
answer 'I helped somebody
are those who were in
persuasion. They've died in
he looked more sorrowful
he speaks with that invinci-
cars and drugs and money
Because it doesn't
power yesterday
And
our wars. They've enriched
than angry. A preacher's
ble hope for "the day when
and "make a joke out of
matter who you are," he
then added, "We say, like
our culture. And still they
voice was booming into the
we will never come back
every law of common de-
said, looking down upon
the Jews say, never again,
end up with chalk marks on
street now, addressing nei-
here again."
cency and then say )this is
the coffin of Yusuf Haw-
never again
the sidewalk in Bensonhurst
ther the crowd nor the as-
Mayor Koch slipped into
the life!"
kins, "you are gonna come
There was more, and
and Yusuf Hawkins bleeding
sembled politicians, but
the church late, his body-
He was saying that some-
this same way."
then it was over, and the
away as the medics work
God in heaven.
guards clearing the path
thing was drastically
frantically to save him.
"We thank you for the
at 12:30, and the people on
wrong with all Americans,
When he was gone, he was
church began to empty.
And here came Yusuf
the street hooted, booed,
black and white. He re-
followed by Sharpton and
Koch was booed; Dinkins
journey, o Lord," he said;
Hawkins, in a Lincoln town
shouted "Koch go home!"
Farrakhan. Both were rela-
was cheered; Spike Lee
and you thought of all the
minded the Christians pre-
car from Woodward Inc.,
journeys blacks have
There was little to say
sent that Jesus said, "I am
tively restrained. Sharpton
pursued for autographs. In
with license plates THP 518.
made in this country,
said, "When black children
the lot across the street,
about the mayor; no mat-
come so that you might
He was in a box. The family
starting with the horrors
ter what happens, he can
have life
And after
keep getting buried and
flies buzzed among the
emerged into the crowd,and
never speak to the people
citing the distorted values
young white children keep
empty film packs and dis-
of the Middle Passage;
people began chanting:
journeys as the property of
feeling satisfied, something's
carded coffee cups of the
on Dean Street. In the dis-
of so many people of all
"You-suf! You-suf! You-suf!"
others; journeys without
tance, sirens howled,
races, including his own,
wrong. He said, "I don't
media. One old black
A black woman, shielding
language and without
headed for some other
he addressed Koch, and
know who killed Yusuf, but
woman stood against a
herself from the heat with
kind of pain. Nobody paid
said, "I wonder, Mister
the system pulled the trig-
graffiti-laced wall and
maps; journeys full of hope
an umbrella, began to sob. A
attention; sirens are the
ger." The crowd outside
sobbed quietly, dabbing
and redemption and for-
Mayor, if this is the life of
voice from the public ad-
giveness, as they moved on
which Jesus spoke."
cheered, but Sharpton wasn't
daintily at her eyes with a
soundtrack of life in
dress system said, "We don't
the jubilee road. All those
Brownsville.
about to send any more peo-
handkerchief. And then
Some among the crowd
want this to become a circus.
journeys seemed to con-
And then Curtis C. Wells
were uncomfortable with
ple out to die. Neither was
Yusuf Hawkins was
We want to display respect
verge here yesterday on
began to speak, and he
Farrakhan.
carried into the hearse, to
this message; they wanted
be taken on still another
for the family and to this
the blasted tundra of
spared nobody, black or
to believe that all blacks
"Funeral services are in-
one of his people's sorrow-
house of worship
Brownsville, along with
white. He said he was not
were victims and all
structions for the living,"
ful journeys, out to Ever-
A hymn started playing,
the Greyhound bus head-
there "to pass judgement,"
whites are oppressors.
Farrakhan said. He in-
green Cemetery where he
some lost tune melody
ing north, moving on the
not there "to cast stones."
They shifted around,
voked Abraham, the Old
was returned to the Ameri-
from the Christian past;
Freedom Road, armored
And instead of cheap politi-
talked to each other, hop-
Testament, black history;
can earth.
L
[
$ Anne Arundel
- real conseg.
Ame Declined 80% sure '80
expelled
- suspends [ conselling ]
- imuDally Dealing
- using 2ND time expetted
- 13 years same of um grow ups
TAGE ,4400 0
your problems are my purlums (Pause)
your Lopus - the hoghest apporations of
+ give you my word: getter, we
all. Today, A offin you my hand.
all. (Pase))
will male aminom open + equal to
A Common Destiny : Blacks + Anu SOC.
"great quef
D've called on Coyurs to provide a
$250 m. morease Rs in finds for H.S. -
a Key propoun in Φ prepary DISAD. childen
for school.
AnD oppoe. means job training - building
the emp loyment skils + basic literacy
abulity eneryone needs to get + +Keepa a
GRA job. 68% success rate -
I've ushed Corrus to create at least
50 enter. zons between now 1993.
in e.3.
3cms on capital sain/ elipable by
DAVID
ADult Anne Asunded 2nd the out your first Change
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))
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.
