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FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
REMARKS FOR GENERATION 2000
BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND
OCTOBER 31, 1997
I have just spent a wonderful day in Belfast. And though my time here has been far too
brief, I am grateful for the opportunity to join you at such a hopeful moment for the people of
Northern Ireland. For the first time in more than 25 years, leaders of your communities are
meeting and the world is watching to see whether they will end a generation of senseless killing
and forge a lasting peace.
Today I have seen much evidence of why peace can and must be your destiny. At the
University of Ulster, I gave the first of a series of lectures dedicated to the memory of Joyce
McCartan -- a true heroine in this land's growing crusade to shake off the stifling bonds of
suspicion and hate. Afterward, I met with many of the women who have been and are working
very hard to build the peace that all families must have to thrive, who have focused most of their
efforts on helping the young people break the cycle of violence. And just now, I have met a
group of young men and women who shared with me their own hopes for peace and future. [add
details here]
I want to thank the Youth Council for inviting me here today. It is an honor and a
privilege to close a conference opened by George Mitchell and addressed by Mo Mowlam. I
know that George Mitchell is bringing to the peace process the same tireless commitment to
finding common ground for the common good that he brought to the United States Senate. And I
am constantly amazed by Mo Mowlam's extraordinary energy and dedication. You have already
heard such powerful voices for progress and change that I am reluctant to add to them.
I think it is very fitting that I conclude my visit to Northern Ireland at Waterfront Hall.
Here, citizens of all backgrounds are coming together to enjoy an evening's entertainment,
exchange ideas and prepare for the challenges of the future. Just a few years ago, this would
have been impossible. This magnificent new community building is a powerful symbol of what
Northern Ireland can be and is becoming.
No one group of Northern Irish will have a greater influence on whether or not peace
takes root and flourishes into the next millennium than the youth we seek to empower and
encourage today -- or as you have called them, Generation 2000. I am very pleased to be joining
SO many men and women who have come together to make sure that these young people have the
opportunities and the skills to both sustain and reap the benefits of the permanent peace we all
hope is imminent.
Your task will not be easy. A philosopher once said that the deepest definition of youth
is life as yet untouched by tragedy. If this is so, then the young people of Northern Ireland have
never truly experienced youth. An entire generation has crossed into adulthood on streets littered
with broken bottles and burning cars. Few have ever felt truly safe in their own neighborhoods,
their own homes, their own beds. Almost all have grown up to the sounds of gunfire. And all
have struggled to fulfill their greatest potentials against the often silent, but persistent plague of
prejudice and bigotry, or as Seamus Heaney put it, the "maneuverings to find out name and
2
school/subtle discrimination by address with hardly an exception to the rule."
Against all these odds, in an environment barren of opportunity and simple peace, we
have asked the members of this generation to find some way to thrive, to be true to themselves
and contribute their God-given talents and abilities to the building and sustaining of peace. It is a
large responsibility. But I know that if this entire society pulls together to help all its youth, then
they will surely succeed.
I know that there are representatives from the government, business and education
communities here today as well as a considerable contingent of young people themselves.
Everyone of you has a role to play in this effort. Many of you may already know that last year I
wrote a book called It Takes A Village. Its thesis is that no one can raise a child on his or her
own, that we all have a stake in providing every child the care and opportunity to thrive, and that
almost every single action we take has an effect on the lives of children. It calls upon all
communities to at least recognize the consequences of our actions and place the welfare of our
young people at the top of their agendas. I think this is especially true for the people of Northern
Ireland. The welfare of your young people must be at the top of not only the government agenda
but every sector's agenda.
If we are going to expect this generation to say no to the ways of the past, then we must
work together to give them more things say yes to.
3
They can say yes to the world of work when businesses, schools and government come
together to make sure every young person has the skills to succeed in the new global economy.
They can say yes to school and job training when parents and educators and government
work together to find innovative ways to address the needs of all students, from those who are
excelling to those who are struggling.
They can say yes to getting to know other young people from across the sectarian divide
when businesses, parents, and schools come together to sponsor integrated sports leagues and
other recreational activities.
They can say yes to making friends of different religions and races when parents and
other adults resolve to bite their tongues before passing on old resentments and prejudices.
Through all these efforts to expand opportunities for education, for recreation, for
employment, for understanding, you can demonstrate your faith in the abilities and future of our
young people.
I want to emphasize on behalf of President Clinton, that America will stand by you in all
these efforts to help the peacemakers of the 21 st century. American businesses, for instance, are
banking on the future of peace and the talents of the young people of Northern Ireland. And as
the peace progresses, more businesses will come this land, bringing ever more jobs and
4
opportunity.
Finally, as food for thought, let me offer just a few examples of how we in America are
working together to empower our young people to prepare for the future and build bridges of
mutual understanding between diverse communities. One of my husband's proudest
achievements as president was to create a National Service program called AmeriCorps.
Through AmeriCorps, thousands of young people across our country can earn money for college
by performing public service in their communities. AmeriCorps members have worked in some
of our country's neediest neighborhoods tutoring children, caring for the sick and the elderly,
renovating crumbling homes and schools. They have led environmental clean up efforts. In
short, they have made our communities better places to live and work.
But not only are our communities benefitting, the young people themselves are being
transformed by service. They are gaining much more than college tuition, they are gaining a
greater understanding of and belief in the country they live in. By working side by side with
young people who come from all corners of America, and working in communities they might
never have visited in their daily lives, they are learning to respect and appreciate the vast
diversity of ideas and cultures that have made America strong. They are also gaining pride and
self-esteem from seeing the difference they have made individual in lives and neighborhoods.
As one young woman told me, "I never realized that I had anything to give until I volunteered to
serve."
