WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn delivered the following remarks on February 25th to the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (as prepared for delivery):
“Thank you for that kind introduction and your generous invitation to be here.
“I am pleased and honored to join with you and people throughout the United States and Canada to celebrate Black history month. It may come as a surprise to some that Black History month is an international celebration. In addition to Canada Black History is celebrated in the United Kingdom, but during the month of October. Thanks to the scholarship and perseverance of Carter G. Woodson, and the hard work and diligence of your predecessor Association, we continue to lift up the contributions and achievements of black Americans.
“This celebration was inaugurated in 1926. It was for one week. And Dr. Woodson advocated that it be the second week of February in order to envelope the birthdates of Abraham Lincoln, February 12th, and Frederick Douglas, February 14th. First proposed by students at Kent State University in 1969 and celebrated by them in 1970, the week was officially expanded to the entire month of February in 1976. At his signing of the law President Gerald Ford urged the country to, ‘honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans.’
“In no area has the contributions of African Americans been neglected and dishonored as much as in the field of health. Most Americans are not aware of the contributions of Charles R. Drew, whose research unlocked the secrets that led to our ability to perfect blood transfusions; Or those of Daniel Hale Williams who performed the first successful open heart surgery; not to mention those of Samuel Kountz who performed the first successful kidney transplant not done on identical twins. Dr. Kountz died at the tender age of 51, but in his short life performed over 500 kidney transplants.
“But as slighted as black professionals and providers were, black consumers and patients were just as much so. Over the last several days I have reflected on the comments made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 1966 Annual meeting of the Medical Committee for Human Rights. On that occasion Dr. King said, ‘Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.’
“That is what was on my mind when I spoke on the floor of the United House of Representatives the day we passed the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” On that occasion, I referred to the ACA as the ‘Civil Rights Act of the 21st Century.’ It may seem a bit odd to hear a health care law being referred to as a civil rights act. But that is exactly what it is. The ACA outlawed discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions, people with disabilities, and women just because they are women.
“Now I have not always celebrated this occasion with pleasure. Back in the late 60’s and early 70s, I – and many others – felt that the appropriate action was not just to expand from one week to a month, but to mandate the incorporation of African-Americans’ contributions and achievements throughout the year and all the curricula of our schools.
“But, with each passing day, I grew more and more appreciative and respectful of the lesson taught in 1st Corinthians 11:13, which I share with you in Jim Clyburn's version; ‘When I was a child, young and inexperienced, I spoke with the reasoning and understanding of a child, but as I grew and matured, I put those childish thoughts, expressions and ways behind me.’ I have come to understand and appreciate that Black History Month is not only about celebrating past achievements and contributions. It is also a time for reflection and introspection. I especially appreciate ASAALH’s theme for this year, ‘the Crisis in Black Education.’
“Having started my professional career as a history teacher in the public schools of Charleston, South Carolina, I share the goal of bringing focus on the crucial role of education in the historical and future successes of African Americans. Throughout post-Civil War history, public education has been the crucial ladder for social mobility for African Americans.
“One of my personal heroes, Robert Smalls, was at the vanguard of that effort in the 19th century. An enslaved African American, Smalls gained his freedom in one of history’s most heroic acts. Because of the inhumanity of man, Robert Smalls was uneducated, but by the grace of God Almighty he was highly intelligent. Using that intelligence he learned the currents in the Charleston Harbor and the sequence of the ships’ whistles that guaranteed safe passage through the harbor, and when the opportunity presented itself, he absconded The Planter, the ship he worked on as a slave and sailed his family and friends into the arms of Union soldiers and their freedom.
“In addition to being granted his freedom, Robert Smalls received a financial reward and was made a ship’s pilot. His knowledge of the waters around the Sea Islands of South Carolina tremendously aided the Union forces in 17 engagements in that key area of the Civil War.
“After the war, Smalls entered the political arena with much success. He spent 10 years in the South Carolina Legislature and a total of ten years in the United States Congress. Crises in education always topped his agenda. Although he was not allowed to get an education himself, he found a school for black children in 1867.