August 30, 1989
MEMORANDUM TO MARK DAVIS
CHRISTINA MARTIN
H
FROM:
STEPHANIE BLESSEY
SUBJECT:
National Baptist Convention
The following is a little information that might be helpful
for the final touches of the National Baptist Convention speech.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
President Jemison, Members of the Staff and Members of the
Board of Directors
PROGRAM:
Opening
Scripture: psalm 84 verses 1-7
Prayer
Song - by the choir of 250 standing behind the President
Introduction by President Jemison (which might be long)
Presidential Remarks
AUDIENCE:
16,000 in attendance
75 Board members on stage
TIDBITS:
Reverend Doctor T.J. Jemison's father, Reverend Doctor D.V.
Jemison was also President of the National Baptist Convention.
He was from Selma, Alabama.
The Convention is 109 years old.
Please contact me, if there is any more you need.
Davis/Martin
Aug. 28, 1989
Draft: Four
Title: Baptists
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989. (time to come) )
mof the
((Acknow. BOD, ledgements) Revered Jemisow, mofthe of staff
((With so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I almost expect
to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") ) ( (PAUSE))
((You know, the last time I was here, I addressed thousands
SIXTEEN
of Republicans. Now I am addressing forty five 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))
even
But your convention is more impressive for its strength in
the community. I understand that, as the Bible says, there was a
time when any small group committed to God could organize a
Baptist church and ordain ministers on the spot. This perfectly
8/24/89
PAB
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
MEMORANDUM
Davis
TO:
DAVID DEMAREST
wead
FROM:
JOSEPH W. HAGIN
SUBJECT:
APPROVED PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVITY
EVENT:
Address National Baptist Convention
DATE:
September 8, 1989 -- Friday
TIME:
2:00 p.m.
DURATION:
30 minutes
LOCATION:
Super Dome, New Orleans, LA
ATTIRE:
Business Suit
REMARKS REQUIRED: Yes
MEDIA COVERAGE: Open
FIRST LADY
PARTICIPATION: TBD
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
CONTACT:
,
TELEPHONE: OFFICE
HOME
NOTE: PROJECT OFFICER, SEE ATTACHED CHECKLIST
Ed Rogers
Marlin Fitzwater
David Bates
James Cicconi
David Demarest
David Valdez
Fred McClure
Jean Lamb
USSS - PPD
Susan Porter Rose
Steve Studdert
Gary Walters
Patty Presock
John Keller
WHCA Audio/Visual
Chriss Winston
Tim McBride
WHCA Operations
Laurie Firestone
J. Bonnie Newman
Amy Louisa Buckley
Robert Guttman
Tony Lopez
C. Boyden Gray
Bruce Zanca
TO:
PROJECT OFFICERS
FROM:
JOSEPH W. HAGIN II
SUBJECT:
CHECKLIST FOR PRESIDENTIAL EVENTS
General Responsibilities
The Presidential Advance Office (x7565) has responsibility for all logistical
arrangements for any event involving press coverage. Please coordinate with them from
the time your event is approved in order to avoid the need for last-minute modification.
Notify and clear all participants. (Full name, social security number, date of birth and
place of birth).
Prepare and submit briefing paper to Jim Cicconi's Office by 3:00pm of the preceding day
(16 copies)
Coordinate with Tim McBride on Presidential involvement.
Coordinate with Press Office and Media Relations regarding Press Coverage. Provide
Media Relations with hometowns of participants. No organization's photographers will
be admitted to any event unless the press is present. Clearance of such photographers
should be coordinated through Media Relations.
If remarks are required, coordinate with the Speechwriters Office well in advance.
For outdoor events at the White House, in case of inclement weather, clear and reserve
the backup location indicated.
If participant plans to bring a gift, contact the White House Gift Unit, in advance, for
review and proper procedure for handling.
If any foreign visitor or dignitary is to be involved, please coordinate with the NSC
(x2224).
If any Department of Defense or Military personnel are to be involved, please coordinate
in advance with the White House Military Office (x2150).
If press coverage is expected, please provide all pertinent information concerning this
event (guests, scenario, backdrop, etc.,) to the Presidential Advance Office at least 72
hours prior to the event.
Within five (5) days after the event, submit a complete, confirmed list of staff and
attendees, identified by title, and the actual starting and completion times of the event,
to the President's Diarist, Office of Presidential Appointments and Scheduling.
If tent name cards are needed, send a list of names to the Social Secretary's office (x7064)
at least 48 hours in advance.
For West Wing Meetings all room arrangements (chairs, notepads, pencils, etc.) should
be made through Carl Jones or Kathy Wills (x2605).
Residence Events
Coordinate with the Social Secretary's office (x7064) for all arrangements.
Send guest list to Social Secretary's office, preferably three weeks prior to the event.
The President's attendance at this event should not be announced until official
notification is given by the White House Press Office and any public announcement
must be coordinated with that office. Also, prior to the distribution of any printed
material, particularly details of the invitation, contact must be made with the White
House Social Secretary, Laurie Firestone, at (x7064).
2
suited the needs of the pioneers, as they built new churches on
the empty plains and prairies of the West. But this Baptist
tradition also suited the needs of another group of brave
pioneers, your forebears, who blazed trails into another frontier
-- the frontier of freedom. ( (PAUSE) )
They drew inspiration for their struggle 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 the Baptists who played an important role in
securing the freedom of belief in our American Constitution.