5
And in America, we have learned never to underestimate the value of fostering frank
dialogue between young people of greatly differing backgrounds. Just a few days ago, I was in
my hometown of Chicago to celebrate my 50th birthday. While I was there, I visited some of the
landmarks of my childhood, including Orchestra Hall, the grand concert hall where in 1962 I first
heard our great civil rights leader, the Rev. Martin Luther King, speak. It was then that I began
to form my own understanding of tolerance and racial reconciliation. On my visit to that same
hall more than a quarter century later, I met a group of teenagers who had been brought together
by Facing History, a non-profit organization dedicated to rooting out prejudice and promoting
respect for difference and diversity among our country's young people. The young men and
women came from all religious, ethnic and racial backgrounds. And before participating in the
program they had little contact with people who were different from themselves, living
complacently with the prejudices and harmful stereotypes that had been passed on to them. But
after regular meetings where they spoke frankly to each other and began to know each other as
individuals, not as abstract categories, their prejudices had begun to fall away. They now
realized that they had much more in common than they had thought, that much more united them
than divided them.
Two years ago, when my husband and I helped light the Christmas Tree at City Hall, I
read aloud some of the letters we had received from the young people of Northern Ireland.
Today, I'd like to echo some of their hopeful words of peace and reconciliation. A 12-year old
girl wrote that she hoped the peace would be permanent, "that Catholics and Protestants would
be able to walk hand-in-hand and live in the same areas" and that everyone would come to
6
recognize that "it is the person inside that counts."
I know that we are much closer today than we were two years ago to making that vision a
reality. Each young person here today has the power to finish the job. You represent the future
of this ancient and storied land -- the true Northern Ireland of the 21st century. Dare to dream.
Your time to shine has come. And we will stand by you always.
###
7
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
December 1, 1995
REMARKS BY FIRST LADY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
TO IRISH WOMEN AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
DUBLIN, IRELAND
MRS. CLINTON: As we landed here I felt as though I had been
here before although this is my very first trip to Ireland. I
don't suppose one can grow up in America without knowing many
Irish-Americans and without appreciating the many contributions
that this culture has made to our own. And we are particularly
reminded of our close ties this year because you are observing
the 150th anniversary of the Great Famine. We owe something of
our own history to this tragedy of yours.
Being here today, having come from Northern Ireland
yesterday, I understand even more clearly the ways in which
Ireland has influenced American society. And I am learning more
every minute about the ways in which Irish women have influenced
American society and still are today. Over the past many years,
the people of this country who have come to our country, and
particularly Irish women, have brought with them values that have
served the test of time -- a devotion to family, an inner
strength, a courage and spirit of independence that have
strengthened the American way of life and our own democracy.
On behalf of the more than 40 million Americans of Irish
descent, we are grateful for these close ties and for the
relationship that has been built over the years. Not just
between countries, but between people and families and
communities.
There is so much hope today in the United States that what
we saw yesterday in Belfast, a new and peaceful Ireland, will
become a reality from one end to the other of this island. As I
talked about what it meant to people -- to men, women and
children -- to have this cease-fire, I was struck by how grateful
they were for normalcy. To walk down the streets, to expect to
go Christmas shopping without fear, to let their children play
outside -- the blessings that we take for granted which to them
are now seen as such markers for the kind of life they want to
lead.
The women I spoke with yesterday are not high-level
diplomats or professional negotiators; they have not yet been
elected to office. They were women, Catholics and Protestants
alike, whose lives and families have been affected by the
violence. They didn't wait for someone else to be organized,
they didn't wait for other voices to be raised, they themselves
took it upon themselves to go door to door through their
neighborhoods to say, "Stop the bloodshed, this cannot go on."
Their grief became their and our call to action.
These women may not be well-known across the world but they
should be, because their courage and spirit is what we have to
have more of if we expect to have a peaceful world for all of us.
There are women like these women in the Middle East, in Bosnia
and South Africa, in all of the trouble-spots around our globe.
We must give them courage by reinforcing their own willingness to
take risk for peace.
These are the women who every day are getting up and facing
realities that we luckily only have to think about or see on the
television. But it is this kind of grass-roots commitment that
will stand the test of time and will make a difference. Were it
not for these women, I do not know whether the cycle of violence
would have been broken in Northern Ireland. If it were not for
these women working tirelessly, I don't think that we would have
seen as many people as we saw yesterday, who are breaking down
barriers to overcome suspicions and defy history.
Their efforts remind us that building a peace is a long and
difficult task -- but it is a necessary one, not just to end the
bloodshed, but to put into place the building blocks that enable
individuals to seek fulfillment and to live up to their own God-
given potentials.
Irish women who are working for peace have found ways to
make their faith a source of strength, not a source of division.
By coming together, accepting each other, and creating a new
community together, they are discovering what women around the
globe are discovering as well: No matter how different we may be
superficially, whatever religion we follow, whatever shade of
color our skin might be, whatever our ethnic background, there is
so much more that unites us than divides us. And if women begin
talking with one another, around kitchen tables, in cafes, in the
work places, we will discover that sense of shared identity.
That is what I saw at work yesterday. We must together seek
a common ground and on that common ground build the kind of
society that so many of you in this great hall have both worked
for and prayed for.
I had the opportunity recently to read the text of a
lecture that President Robinson gave a few years ago, and I was
delighted to see her and her husband just a few hours ago. I
thought he and I should perhaps start a club for spouses.
President Robinson, as you know so well, and as the world is
discovering, has offered eloquent insights into the challenges
2
facing men and women at this point in the history of Ireland and
in the world.
Much of what she said has stuck with me but one thing in
particular really made an impression. And that is that the
participation of women in society requires a re-appraisal of our
view of who and what is valuable in our world. As much as
policies and legislation are important to women's progress and
women's rights, a shifting of attitudes and values is necessary
as well.
This is not to suggest that women in Ireland should not
become more involved in the existing political process. Indeed,
I hope many, many will, both here and particularly in the North.