“His Resolution in the 1868 S. C. Constitutional Convention established the first free and compulsory public school system for all in the United States. His efforts in Congress helped found what is now known as South Carolina State University. The importance of a strong public education system to the success and advancement of African Americans, and the security of our nation, cannot be overstated. As we endeavor to continue our journey in search of ‘a more perfect union,’ strong adequately funded public schools are a must.
“Of course, Robert Smalls was not the only 19th century African American to be faced with a crisis in black education. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois both made major contributions to the education of African Americans albeit with quite different visions. Born into slavery in rural Virginia, Booker T. Washington had a lifelong commitment to educating black Americans. As the first head of what has become Tuskegee University, Washington built a model higher education institute for African Americans focusing on practical trades for economic empowerment within the social order that existed in the south at that time.
“DuBois was born in Massachusetts to a free black family in a relatively integrated community. He earned a PhD from Harvard University in 1895, the first black man to do so. His dissertation, “The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870,” was one of the first academic works on the subject. In that same year – 1895 – Booker T. Washington publicly put forth his philosophy on race relations in a speech known as the ‘Atlanta Compromise.’ Washington stated that African Americans should suppress their support of social integration and accept “Separate but Equal,” in exchange for economic progress, educational opportunity, and justice in the courts.
“This started a firestorm in parts of the African American community especially in the North. W.E.B. DuBois deplored Washington’s conciliatory philosophy. He severely criticized Washington for not demanding full equality for African Americans as granted in the 14th U. S. Constitution.
“DuBois, who spent most of his life in the North, became the nation’s foremost black intellectual. Booker T. Washington who spent most of his life in the segregated south became the ultimate pragmatist. DuBois in his 1903 book entitled The Souls of Black Folks directly criticized Booker T. Washington’s approach, as he had on other occasions. And as was usually the case, Booker T. Washington responded in kind. Personally, I am not sure that their differences were all that substantive.
“I often share with audiences an experience I had several years ago during this same month and occasion. I was invited to deliver a Black History Month speech to the Bamberg Job Corps facility in my Congressional District. Before the program I was taken on a tour of the facility, during which we came upon a group of students who were having a discussion as to which one of their chosen vocations was the most important to society.
“I listen for a while, and when I got to the auditorium I put that little well-researched speech in my pocket and shared with the group some of the discussion I had heard earlier. I told them that if something were to happen to my automobile on my way back to Columbia, I would not need a doctor, I would need an automobile mechanic. I said to them, that if I were to turn on my water faucet and no water comes out I would not call a lawyer, I would call a plumber, and the most important person to me at that particular juncture in my life would be a plumber. I continued; doctors need plumbers, plumbers need lawyers, lawyers need automobile mechanics; we all need each other. And no one of us is any more important than the other. I told them that our importance to society depends upon what it is, what crises need to be addressed and who can best address them.
“There were crises in black education, before Washington and DuBois; and advocates for equality and justice like Robert Smalls, Frederick Douglas and scores of others took on the challenges that were theirs. Penn School was established in 1862 to educate former slaves. Cheney State in Pennsylvania was established in 1837, Wilberforce in Ohio in 1856 and black churches of all denominations followed suit all across the South. Institutional and individual advocates and innovators stepped up to address the crises. There are crises in black education today. And those crises are at every level, K through 12, post-secondary and higher education as well.
“The state by state inequalities are real. Achievement gaps among blacks, browns and whites are growing, and closing those gaps will require much more than sloganeering. You and I individually, and all of us collectively, haves roles to play.
“The federal government must play a role, as it has before, in eradicating the educational inequalities and inequities that are growing exponentially. The country took some giants steps back in the 1960s. President Lyndon Johnson’s pursuit of a ‘Great Society’ was not a failure. It worked wonders.