But it took this convention, the leadership of your pastors
and your people, to extend this struggle for freedom to all men
and women. ( (PAUSE) ) It took ( (Acknowledge church/civil rights
leaders) ) Because of you, this country experienced 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 Congress to the White House, know one
thing: in the struggle for equality and opportunity, I have
always been with you. And your hopes and dreams are now the highest
aspirations of my Presidency. ( (PAUSE) )
I am here to offer you my hand, and to give you my word:
together, we will make America open and equal to all.
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
3
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."
But 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 more than that. As serious
as all of these problems are, they are manifestations of
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
institutions -- the family. Millions of children in America
are soon up
never know im what it means to be raised by the tender hand of a
loving parent. So our goal is simple, and it is vital: We must
there ch E, to Sure
work together to save the American family. ( (PAUSE))
In the largest context, we are all children of God. Then we
are all members of an extended family called society, the
American nation. But before that, we are members of individual
families, our parents, our children. And yet, our families are
bound by more than blood; they are bound by the precious memories
of Christmas morning, of a grandparent's wise advice, a toddler's
first step, or the pride of a graduation ceremony. This is my
source of strength, as it is for Barbara, and as it is for you.
the the promission
Government can do a lot to make it easier for families to
stay together. Government can certainly help protect families
SIFT
from the pressure of relentless economic and social change. But
4
as a nation, we also need private efforts to strengthen families,
to bring hope to America's children of despair.
You are providing an example for this kind of leadership in
churches across the nation, in ministries like that of E.V. Hill
of Los Angeles, giving sustenance to hungry families. ((another
example))
In a perfect world, the ideal family for any child, of
course, is one complete with a loving mother and a loving father.
But today, in every community, such families are increasingly
uncommon. And in the black community, such families are no
a mnjoul w/
longer the norm. More than half of all black children are not
OUT into HOMES HEADED By Mole
born into wedlock. No matter how close-knit your family may be,
into puredhome
the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is a social disaster, a disaster for us all, because
the breakdown of the family unleashes a chain of misery that
weighs down whole generations. -A young black man living in
poverty has a greater chance of going to prison than
going
to
college.
So how do we teach respect for a hard-earned dollar, when
easy drug money flourishes?
How do we teach that achievement is found in quiet moments
and subtle rewards, when a murderous materialism glitters with
the promise fudare of gold chains, fashion sunshades, and a BMW?
Howsell
In short, without strong families, how can values triumph
over vice?
5
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.
You have already reached out to lift a load off the
shoulders of the most harried, harassed and unappreciated person
around -- the single, working parent.
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 us begin with child-care. You are already doing
your part, saving thousands of families and redeeming thousands
of children. I hear of extended families, where grandparents,
aunts and uncles provide love and care while a single parent
works. I hear of churches that supply high chairs and bath sets
to young parents. Hundreds of Baptist churches are coming up
with new ideas, making a difference. And in this same spirit, I
would like to offer a few ideas of my own.
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 the 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.
6
Yet some in Congress do not agree. Perhaps it is high time
we sent them a message. America's child care program shouldn't
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it should never, never
discriminate against religiously affiliated child care.
((PAUSE))
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of love
that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist Church. I
saw the (local color to come.)) And I am determined to use my
veto pen, if necessary, to protect Shiloh and every other church-
affiliated child-care center in America. ( (PAUSE))
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
education: Strong families thrive on good schools. 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 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
is
7
two schools, establishing a great tradition of community service
that lives on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this man's life. If a he could
beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and prejudice
to lead a congregation, county then what is standing in our way today?
We can succeed, if restore the value of an American
education. One way to do this is to 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 transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
the way. You need look no further than here in New Orleans,
where the Greater Liberty Baptist Church is preparing many young
men for adulthood through its Black Manhood Training program.
This brings me to our third concern: Families must be free
from fear. And freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs.
((PAUSE)) That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out
assault that attacks 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
8
us work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (PAUSE))
Our fourth concern is opportunity. Strong families need
opportunity and economic empowerment. We should judge people by
their skills, not by their background. That is why I favor
expanding alternative certification of teachers and principals,
so that more Americans can share their knowledge in the
classroom.
I also 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 every community in need.
Liberalism implies a generosity of spirit; but there is nothing
Hor
liberal about liberals who oppose enterprise zones.
And finally, I renew my proposal for tenant management of
public housing. We can no longer deny these communities the
autonomy and dignity they deserve. ( (PAUSE))
To provide child-care, to improve education, to defeat drugs
and to create opportunity --- these are goals 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.
it is your faith and your values that America so
desperately needs today.
Kids born this year will be the graduating seniors of the
first class of the next century. The children of this class can
perpetuate the ancient curse of poverty and despair into the
second millennium. Or they can start their careers at the dawn
of a new century, a century of unlimited opportunity and
adventure.
With your support and your leadership, I know it will be the
greater future. Thank you for inviting me to New Orleans, God
bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
Davis/Martin
Aug. 22, 1989
Draft: Two
Title: Baptists
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989, ( (time to come) )
((Acknowledgements) )
( (With so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I almost expect
to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") ) ( (PAUSE))
ACK V. upfront
((You know, the last time I was here, I addressed thousands
of Republicans. Now I am addressing forty-five 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.")) ( (PAUSE))
((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))
st
But your convention is more impressive for its strength in
the community, than for the size of its membership. I understand
that, as the Bible says, there was a time when any small group
could have organized a Baptist church and ordained ministers on
committed to Dod
2
the spot. This perfectly suited the needs of the pioneers, as
they built new churches on the empty plains and prairies of the
West. But this Baptist tradition also suited the needs of
another group of brave pioneers, your forebears, who blazed
trails into another frontier -- the frontier of freedom.