But it is to suggest that the work of peace, that the work of
reconciliation is far too important to be left to those who are
P
elected leaders It is work that has to be done every single day
by everyone of us.
President Robinson is an excellent example of what can be
accomplished through the political process, but there are many
women here and throughout this island who are not elected
officials, who themselves are making great contributions. In
changing our attitudes and values we have to dare to think
differently -- to break through the categories that we once took
for granted.
That certainly is a priority to the North, where we visited
the Mackie Plant yesterday morning. Protestant and Catholic
workers still enter by separate entrances and then work together
on the shop floor. It is certainly true in our own country,
where we battle against the divide of race and ethnicity, and
even sometimes religion, as we struggle every day to make America
live up to its ideals.
It is certainly the case in Bosnia, where, when the forces
go in to implement the peace that the political leaders have
made, real peace will only come because individuals, Croats and
Serbs and Muslims, will decide that they have had enough of the
bloodshed, and that the games on the military battlefield are not
worth the heartbreak and the loss and their children's lives.
Like some of you, I was fortunate enough to attend the
United Nations Conference in Beijing. And there I looked out at
women from every corner of the world, some of whom are up against
odds that I cannot even imagine. They see their little sisters
and their daughters being denied food and medical care, and dying
before they are five years of age.
They live in places where girls still are not permitted or
encouraged to attend school, or if they do, the schooling ends
much too early. They come from societies where women still are
3
not even allowed to vote, or if they are, it is only on paper
because there is not encouragement or full participation in the
political process.
When I meet women like that, I must confess that I am very
humbled. And I'm overwhelmed by my own blessings in the United
States, but a little sad that so many of us do not take advantage
of all the opportunities that we have -- both for ourselves and
for all those around us.
That conference focused attention on the plight of women
around the world but it also, I think, has reminded those of us
in countries like Ireland and the United States, that we have
much work to be done here as well.
Those of us who enjoy the opportunities of health care, or
jobs, or credit, or legal and political rights, have to
recognize that so many others among us do not, even within our
own societies. I can go places in my own country where, because
of poverty and lost opportunities, I see the results of lives
that have been squandered, families broken and futures destroyed.
I believe, with all my heart, that women are the world's
greatest untapped resource. And that resource too often is being
wasted today. Each of us in our lives knows that we can begin to
unleash the full power and glory of women's potential.
What must change in order for us to do that? First, in our
everyday lives, we must begin to respect the dignity of each
person and overcome assumptions, presumptions, prejudices and
prejudgments about who we are and what we stand for.
And there certainly must be a truce among women. We should
no longer be making judgements about one another because of the
choices we have made. We should respect and strengthen and
support each other; those who choose to be full-time in the
home, those who choose to be full-time in the world of work, and
those, like me and many of you, who attempt to compose a life
that consists of both the responsibilities in the home and the
work-place.
It does not do us any good to be pointing fingers or making
assumptions about what kind of mother someone is who works
outside of the home or what kind of loss someone has experienced
because she chose not to.
Let us celebrate the contributions of every woman, instead
of pigeon-holing and categorizing women in ways that limit their
and our potential. There is no formula that I'm aware of for
being a successful or fulfilled woman today. Now perhaps it
would be easier if there were. If we could be handed a pattern
and cut it out, as our mothers and grandmothers and foremothers
4
were, that would be, I suppose, easier -- just to make a quilt
that looked like everyone else's. But that is not the way it is
today and I am glad it is not.
I like and relish diversity in the lives of women today. I
am pleased that I am living in this time, as difficult as it is,
because I want to know who I fully am, and I want to help other
women to make that choice as well. Having choices means having
responsibilities, having obligations, as Mrs. Green said,
accepting consequences. But if women are to be full and equal
partners in the life of society and the life of the family,
that's what independence and responsibility needs.
Before coming here today someone told me the story of an
incoming group of women members of Parliament who were
interviewed by a prominent television talk show host a few years
ago. And one of the first questions was: "Who is minding the
children?"
I have two responses to that. The first is, I long for the
day when men are asked the same question. Women and children
need men to be full participants in the raising of children. And
men, if only they knew, need the opportunity and joy of being
those participants in their own families.
My second response is that I wish that when women are asked
questions like that, they would be phrased somewhat differently.
So that instead of being asked that way, the question might
instead be put, "Do you have child care that is accessible,
affordable, safe and dependable, and if not, what can we all do
through society, to make sure that children are well cared for
and that you are given the sense of security that, as a working
mother, you should have?"
To truly respect a woman means to respect the choices she
makes for herself and her family. That means all choices, and it
means providing the kind of support and respect those choices
deserve.
Too often we fall into the trap of thinking that so-called
"women's issues" only affect women. But if we truly care about
strong families, strong communities, and strong societies, we
must recognize that men and women should complement each other
inside and outside the home. Men and women must not be consigned
to opposite poles; we must be partners in a common enterprise for
the good of us all, and particularly our children.
Along with a change in personal attitudes and values, every
second in society can affect positive changes that empower and
educate women to take this responsibility for themselves and
their choices.
5
Schools, for example, could be more flexible in providing
opportunities for women who raise children. Life-long learning
is essential in the global economy. So many women in our world
did what was expected of them: they had their children early in
their late teens and twenties, then wanted to go back to school
to further their own educations and contribute to their family's
income. Perhaps they became the sole bread-winner in a family.
still, they find it nearly impossible in my country and in many
others, to care for their families, make a living and pursue
their educations.
Businesses can initiate policies, and I fully hope they
will, that will make work more family-friendly. We are making it
as difficult as possible for men and women to be both good
workers and good parents. Modern technology should mean that
more men and women can work at home. That should be encouraged
where appropriate. But also, setting schedules and making it
easier to find and provide child care should be considered.