“I stand here as living proof that the Office of Economic Opportunity was not a failure. Many among you are proof that the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was a success. I have served – and continue to serve – with scores of Congress people who are living proof that Upward Bound, Talent Search and Head Start were vital investments in gifted students who were victims of underserved and neglected schools and communities. Similar efforts are required today.
“My #2 daughter, Jennifer, a 25-year educator, has recently been named Director of the University of South Carolina’s Center for the Education and Equity of African American Students. Her team is dedicated to the elimination of the achievement gap that has haunted us for decades. My eldest daughter Mignon has dedicated her tenure at the Federal Communication Commission to addressing this gap by getting internet services into low income and underserved communities.
“One of the most misrepresented and misunderstood educational entities in our country are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Although largely untold their successes are legendary. As a proud alumnus of an HBCU, I work diligently trying to educate the uninformed and misinformed about the missions and value of these historic and iconic institutions.
“HBCUs are a very important niche in providing quality educational opportunities where otherwise there would be none. They are uniquely equipped to meet the needs of those high school graduates who have been, and are still being, robbed of equitable funding of their schools and communities, most of which are in rural areas. I have heard testimonies from scores of highly successful, jurists, physicians, business executives and college presidents that but for the nurturing and, I might add, remediation that were available to them at the HBCUs they attended, they would never have succeeded.
“Consider the role that Morehouse College played in the lives of Congressmen Cedric Richmond and Sanford Bishop; Or that Howard University played in the lives of Elijah Cummings and Gregory Meeks? Or the role that North Carolina A&T played in the lives of Astronaut Ronald McNair and California businesswoman Janice Howroyd.
“Or the role that Florida A&M played in the lives of Congressman Alcee Hastings and John Thompson, Chairman of the Board of Microsoft; Or the role that Toogolou College played in the lives of Congressman Bennie Thompson his wife, Doctor London Thompson; to name just a few with whom you may be acquainted; and who have made, and are making, significant contributions to the establishment of ‘a more perfect Union.’
“Throughout my service in Congress, I have worked to preserve, protect and put financial resources into the offerings and facilities of HBCUs. I am also fighting for the communities that surround these great institutions, many of them rural.
“New innovations like the Rural Energy Savings Program that took me six years to get passed into law; and my 10-20-30 Rule which was applied in the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act;” and, in my not-so-humble opinion, should be applied throughout the budget.
“My Rural Energy Savings program allows customers of Rural Electric Coops to retrofit and weatherize their homes using federally guaranteed loans that they get through their coops and pay back on their monthly utility bills.
“The experiences of the vast majority of these customers have been that the combined costs of their utility bills and loan repayments are around 70 percent of what their utility bills were previously. That is a significant monthly savings that can be used to purchase books and supplies for their children.
“My 10-20-30 innovation directs 10 percent of specific appropriated funds into communities where 20 percent or more of their citizens have been struggling beneath the poverty level for the past 30 years or more. There are 500 such counties and many more communities that fall into this category.
“Not all of these neglected communities are located in our inner cities as seems to be the popular belief. In fact, there are more of them in rural communities than urban. There are no preferences here as to race, ethnicity, gender or political persuasion.
“In states like New Mexico and Arizona, they are more likely to be Latina.
“In Alaska and South Dakota they will probably be Native Americans.
“They are more likely be white in Kentucky or West Virginia;
“and more likely to be black in North and South Carolina.
“This is about meeting needs, and it worked beautifully in the Recovery Act. If we are going to reduce inequalities and eliminate inequities, we simply must target our resources and increase our commitments to efforts that give life and meaning to our ideal of equality and justice for all.
“It falls to each generation to pick up the mantle of leadership and make good on the premise upon which this nation was found and the promise it holds for the future.
“The challenges before us are many. We are in a fight that will not tolerate what Thomas Paine called ‘summer soldiers and sunshine patriots.’
“As a proud South Carolinian, I remain steadfast and unyieldingly optimistic while holding fast to my state’s motto, Dum Spiro Spero, ‘While I breathe, I hope.’ ”