((PAUSE))
They drew inspiration for their struggle from the insights
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 the Baptists who played an important role in
securing the freedom of belief in our American Constitution.
But it took this convention, the leadership of your pastors
who?
and your people, to extend this struggle for freedom to all men
NAMES/RISK
and women. ( (PAUSE)) The sixth decade of this century in this
country was 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 Congress to the White House, know one
thing: in the struggle for equality and opportunity, I have
?
always been with you. And as your President, I am with you all
AAACP
the way. ( (PAUSE))
It was just more than a year ago that I gave my nominating
address here, and 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
Davis/Martin
Aug. 28, 1989
Draft: Three
Title: Baptists
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989/ ( (time to come) )
( (Acknowledgements))
( (With so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I almost expect
to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") ) ((PAUSE))
((You know, the last time I was here, I addressed thousands
of Republicans. Now I am addressing forty-five 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))
But your convention is more impressive for its strength in
the community. I understand that, as the Bible says, there was a
time when any small group committed to God could organize a
Baptist church and ordain ministers on the spot. This perfectly
2
suited the needs of the pioneers, as they built new churches on
the empty plains and prairies of the West. But this Baptist
tradition also suited the needs of another group of brave
pioneers, your forebears, who blazed trails into another frontier
-- the frontier of freedom. ( (PAUSE) )
They drew inspiration for their struggle from the insights
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 the Baptists who played an important role in
securing the freedom of belief in our American Constitution.
But it took this convention, the leadership of your pastors
and your people, to extend this struggle for freedom to all men
and women. ((PAUSE)) ( (Acknowledge church/civil rights
leaders) ) Because of you, this country experienced 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 Congress to the White House, know one
thing: in the struggle for equality and opportunity, NAACP
language. ( (PAUSE))
It was just more than a year ago that I gave my nominating
address here, and 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."
3
But 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 more than that. As serious
as all of these problems are, they are manifestations of
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
institutions -- the family. So our goal is simple, and it is
vital: We must work together to save the American family.
((PAUSE))
In the largest context, we are all children of God. Then we
are all members of an extended family called society, the
American nation. But before that, we are members of individual
families, our parents, our children. And yet, our families are
bound by more than blood; they are bound by the precious memories
of Christmas morning, of a grandparent's wise advice, a toddler's
first step, or the pride of a graduation ceremony.
(we) you CAN DO AS much
Government
can do a lot to make it easier for families to
OCAN AS MUCH, OR MORE
stay together.
the church like E.V. Hill of Los Angeles,
feeding hungry families.)
4
This is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara, and as
it is for you. No government program can create such a home
life. But government can help protect families from the pressure
of relentless economic and social change.
In a perfect world, the ideal family for any child, of
course, is one complete with a loving mother and a loving father.
But today, in communities both white and black, such families are
increasingly uncommon. No matter how close-knit your family may
be, the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is a social disaster, a disaster for us all.
black family/
The single parent is up against a lot. Clothes, BMW/easy drug
money = hard time.
Values.
(over)
We need public policies and private efforts to make it
financially easier for families to stay together.
We must support communities and
their churches, and rely on the extended family -- the supportive
family of aunts, uncles and grandparents. And most of all, we
must reach out to lift a load off the shoulders of the most
harried, harassed and unappreciated person around - the single,
working parent.
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
(OVER)
VALUES ARE ETERNAL
WHAT Do I MEAN By VALUES?
Potring stock
SEEKIng "haro-earned pray check over EASY
DRUG money.
SEEKING REWARD in be Doing good
soodeels BMWs
WE DO NOT HAVE VALUES WHEN WHOLE
neigh BOR HOOD S of your men me targht that:
EASY DRUG MONEY is BETTER A MURDEROUS THAW m. A HARD Do -EAMLED
PAYCHECK. * THAT
How metand
A CHAiN OF GOLD, A Bmw, A FASHION -DE3iGnER
SUNSANDES ARE NOT ACHIEWOMENT- - THE QUIET monents,
THE SUBTLE REWARDS
5
education; and by replacing the crippling fear of crime with the
promise of opportunity.
First, let us begin with child-care. You are already doing
your part, saving thousands of families and redeeming thousands
of children. I hear of churches that supply high chairs and bath
sets to young parents. ( (Extended family.) ) Hundreds of Baptist
churches are coming up with new ideas, making a difference. And
in this same spirit, I would like to offer a few ideas of my own.
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 the 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 high time
we sent them a message. America's child care program shouldn't
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it should never, never
discriminate against religiously affiliated child care.
((PAUSE) )
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of love
that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist Church. I
saw the ( (local color to come.) ) And I am determined to use my
veto pen, if necessary, to protect Shiloh and every other church-
affiliated child-care center in America. ( (PAUSE))
6
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
education: Strong families thrive on good schools. 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 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 a great tradition of community service
that lives on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this man's life. If a he could
beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and prejudice
to lead a congregation, then what is standing in our way today?