Businesses, at the very least, can value women by paying them
equal salaries for equal work everywhere in the world.
The law enforcement and justice systems can act more
efficiently to protect women from violations of their legal
rights, particularly from violence in their homes. Violence in
the home is a leading cause of death world-wide among women
between the ages of 14 and 44.
I recently read an article from one of your newspapers about
domestic violence here in Ireland. And I was very pleased to
read the comments of Minister Owen, who said that both "violence
against women is a crime
It cannot be explained away" as
some sort of "family difficulty or some other euphemism." Let us
call it what it is, it is a crime and it should be treated as a
crime and the perpetrators should be prosecuted, whether they are
in the United States, Ireland, or anywhere in the world.
So many of the challenges families and particularly women
face are rooted in poverty and an absence of economic
opportunity. Financial institutions can address this problem by
serving all people, even if they are poor, live in remote areas,
or are women. I have visited places in the world where women are
living in abject poverty but because someone held out a helping
hand, with credit, they were able to buy another milk cow, to buy
a woodshop for their husband, to sink a well. And all of a
sudden, they not only had more income, they had the dignity that
comes to someone who is lifting herself out of poverty.
In every one of these cases that I know of, where these
kinds of investments are being made, women are proving to be very
good credit risks. They repay their loans above ninety-five
percent. Many of our large financial institutions should be very
happy to have that kind of return on an investment. But instead
6
they are stuck in old ways of thinking. We need now to act on
the evidence that we have that women who are given access to
credit through modest loans are starting small businesses,
working out of their homes and eventually employing others.
And just yesterday, I saw the same kind of initiative in
action at the Women's Information Drop In Center in Belfast. That
organization began in opposition to violence but has evolved into
an umbrella for many different organizations that promote
economic and educational opportunities for women.
These women have seized this moment in history to address
the root causes of violence, the lack of economic opportunity and
social deprivation; the absence of jobs that have moved
elsewhere; industries that are no longer competitive in the
global economy; the absence of higher education or lack of child
care or credit.
We met in a restaurant called Ye Olde Lamplighter. It was
established only five years ago and now provides jobs for seven
local people. It is just one of many examples I have heard about
where women coming together have made a difference.
We should not be surprised that women are leading the way,
not only in putting a stop to violence but in coming up with new
and effective ways to achieve their own potential and contribute
to the lives of their families, communities and nations.
As the great poet Katharine Tynan, writing about Irish
women, observed so keenly in her poem, "Any Woman":
"I am the pillars of the house;
The keystone of the arch am I.
Take me away, and roof and wall
Would fall to ruin utterly."
The strength and support of Irish women is critical to
future peace and prosperity across this land. Your struggles are
specific, but they reflect the many common struggles that women
and men -- face around the world.
As you move forward here and to the North, please know that
millions and millions of American women and men will be with you
in spirit. And we will stand with you as you take risks for
peace and reconciliation. We will move together with you for a
more just society that we believe will benefit all people and
particularly our children.
7
Thank you for the work you are doing, the inspiration that
you give so many of us, and for the hope that has been lit this
Christmas Season because of what we have seen these last days.
Thank you and Godspeed.
###
8
Noa A. Meyer
05/05/99 10:36:03 AM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Laura E. Schiller/WHO/EOP@EOP, Christine N. Macy/WHO/EOP@EOP
CC:
Subject: teapot speech
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 31, 1997
we ca fare all w
REMARKS OF THE FIRST LADY
man
AT JOYCE MCCARTAN MEMORIAL LECTURE
University of Ulster
Belfast, Northern Ireland
MRS. CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you very much, Chancellor. I am delighted to be
here at this university. I want to thank the university for this invitation, Robert Hanna,
Professor Sir Trevor Smith, Pro Vice Chancellor, and Provost Ann Tate. And I'm
especially pleased that I could be joined today by the United States Ambassador to the
Court of St. James Philip Lader, U.S. Counsel General Kathleen Stevens, and Senator
George Mitchell, who is here in the room with us.
I want to welcome all of you because I feel so very welcome here, but particularly, a
special welcome to the family, friends and associates of Joyce McCartan who have
joined us today.
It is a great personal pleasure and honor for me to be back in Northern Ireland and to
reunite with some of the courageous women and men I first met when I came here
two years ago with my husband. The sights and sounds and emotions of that visit, the
lighting of the Christmas Tree outside City Hall, our walk from Guild Hall Square to
Shipquay Street, Protestants and Catholics working side by side at the Mackey Metal
Plant -- all of that and so much more hold special places in my husband's heart and in
my own.
And I will always treasure my visit to Ye Olde Lamplighter on Lower Ormeau Road,
for it was there that I shared a cup of tea with Joyce McCartan and her colleagues. It
is, therefore, a signal honor to give this, first of a series of lectures dedicated in her
memory, and in recognition of the important role women have played, are playing and
will play in building peace.
I am very delighted that the university, with the support of corporate sponsorship from
Cable Tel, will honor Joyce McCartan's work even further by establishing bursaries to
assist women who are studying conflict resolution and community reconciliation.
This is a hopeful moment, as it was two years ago. But it is even more promising now.
For the first time in more than 25 years, leaders of Northern Ireland's Catholic and
Protestant communities are meeting, and the world is watching to see whether they
will be able to end a generation of senseless killing and forge a lasting peace.
When the people want peace, it is the obligation of political leaders to find the common
ground where it can thrive. That requires compromise and reconciliation. That involves
postponing or even giving up one's cherished ideals in the belief that others will do the
same to end the conflict and build a better future.
All sides must compromise and seek this common ground in the weeks and months
ahead. The United States will continue to do its part to support the peace process, and
my husband remains personally committed to this effort and to those who take risks
for peace.