We can succeed, if restore the value of an American
education. One way to do this is to 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.
7
But education is more than schooling; it is nothing less
than the transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
the way. Here in New Orleans, the Greater Liberty Baptist Church
is preparing many young men for adulthood through its Black
Manhood Training program. ( (Another example) )
This brings me to our third concern: Families must be free
from fear. And freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs.
( (PAUSE) ) That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out
assault that attacks 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 work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (PAUSE))
Our fourth concern is opportunity. Strong families need
opportunity and economic empowerment. We should judge people by
their skills, not by their background. That is why I favor
expanding alternative certification of teachers and principals,
so that more Americans can share their knowledge in the
classroom.
I also renew my proposal for federal enterprise zones, to
bring opportunity to every distressed community between the
barren lots of the South Bronx, to the streets of Watts.
8
And finally, I renew my proposal for tenant management of
public housing. We can no longer deny these communities the
autonomy and dignity they deserve. ((PAUSE))
To provide child-care, to improve education, to defeat drugs
and to create opportunity -- these are goals 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."
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America so
desperately needs today.
VALUES - [
Kids born this year will be the graduating seniors of the
first class of the next century. The children of this class can
perpetuate the ancient curse of poverty and despair into the
second millennium. Or they can start their careers at the dawn
of a new century, a century of unlimited opportunity and
adventure.
3
new century, and we've got to leave the tired old baggage of
bigotry behind."
But 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 to strugging grapple with another national
DESCRIBE PROBLEM
problem.
Is it crime? Not quite. Is it homelessness? No, not by
itself. Is it drugs? Yes, but it is more than that. As serious
as all of these problems are, they are manifestations of
EACH OF You/HonDREDS IMPORTANT OF THOU/LIKE E.U.Ltill
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
MOST
institutions -- the family. So our goal is simple, and it is
vital: We must work together to save the American family.
( (PAUSE))
In the largest context, we are all children of God. Then we
are all members of an extended family called society, individual the
American nation. But before that, we are members of our family,
has
our parents, our children. And yet, our families are bound by
more than blood; they are bound by the precious memories of
wise
Christmas morning, of a grandparent's sage advice and a toddler's
is a role for you. BUT THE
first step 9 the pride of a family's fast (meniest) graduate,
This is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara, and as
it is for you. No government program can create such a home
life. But government can help protect families from the pressure
of relentless economic and social change.
of course, }
In a sufect world,
It is my belief that the ideal family for any child, is one
complete with a loving mother and a loving father. But today, in
GOOD news - BLACKM.C.
AS you know BEST- STATS
VAUUE SYSTEM FAILING/
SELL THEM ON ED ED., notaruos
HARD FOR mother / HARDSHIP
Sym- not EASY
4
parent
ILLOT. BLACK BLACK BiRTHS
communities both white and black, such families are increasingly
uncommon. No matter how close-knit your family may be, the
single
decline of the American family is not just someone else's
up Ruse AOAINST A LOT.
problem. It is a social disaster, a disaster for us all.
We need public policies and private efforts to make it
financially easier for families to stay together. We must
support communities and their churches, and rely on the extended
family -- the supportive family of aunts, uncles and
CLOTHES/ BMWS/ DRUGMONEY eAsy HARDTIME TODAY
grandparents. And most of all, we must reach out to lift a load
off the shoulders of the most harried, harassed and unappreciated
person around -- the single, working parent.
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
VALUES
promise of opportunity.
First, let us begin with child-care. You are already doing
your part, saving thousands of families and redeeming thousands
of children. Take the Reverend E.V. Hill of Los Angeles, who is
are
feeding hungry families, especially children. Other churches, I
child
hear, are supplying high chairs and bath sets to young parents.
Hundreds of Baptist churches are coming up with new ideas, making
a difference. And in this same spirit, I would like to offer a
few ideas of my own.
I have proposed a child-care tax credit, to be focused on
those who need such assistance the most -- the working poor.
5
But this approach is different from past programs, because
it would empower parents, not the government, to choose the best
care for the 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 high time
we sent them a message. America's child-care program shouldn't
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it should never, never
discriminate against religiously affiliated child care.
( (PAUSE) )
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of love
that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist Church. I
saw the ((local color to come.) ) And I am determined to use my
veto pen, if necessary, to protect Shiloh and every other church-
affiliated child-care center in America. ( (PAUSE) )
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
education: Strong families thrive on good schools. 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 from Texas to
Virginia, and worked on the railroad until a Baptist society
sponsored him at a seminary school. Annie Rose says her father
6
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 a great tradition of community service
that lives on to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this man's life. If a he could
beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and prejudice
to lead a congregation, then what is standing in our way today?
We can succeed, if restore the value of an American
education. One way to do this is to 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 transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
the way. Here in New Orleans, the Greater Liberty Baptist Church
is preparing many young men for adulthood through its Black
Manhood Training program. In the Shaw neighborhood in
Washington, Shiloh Baptist is once again pitching in. The people
of this church are taking its ministry to the streets, fighting
the lure of drugs with another lure -- that of basketball, to
draw young men to a youth center.
7
This brings me to our third concern: Families must be free
from fear. And freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs.