Joyce McCartan was one of those risk-takers. I want to pay tribute to her and to the
men and women on both sides of the border and the community divide who have
worked so hard in recent years to bring about reconcillation in the wake of this bitter
conflict. We would never have arrived at this hopeful moment without the countless
acts of courage and faith of people like the woman we honor today.
I have many memories of my visit, and I even have a souvenir. I have the teapot.
(Laughter and applause.) As you can see, it is a rather ordinary, stainless steel teapbt,
de
one easily found in many Belfast kitchens. But as I told Joyce during our conversation,
this teapot was so much better at keeping the tea hot from the ones I had back in the
White House. So she gave it to me as a present.
notin ws alid
I use this teapot every day in my private kitchen on the second floor of the White
House. And whenever I look at it, I am reminded of Joyce's ability to warm hearts, to
keep alive hope for a better world and a better time, despite tragedy after
well the on
heart-breaking tragedy.
3
As we sipped our tea together, the women told me how they had worked over the
years, how both Catholic and Protestant, they had realized so much more united than
divided them. While they may have attended different churches on Sunday, seven
days a week they all said a silent prayer for the safe return of a child from school or a
husband from an errand in town. Seven days a week their families struggled with the
same deep-rooted causes of the violence -- the terrors of sectarianism, the burdens of
poverty, the shackles of limited education, the despair of unemployment.
And while they may have held different views of the past, they had learned that
together they could build a better present and hope for an even brighter future, by
promoting understanding, saving lives, preserving families, nurturing hope, and defying
history. Because, in the end, for them and for so many other women across Northern
Ireland, love of family ran deeper than calls to hatred.
I had never met Joyce before we gathered together, but I had seen her compassion,
courage and commitment in many other eyes -- her yearning for a more peaceful and
democratic world resonates through the ages and stretches across the globe. Mothers,
wives, daughters, ordinary citizens -- their insistent voices for peace raised sometimes
in a roar, but more often in a whispered prayer, have inspired women and entire
societies around the world to build more open, just, democratic and peaceful
communities. This chorus of courageous voices can be heard today from Belfast to
Bosnia, wherever women are working to end the violence and begin the healing.
Although I have been privileged to travel widely and meet many of the world's leaders,
I often find that it is in small groups, sitting around a kitchen table, sipping tea with
women like Joyce, sharing concerns and talking about our families, where I've learned
the most valuable lessons. And one of those lessons is that an extraordinary power is
unleashed when women reach out to their neighbors and find common ground -- when
they begin to lift themselves up, and by doing so, lift up their families, their neighbors,
and their communities.
I know that Joyce liked to call herself a family feminist because saving families was a
the root of all her efforts. This is a brilliant term, and one that I have quoted throughout
the globe, because it captures the very important idea that when women are
empowered to make the most of their own potential, then their families will thrive, and
when families thrive, communities and nations thrive as well. Women who are acting
to protect and strengthen their families are playing a central role in the building and
sustaining of peace and democracy around the world.
Now, often when we talk about democracy, or when classes and lectures are held
about it, we talk about our highest ideals -- freedom of religion, freedom of association,
freedom of speech and of the press, freedom to participate fully in the civic and
political life of one's country. But democracy is also about ensuring equal access to
quality education, health care, jobs and credit. Democracy is about respecting human
dignity and allowing people the opportunity to take responsibility for composing their
own-lives that will allow them to live up to their God-given promise.
What we've learned over the years is that these lofty ideals can be made real only
through the everyday efforts of ordinary citizens. Yes, we need laws and a system of
justice to uphold them, but democracy is nurtured and sustained in the hearts of people,
in the principles they honor, in the way they live their daily lives and how they treat
their fellow citizens, in the lessons they teach their children before they tuck them into
bed at night
One of the great observers of America democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville, wrote
about what it was that he thought made American democracy work. He talked about
the way men and women felt they could participate in making their own lives better,
how they formed associations, how they worked for some common good. And he
referred to the habits of the heart that are necessary for any democracy to flourish. It
is these habits of the heart that must be nurtured, and that countless, unheralded
women around the world are quietly doing so every day.
I have tried in my travels to shine a spotlight on their achievements because I stand in
awe of women like Joyce McCartan --women who through their own personal
tragedies find the strength to go on, but more than that, to reach out and try to prevent
the conditions from occurring that caused them such heartbreak. Women, like so many
of you here who have endured the loss of loved ones -- fathers, brothers, husbands,
sons and others -- to the Troubles, but have refused to give in to bitterness or to dwell
in the past.
You have been working through community organizations, such as the Northern
Ireland Women's Coalition to break the cycle of hatred and save other people's
fathers, brothers, husbands and sons. Your efforts to share grief across sectarian lines
have blossomed into dynamic alliances to end poverty and the causes of violence. And
you have helped to lay a solid foundation for permanent peace.
I want you to know that you should never feel alone in your efforts. You are part of a
powerful movement of family feminists, working to strengthen democracy across the
globe. Your partners are everywhere. They're the women in South Africa who lost
loved ones and were victimized by apartheid. But they have been willing to participate
in the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and to find in their hearts the
capacity for forgiveness of those who did violence to them -- because what does
freedom mean if people remain imprisoned by their own bitterness?
They are women who are starting small community banks in poor rural villages or
inner city neighborhoods from Chile to Chicago -- because what does freedom mean if
people don't have the opportunity and the income to help them gain independence and
self-sufficiency?
They are women in countries like Pakistan who have agitated against domestic
violence -- because what does freedom mean if a woman is afraid to sleep in her own
home or protect her children because of a violent husband?
They are women in Zimbabwe and Bolivia who are running rural health clinics and are
working in the inner cities to immunize children and provide services -- because what
does freedom mean if families are denied access to basic health care, and women are
denied the right to plan their own families?
They are the women in Romania and Estonia who are leading voter education projects
-- because what does freedom mean if people do not know how to exercise their right
to choose their own leaders?