( (PAUSE) ) That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out
assault that attacks 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 work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (PAUSE))
Our fourth concern is opportunity. Strong families need
opportunity and economic empowerment. We should judge people by
their skills, not by their background. That is why I favor
expanding alternative certification of teachers and principals,
so that more Americans can share their knowledge in the
classroom.
I also renew my proposal for federal enterprise zones, to
transplant opportunity from Watts to the barren lots of the South
Bronx, and every distressed community in between.
And finally, I renew my proposal for tenant management of
public housing. We can no longer deny these communities the
autonomy and dignity they deserve. ( (PAUSE) )
To provide child-care, to improve education, to defeat drugs
and to create opportunity -- these are goals that require nothing
less than a sustained national effort, a national partnership. I
believe government can and should be a strong partner.
8
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."
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America so
desperately needs today.
VALUES
Kids born this year will be the graduating seniors of the
first class of the next century. The children of this class can
perpetuate the ancient curse of poverty and despair into the
second millennium. Or they can start their careers at the dawn
of a new century, a century of unlimited opportunity and
adventure.
With your support and your leadership, I know it will be the
greater future. Thank you for inviting me to New Orleans, God
bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
8
Our fourth concern is opportunity. Strong families need
opportunity and economic empowerment. We should judge people by
their skills, not by their background. That is why I favor
expanding alternative certification of teachers and principals,
so that more Americans can share their knowledge in the
classroom.
just
a menlen a
I also renew my proposal for federal enterprise zones, to
bring opportunity to the barren lots of the South Bronx, to the
streets of Watts, to every community in need. Liberalism implies
a generosity of spirit; but there is nothing liberal about
liberals who oppose enterprise zones.
commits
And finally, I renew my proposal for tenant management of
public housing. We can no longer deny these communities the
autonomy and dignity they deserve. ((PAUSE))
To provide child-care, to improve education, to defeat drugs
and to create opportunity -- these are goals that require nothing
less than a sustained national effort, a national partnership. I
if our is
believe government can and should be a strong partner
that But Sould the
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."
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America so
desperately needs today.
is in
ULTIMATELY,
THE SALUATION OF so many
your hands
The value of him Achievement then
The Julue of famly
Ans the values
The value of sacufice and self
Thr value of
9
mm
Kids born this year will be the graduating seniors of the
first class of the next century. The children of this class can
perpetuate the ancient curse of poverty and despair into the
second millennium. Or they can start their careers at the dawn
of a new century, a century of unlimited opportunity and
adventure.
With your support and your leadership, I know it will be the
greater future. Thank you for inviting me to New Orleans, God
bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
Davis/Martin
Aug. 28, 1989
Draft: Three
Title: Baptists
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
New Orleans Convention Center
Sept. 8, 1989/ (time to come) )
( (Acknowledgements) )
((With so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I almost expect
to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") ) ((PAUSE))
((You know, the last time I was here, I addressed thousands
of Republicans. Now I am addressing forty-five 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) )
But your convention is more impressive for its strength in
the community. I understand that, as the Bible says, there was a
time when any small group committed to God could organize a
Baptist church and ordain ministers on the spot. This perfectly
2
suited the needs of the pioneers, as they built new churches on
the empty plains and prairies of the West. But this Baptist
tradition also suited the needs of another group of brave
pioneers, your forebears, who blazed trails into another frontier
-- the frontier of freedom. ( (PAUSE))
faith
They drew inspiration for their struggle from the insights
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 the Baptists who played an important role in
securing the freedom of belief in our American Constitution.
But it took this convention, the leadership of your pastors
and your people, to extend this struggle for freedom to all men
IT TOOK
and
women.
(
(PAUSE))
( (Acknowledge church/civil rights
leaders) ) Because of you, this country experienced 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 Congress to the White House, know one
thing: in the struggle for equality and opportunity, NAACP
language. ( (PAUSE) )
It was just more than a year ago that I gave my nominating
address here, and 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."
3
But 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 more than that. As serious
as all of these problems are, they are manifestations of
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
institutions -- the family. So our goal is simple, and it is
vital: We must work together to save the American family.
( (PAUSE)) (National divorce rate/single-parent children))
In the largest context, we are all children of God. Then we
are all members of an extended family called society, the
American nation. But before that, we are members of individual
families, our parents, our children. And yet, our families are
bound by more than blood; they are bound by the precious memories
of Christmas morning, of a grandparent's wise advice, a toddler's
first step, or the pride of a graduation ceremony. This is my
source of strength, as it is for Barbara, and as it is for you.
Government can do a lot to make it easier for families
to stay together. But we must, as a people, do as much or more.
You are providing an example for this kind of leadership in
churches across the nation, ministeries like that of E.V. Hill of
Los Angeles, giving sustenance to hungry families. [OR EXAMPLE]
4
No government program can create such a home life. But
government can help protect families from the pressure of
relentless economic and social change.
In a perfect world, the ideal family for any child, of
course, is one complete with a loving mother and a loving father.
But today, in communities both white and black, such families are
increasingly uncommon. No matter how close-knit your family may
be, the decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is a social disaster, a disaster for us all.
Nowhere is this human tragedy greater than in your
communities. ((Stats on black family)) In this environment,
STET
START
single parents are outmatched from the beginning.
How does a parent teach respect for a hard-earned dollar,
when easy drug money flourishes?
How does a parent teach that achievement is found in quiet
moments and subtle rewards, when a murderous materialism glitters
with the promise of gold chains, fashion sunshades, and a BMW?
W/OUT STRONG FAMILIES,
In short, how can values triumph over vice?
The answers can only come from the heart, from the heart of
every mother parent and father. And the answers can come from our
churches.
As a nation, we need public policies and private efforts to
strengthen families, to bring hope to America's children of
despair.
The government can make it financially easier for families
BOD
to stay together. But only churches can provide community
have
strength, and instill the values. Working together, you we must reach
5
out to lift a load off the shoulders of the most harried,
harassed and unappreciated person around -- the single, working
parent.
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 us begin with child-care. You are already doing
your part, saving thousands of families and redeeming thousands
of children. I hear of extended families, where grandparents,
aunts and uncles provide love and care while a single parent
works. I hear of churches that supply high chairs and bath sets
to young parents. Hundreds of Baptist churches are coming up
with new ideas, making a difference. And in this same spirit, I
would like to offer a few ideas of my own.
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 the 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 high time
we sent them a message. America's child care program shouldn't
6
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it should never, never
discriminate against religiously affiliated child care.
( (PAUSE) )
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of love
that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist Church. I
saw the ((local color to come.) ) And I am determined to use my
veto pen, if necessary, to protect Shiloh and every other church-
affiliated child-care center in America. ( (PAUSE) )
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
education: Strong families thrive on good schools. 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 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 a great tradition of community service
that lives on to this day.
7
There is a lesson for us in this man's life. If a he could
beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and prejudice
to lead a congregation, then what is standing in our way today?
We can succeed, if restore the value of an American
education. One way to do this is to 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 transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
younsas look no futther cloon
the way. Here / in New Orleans, the Greater Liberty Baptist Church
where
is preparing many young men for adulthood through its Black
Manhood Training program.
(Another example)
This brings me to our third concern: Families must be free
from fear. And freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs.
( (PAUSE) ) That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out
assault that attacks 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 work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (PAUSE))
JOE - could please. look this
OVER - MARK DAVIS
CONVENTIN
Davis/Martin
Aug. 22, 1989
Draft: One
Title: Baptists
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA, Inc.
NEW ORLEANS Superdome?
Sept. 8, 1989 /
(time)
( (Acknowledgements) )
( (With so many Baptists here in New Orleans, I almost expect
to hear: "When the Saints Come Marching In") ) ( (PAUSE))
N.O.
((You know, the last time I was in the Super Dome, I
addressed thousands of Republicans. Now I am addressing forty-
five 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. ) ) ( (PAUSE))
( (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) )
But your convention is more impressive for its strength in
the communities, than for the size of its membership. I
understand that, as the Bible says, there was a time when any
small group could have organized a Baptist church and ordained
2
ministers on the spot. This perfectly suited the needs of the
pioneers, as they built new churches on the empty plains and
prairies of the West. But this Baptist tradition also suited the
needs of another group of brave pioneers, your forebears, who
blazed trails into another frontier --- the frontier of freedom.
They drew inspiration for their struggle from the insights
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 the Baptists who played an important role in
securing the freedom of belief in our American Constitution.
But it took this convention, the leadership of your pastors
and your people, to extend this struggle for freedom to all men
and women. The sixth decade of this century in this country was
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 Congress to the White House, know one
thing: in the struggle for equality and opportunity, I have
always been with you. And as your President, I am with you all
the way. ( (PAUSE))
It was just more than a year ago that I stood under this
dome and 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.'
3
But 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 to grapple with another national
problem.
Is it crime? Not quite. Is it homelessness? No, not by
itself. Is it drugs? Yes, but it is more than that. As serious
as all of these problems are, they are manifestations of
something else -- the disintegration of the most basic of all
institutions -- the family. So our goal is simple, and it is
vital: We must work together to save the American family.
]
( (PAUSE) )
In the largest context, we are all children of God. Then we
are all members of an extended family called society, the
American nation. But before that, we are members of our family,
our parents, our children. And yet, our families are bound by
more than blood; they are bound by the precious memories of
Christmas morning, of a grandparent's sage advice and a toddler's
first step.
This is my source of strength, as it is for Barbara, and as
it is for you. No government program can create such a home
life. But government can help protect families from the pressure
of relentless economic and social change.
It is my belief that the ideal family for any child is one
complete with a loving mother and a loving father. But today, in
communities both white and black, such families are increasingly
uncommon. No matter how close-knit your family may be, the
4
decline of the American family is not just someone else's
problem. It is a social disaster for us all.
We need public policies and private efforts to make it
financially easier for families to stay together. We must
support communities and their churches, and rely on the extended
family -- the supportive family of aunts, uncles and
grandparents. And most of all, we must reach out to lift a load
off the shoulders of the most harried, harassed and unappreciated
-/CHRISTENED BAPT. WORLD H.Q. INWASHVILLE)
person around -- the single, working parent.
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
EY. Hill
teen hughy in L.A.
promise of opportunity.