They are women from the Philippines to Paraguay who are campaigning for the rights
of girls to receive the same education as their brothers -- because what does freedom
mean if women do not gain the skills and knowledge to make the most of their
God-given gifts?
Women are not only critical to advancing peace and freedom, they are redefining the
very notion of what we mean by a democratic society. Democracy cannot flourish if
women are not full partners in the social, economic, political and civic lives of their
communities and nations. Societies will only address the issues closest to the hearts of
women when women themselves claim their rights as citizens.
That message has come to life in my own country. Suddenly, the debates about politics
and our future are not only about defense or diplomacy. They are also about how to
balance work and family, about improving public schools, about keeping health
insurance after leaving a job or sending a child off to college for an education.
These issues have become central to our political life because thousands of American
women have become organized and demanded changes, and insisted that our
democracy respond to their concerns. They've helped all Americans understand that
strengthening families and cherishing children are not just women's issues, but issues
of vital importance to everyone concerned about our common future.
Now, there were some observers who were perplexed that during the last presidential
campaign, these kitchen table issues had become so important. They, in fact, derided
the phenomenon as the feminization of politics. I prefer to think of it as the
humanization of politics -- because how we raise our children, care for our sick, train
our workers will determine the strength and prosperity of all our people in the days to
come. And how we learn to live together across religious, ethnic and racial lines will
determine the peace and security of our children's lives.
That's why I believe encouraging more women's voices to be heard is important for
the overall effort that many of you are making to assure that your children, your
grandchildren, these young people in this audience will be able to live out their lives in
a peaceful, secure Northern Ireland. It is important that these women's issues that
affect our deepest concerns as human beings are part of the political debate.
Most women, like Joyce McCartan, don't become involved in politics because they
have any grand philosophy about how they intend to strengthen democracy. Instead,
they see how politics -- especially politics practiced by those who are engendering
conflict between people -- are hurting their families. They get fed up with the
posturing; they get fed up with the speech making. When jobs are scarce and hope is
in very short supply, they take matters into their own hands. They decide, as Joyce
memorably said, "You can't fry flags in a pan." And they get to work on setting things
right.
I am told that years ago, Joyce borrowed a couple of COWS from a farmer and led a
group of women to City Hall to protest the removal of free school milk for children.
Another time, she attended a city council meeting and refused to leave until they
discussed an increase in the bus fare. And while she had to be carried out of that
meeting, she eventually forced the council to hear her grievance and convinced them
to introduce a lower fare for children. It is the stuff of life. It is those issues we talk
about around our kitchen tables that help to develop those habits of the heart that
sustain democracy.
1 thought often about the Troubles here as I have thought about Joyce McCartan and
the women I met as I have fixed myself a pot of tea. I don't know whether a Catholic
or a Protestant made this teapot. I don't know whether a Catholic or a Protestant sold
this teapot. I only know that this teapot serves me very well. And this teapot stands
for all those conversations around those thousands of kitchen tables where mothers
and fathers look at one another with despair because they cannot imagine that the
future will be any better for their children. But this teapot also is on the kitchen table
where mothers and fathers look at one another and say, we have to do better. We
cannot permit this to go on. We have to take a stand for our children.
There is no room for illusion in the difficulty that confronts the peace process. The
President and all of us who support you in this effort know how difficult it will be to
overcome the past when the wounds still seem so raw. But the children deserve all the
work, all the prayers, all the strength, courage and commitment that can be brought to
bear.
There will be more bumps on the road. There will be those who would rather smash
the teapot than to fill it with piping hot tea to sit down to have a conversation. And the
women and the men who believe, as Joyce McCartan believed with all her heart, that
there is a better way, who saw as she sat around so many kitchen tables talking
across the division that everyone was concerned about the same issues deep down,
that we all worried about our lives, our relationships, our jobs, our education, our
children, our health -- she understood that if we could just get enough people around
some great kitchen table, where they'd have to sit down and look at one another
honestly, share their fears, their hopes, their dreams, that we could make progress.
Well, now, finally, we have men and women around a table. I hope they have lots of
tea. I hope that they are not only talking about all of the difficult political issues, but in
quiet asides, sharing some of what is in their heart with one another. And as they do
so, I hope the faces of so many women and men who have given all they could give
over the years to bring this moment to pass, will be seen in the mind's eye.
Joyce McCartan deserves as her real legacy that the peace process move forward.
She and all the brave women who, for more than 20 years, marched, begged, prayed,
cried, shouted that they wanted peace deserve to be heard.
It is no longer in Joyce's hands. The burden has been passed to others. And I hope
and I pray that those to whom it has been entrusted will pick up that burden and carry
it forward. Joyce's work is done. But to honor her memory, we should all press
forward with her work -- to build peace here and around the world.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AND THE FIRST LADY AT THE LIGHTING OF THE
CITY CHRISTMAS TREE
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Belfast, Northern Ireland)
For Immediate Release
November 30, 1995
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AND THE FIRST LADY
AT THE LIGHTING OF THE CITY CHRISTMAS TREE
Belfast City Hall
Belfast, Northern Ireland
7:36 P.M. (L)
MRS. CLINTON: Thank you very much, Lord Mayor.
And thank all of you. (Applause.) Tonight is a night filled
with hope and peace. And for those of us gathered here
throughout Northern Ireland and around the world, often it is our
children who offer us the clearest and purest reasons why peace
and why this peace process is SO important.
In a national competition, asking students to
share their hopes for a peaceful Northern Ireland in letters to
my husband, two students whom you see here tonight, Cathy Harte
and Mark Lennox won the top prize. We will be privilege to have
them in America at summer camp this coming summer. Tonight it is
my privilege to read excerpts from their letters.