First, let us begin with child-care. You are already doing
your part, saving thousands of families and redeeming thousands
of children. Take the Lincoln Congregation Temple in Washington
as just one example. With its Adopt-a-Family" program, the
people of this church supply high chairs, bath sets, sweaters, a
washing machine and money to young parents. This is just one
example of how hundreds of Baptist churches are coming up with
new ideas, making a difference. And in this same spirit, I would
like to offer a few ideas of my own.
I have proposed a child-care tax credit, to be focused on
those who need such assistance the most -- the working poor.
5
But this approach is different from past programs, because
it would empower parents, not the government, to choose the best
care for the 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 high time
we sent them a message. America's child-care program shouldn't
discriminate against two-parent families where one parent chooses
to care for the children at home. And it should never, never
discriminate against religiously affiliated child care.
( (PAUSE) )
I felt for myself, in Washington, D.C., the spirit of love
that permeates the day-care center at Shiloh Baptist Church. I
saw the ( (local color to come.) ) And I am determined to use my
veto pen, if necessary, to protect Shiloh and every other church-
affiliated child-care center in America. ( (PAUSE) )
But child-care alone is not enough. Our second concern is
education: Strong families thrive on good schools. 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.
Ms. Rose or Anme Rose
You see Annie is 95-years-old, and her father,
Henry,
was born
Rose
into slavery.
Liberated at age 21, Henry Rose walked from Texas to
Virginia, and worked on the railroad until a Baptist society
sponsored him at a seminary school. Annie Rose says her father
6
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 a church with a
great tradition of community service in Alexandria that lives on
to this day.
There is a lesson for us in this man's life. If a he could
beat the overwhelming odds of slavery, oppression and prejudice
to lead a congregation, then what is standing in our way today?
We can succeed, if restore the value of an American
education. One way to do this is to give parents and students
greater choice. This means magnet schools; this means public and
private partnerships like the "Say Yes to Education" program,
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 transmittal of values. And once again, you are leading
the way. Here in New Orleans, the Greater Liberty Baptist Church
is preparing many young men for adulthood through its Black
Manhood Training program. In the Shaw neighborhood in
Washington, Shiloh Baptist is once again pitching again. The
people of this church are taking its ministry to the streets,
drawing young men to a youth center with basketball, away from
the lure of drugs.
7
This brings me to our third concern: Families must be free
from fear. And freedom from fear today means freedom from drugs.
( (PAUSE) ) That is why Tuesday night I announced an all-out
assault that attacks 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 work together to reclaim our streets and cities from these
merchants of death. ( (PAUSE))
Our fourth concern is opportunity. Strong families need
opportunity and economic empowerment. We should judge people by
their skills, not by their background. That is why I favor
expanding alternative certification of teachers and principals,
so that more Americans can share their knowledge in the
classroom.
I also renew my proposal for federal enterprise zones, to
transplant opportunity from Watts to the barren lots of the South
Bronx, and every distressed community in between.
And finally, I renew my proposal for tenant management of
public housing. We can no longer deny these communities the
autonomy and the dignity they deserve. ( (PAUSE))
To provide child-care, to improve education, to defeat drugs
and to create opportunity -- these are goals that require nothing
less than a sustained national effort, a national partnership. I
believe government can and should be a strong partner.
8
As I said here just a little more than a year ago:
&
hate government. 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."
Your faith has been tested. Your values have been found to
be true. And it is your faith and your values that America so
desperately needs today.
Kids born this year will be the graduating seniors of the
first class of the next century. The children of this class can
perpetuate the ancient curse of poverty and despair into the
second millennium. Or they can start their careers at the dawn
of a new century, a century of unlimited opportunity and
adventure.
With your support and your leadership, I know it will be the
greater future. 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))
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 géneration 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))
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 our
nation's first comprehensive, coordinated all-out assault; a way
to attack the drug menance on every front. I believe the Congress
will eventually work with me, to make our national strategy the
law of the land. But for the moment, some want to use drugs as
just another partisan issue. I don't want to play that game.
But neither can I allow a few loose statements to go unanswered.
Some claim our plan is not bold enough. Yet never before
have we enlisted America's fighting forces against drugs.
Some claim our plan is not imaginative enough. Why can't
they imagine any achievement by the American people that comes
from grit and determination, instead of more dollars and higher
taxes?
Some claim our plan is not tough enough. Why won't they let
my crime package out of committee? And why won't they support
the death penalty for drug kingpins?
We don't just worry about our children. We worry about all
children, especially those who are most at risk.
9
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's time to get tough. Let
us join together to sweep out these killers, 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."
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.
10
Thank you for all that you've done. And thank you for
inviting me to New Orleans.
God bless you and God bless America.
#
#
#
11
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
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 yours as well -- partisan commercials attacking our
plan were on the air even before I presented it to you. This is
bad politics, bad policy and bad for America.
I challenge those who hunger for a partisan issue to take
the high road instead, to work for a national strategy, not
against one.
I challenge those who seek more spending and more taxes, to
seek more cooperation and bipartisanship.
And I ask those who want a D-Day against drugs to remember
that the war didn't end on the day General Eisenhower invaded
Normandy. We can only win this war against drugs, battle by
battle. Together.
Sept. 6, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
MARK DAVIS
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
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.
Sept. 6, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
FROM:
MARK DAVIS
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON
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.