This is what Cathy said: "My name is Cathy Harte
and I am a 12-year-old Catholic girl. I live in Belfast in
Northern Ireland, and I love it here. It's green, it's
beautiful, and, well, it's Ireland." (Applause.) "All my life,
I have only known guns and bombs with people fighting. Now, it
is different. There are no guns and bombs."
Cathy continues: "My dream's for the future,
well, I have a lot of them. Hopefully, the peace will be
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permanent; that one day Catholics and Protestants will be able to
walk hand-in-hand and will be able to live in the same areas.
(Applause.) "Catholics, Protestants, black or white, it is the
person inside that counts." (Applause.) "What I hope,' said
Cathy, "is that when I have my own children that there will still
be peace and that Belfast will be a peaceful place from now on. "
Thank you, Cathy. (Applause.)
Mark Lennox is the same age as our daughter, 15.
And he explains in his letter the simple hows of achieving peace.
And this is what he says: "I am a 15-year-old schoolboy from
Glengormley High School. I am very pleased about the chance of
permanent peace in Northern Ireland and the chances of living in
a secure atmosphere.
"If Northern Ireland is to have a future, then we
must all learn to live with each other in a more tolerant way.
Also, we must all work hard for peace and make a real effort. We
will have to change our ideas and work for change. Change must
mean changing our own understanding of each other. We must learn
together and know more about our different traditions.
Some people want to destroy peace and the peace
process in Northern Ireland." And Mark says, "We must not allow
this to happen." (Applause.)
As the Lord Mayor said, in a moment the Christmas
tree will be lit as Christmas trees will be lit all over the
world in the days to come. This Christmas let us remember the
reason behind why we light Christmas trees. Let us remember the
reason for this great holiday celebration. And let us remember
that we seek peace most of all for our children. May this be one
of many, many happy and peaceful Christmases in Northern Ireland
this year and for many years to come. (Applause.) And may God
keep you and bless you and hold all of you in the palm of His
hand. Thank you and God bless you.
(Applause.)
LORD MAYOR: Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have a
duty to do tonight. And that is we're going to ask the President
to turn the lights on. But you and I have something to do. We
have to count down, 10 down to zero. So we want the count, 10, 9
-- slowly please, so that when the President gets ready I'll give
you the okay and then we will have the countdown.
(The Christmas tree is lit.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. (Applause.)
To the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, let me begin by saying to
all of you, Hillary and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts
for making us feel so very, very welcome in Belfast and Northern
Ireland. (Applause.) We thank you, Lord Mayor, for your
cooperation and your help in making this trip so successful, and
we trust that, for all of you, we haven't inconvenienced you too
much. But this has been a wonderful way for us to begin the
Christmas holidays. (Applause.)
Let me also say I understood just what an honor it
was to be able to turn on this Christmas tree when I realized the
competition. (Laughter.) Now, to become President of the United
States you have to undertake some considerable competition. But
I have never confronted challengers with the name recognition,
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the understanding of the media and the ability in the martial
arts of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. (Applause.)
To all of you whose support enabled me to join you
tonight and turn the Christmas tree on, I give you my heartfelt
thanks. (Applause.) I know here in Belfast you've been lighting
the Christmas tree for more than 20 years. But this year must be
especially joyous to you, for you are entering your second
Christmas of peace. (Applause.)
As I look down these beautiful streets, I think how
wonderful it will be for people to do their holiday shopping
without worry of searches or bombs; to visit loved ones on the
other side of the border without the burden of checkpoints or
roadblocks; to enjoy these magnificent Christmas lights without
any fear of violence. Peace has brought real change to your
lives.
Across the ocean, the American people are rejoicing
with you. We are joined to you by strong ties of community and
commerce and culture. Over the years men and women of both
traditions have flourished in our country and helped America to
flourish.
And today, of course, we are forging new and special
bonds. Belfast's sister city in the United States, Nashville,
Tennessee, was proud to send this Christmas tree to friends
across the Atlantic. I want to thank the most prominent present
resident of Nashville, Tennessee, Vice President Al Gore, the
Mayor, Phil Bredesen, and the United States Air Force for getting
this big tree all the way across the Atlantic to be here with you
tonight. (Applause.)
In this 50th anniversary year of the end of World
War II, many Americans still remember the warmth the people of
Northern Ireland showed them when the army was stationed here
under General Eisenhower. The people of Belfast named General
Eisenhower an honorary burgess of the city. He viewed that
honor, and I quote, "as a token of our common purpose to work
together for a better world." That mission endures today. We
remain Americans and as people of Northern Ireland, partners for
security, partners for prosperity and, most important, partners
for peace. (Applause.)
Two years ago, at this very spot, tens of thousands
of you took part in a day for peace, as a response to some of the
worst violence Northern Ireland had known in recent years. The
two morning papers, representing both traditions, sponsored a
telephone poll for peace that generated almost 160,000 calls. In
the United States, for my fellow Americans who are here, that
would be the equivalent of 25 million calls.
The response left no doubt that all across Northern
Ireland the desire for peace was becoming a demand. I am honored
to announce today that those same two newspapers, the Newsletter
and the Irish News, have established the President's Prize, an
annual award to those at the grass-roots level who have
contributed most to peace and reconciliation. The honorees will
travel to the United States to exchange experiences on the issues
we share, including community relations and conflict resolution.
We have a lot to learn from on another. The President's Prize
will underscore that Northern Ireland's two traditions have a
common interest in peace.
As you know -- and as the First Lady said -- I have
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received thousands of letters from school children all over your
remarkable land telling me what peace means to them. They poured
in from villages and cities, from Catholic and Protestant
communities, from mixed schools, primary schools, from schools
for children with special needs. All the letters in their own
way were truly wonderful for their honesty, their simple wisdom
and their passion. Many of the children showed tremendous pride
in their homeland, in its beauty and its true nature. I
congratulate the winners. They were wonderful and I loved
hearing their letters.
But let me tell you about another couple I received.
Eleven-year-old Keith from Carrickfergus wrote: "Please tell
everyone in America that we're not always fighting here, and that
it's only a small number of people who make the trouble." Like
many of the children, Keith did not identify himself as
Protestant or Catholic, and did not distinguish between the
sources of the violence.
So many children told me of loved ones they have
lost, of lives disrupted and opportunities forsaken and families
forced to move. Yet, they showed remarkable courage and strength
and a commitment to overcome the past. As 14-year-old Sharon of
County Armagh wrote: "Both sides have been hurt. Both sides
must forgive."
Despite the extraordinary hardships so many of these
children have faced, their letters were full of hope and love and
humor. To all of you who took the time to write me, you've
brightened my holiday season with your words of faith and
courage, and I thank you. To all of you who asked me to do what
I could to help peace take root, I pledge you America's support.
We will stand with you as you take risks for peace. (Applause.)
And to all of you who have not lost your sense of
humor, I say thank you. I got a letter from 13-year-old Ryan
from Belfast. Now, Ryan, if you're out in the crowd tonight,
here's the answer to your question. No, as far as I know, an
alien spacecraft did not crash in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.
(Laughter.) And, Ryan, if the United States Air Force did
recover alien bodies, they didn't tell me about it, either, and I
want to know. (Applause.)
Ladies and gentlemen, this day that Hillary and I
have had here in Belfast and in Derry and Londonderry County will
long be with us -- (applause) -- as one of the most remarkable
days of our lives. I leave you with these thoughts. May the
Christmas spirit of peace and goodwill flourish and grow in you.
May you remember the words of the Lord Mayor: "This is
Christmas. We celebrate the world in a new way because of the
birth of Emmanuel; God with us." And when God was with us, he
said no words more important than these: "Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall inherit the Earth.' " (Applause.)
Merry Christmas, and God bless you all. (Applause.)
END
7:53 P.M. (L)
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White House Press Release
THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. CLINTON HOST A CELEBRATION OF IRELAND
HONORING HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRIME MINISTER OF IRELAND AND MRS.
BRUTON
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
March 17, 1995
THE PRESIDENT AND MRS. CLINTON HOST
A CELEBRATION OF IRELAND HONORING
HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRIME MINISTER OF IRELAND AND MRS. BRUTON
The President and Mrs. Clinton will host a "Celebration of Ireland"
honoring his Excellency The Prime Minister of Ireland and Mrs. Bruton on
Friday, March 17, 1995. Guests will begin arriving at the East Visitor's
Entrance of the White House at 7:00 PM.
The President and Mrs. Clinton and the Prime Minister and Mrs. Bruton
will be escorted down the grand staircase by Dr. Richard S. Blair,
Officer-in-Charge of the United States Air Force Pipe Band. The 350
guests will be received by the President and Mrs. Clinton and the Prime
Minister of Ireland and Mrs. Bruton in the Diplomatic Receiving Room.
Traditional Irish entertainment will be featured throughout the White
House with principal entertainment featured in the East Room.
A traditional Irish buffet will be served in the State Dining Room. The
Menu for the evening will be:
Smoked Irish Fishes to include Salmon, Trout, Mackerel
Eel with Condiments and Soda Bread
Variety of Irish Cheeses with Hovis All Wheat Bread
Dublin Bay Prawns with Black Bush Whiskey
Tarragon Chicken in Red Potato
Poached Salmon with Watercress on Potato Bread
West Cork Crab Meat Flavored with Mead
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Irish Breakfast Canape (chopped bacon, tomato, sausage filled
pastry pattie shell and topped with a fried quail egg)
Braised Brisket of Beef with Horseradish Sauce
Root Vegetables and Cabbage
Limerick Ham and Asparagus Roulade in Irish Cheddar Sauce
Black Stout Fruitcake
Irish Whiskey Truffles
Short Bread
Strawberry Shamrock Pie
Irish Coffee Cake
Bailey's Cream Mousse
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NOTE: LIST OF ENTERTAINERS IS ATTACHED.
The Entertainment Will Be:
East Entrance - Eric Rice-Johnson, Bagpipes
Diplomatic Reception Room - MUC Mary K. Fitzgerald, Celtic Harp
Grand Staircase - Richard Blain, Bagpipes
East Room - Barbara Murphy Edwards, Irish Harp
Spirits of Gilbride - Corina Brouder, Christina
Brouder, Cornelia Brouder, Neil Brouder, Catherine Brouder
Joe Derrane, Button Accordion
Felix Dolan, Piano
Eileen Ivers, Fiddle
Liam Harney, Dancer
Gabriel Donohue, Vocals
Frank Patterson, Tenor
Eily O'Grady, Piano
Eanan Patterson, Violin
willing
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STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
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White House Press Release
KILLING OF BRITISH SOLDIER IN NORTHERN IRELAND
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
February 13, 1997
KILLING OF BRITISH SOLDIER IN NORTHERN IRELAND
I am grieved and outraged by the callous killing of a British
soldier in Northern Ireland yesterday. The First Lady and I extend our
deepest sympathy to the soldier's family and to the British government
and people on the loss of this young man. We wish the authorities
success in bringing the murderers swiftly to justice.
All those who care about the future of Northern Ireland must join
me in condemning this cowardly crime. I remain convinced that the
people of both of Northern Ireland's traditions want to take the path of
peace and reconciliation, not hatred and violence.
The Belfast talks chaired by Senator Mitchell continue to have my
full support. I urge all those taking part, who share a commitment to
democratic values, to move as rapidly as possible into substantive
negotiation about the future of Northern Ireland.
The loyalists and their leaders have shown great courage and
restraint in not allowing themselves to be drawn into an escalating
spiral of violence. I urge them to remain steadfast.
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