NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner

October 28, 2009

 

Introduction/Acknowledgements

Good evening and thank you very much for inviting me. I’m always excited to join the NAACP and I’ve had the privilege of being invited to many events over the years. And I’m proud that this dynamic and historic organization is headquartered in this dynamic and historic city. And I think we all share a strong belief that it should stay here in Baltimore.

NAACP 100th Anniversary

Before I say anything else, let me say “Congratulations. I’ve already celebrated this memorable occasion with one of your sister chapters—the Prince George’s County Branch this year. I’m now proud to stand with the Baltimore City branch, which is one of the most dynamic Branches not only in Maryland but across the Country

Congratulations on 100 years of standing up for Civil Rights; 100 years of fighting for working families; 100 years of giving a voice to the voiceless; 100 years of work toward the common good.

In those 100 years, we’ve made a great deal of progress. We saw black men and women break down the walls of exclusion in our nation’s colleges and universities. We saw the creation of the black middle class. We passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and celebrated the success of African Americans like Dr. Ben Carson.

We helped minorities find their voice in the ballot box. And we celebrated the election of Barack Obama – a man born during the turbulent year Dr. King shared his dream with the world…

The Dream Lives On

That dream lives on. It lives on in our own vigilance. It lives on in the example we choose to set for future generations and in the contributions made by men and women like Dr. Carla Hayden, like Mr. Wayne Frazier. Men and women like Phoebe Haddon, Arnold Jolivet, Glenard Middleton, Brenda Clayburn and Grand Master Shelton Redden.

It’s a dream that lives on because of those brave Americans who have displayed the strength, courage and patriotism to serve this nation. And I’d like to personally thank all of the veterans here for your service and pause for a moment to remember those who have given the greatest sacrifice in defense of this land we love.

And let’s pause for a minute to remember Army Reserve Specialist Kendell Frederick who is also being remembered this evening. Specialist Frederick died from a roadside bomb attack in Iraq four years ago.

He came to the United States from Trinidad and volunteered to serve in our armed forces. He was not granted citizenship until after his death, but his belief in the American Dream inspired him to serve on our behalf. Still, we must remember Specialist Frederick and all those who serve while they work toward American citizenship.

And I want to thank Congressman Cummings for honoring Specialist Frederick’s memory and working with Democrats and Republicans to pass the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act of 2007; a law that expedites that citizenship process for men and women serving in the armed forces.

Fighting to Continue Progress

While we look back on the progress of the last century, I believe it is just as important that we look ahead to the next century. As today’s civil rights workers, our efforts for justice are broad because they must be.  Justice also means a fair shot at opportunity: opportunity to go to college, to have adequate healthcare, and to live in peace and security. 

We’ve got our work cut out for us. Yes, we’ve improved public education and seen children of color succeed at higher levels than ever before. Yes, we’ve made college more affordable by holding the line of tuition increases. Yes, we’ve reduced the number of Marylanders who live without health insurance and protected seniors who have been forced to choose between medicine and rent. And, yes, we’ve seen a reduction in violent crime across this city and this state.

But our work is not done. There’s progress to be made. And there are still injustices in our world. We need to close the performance gap in our most vulnerable schools. We need to graduate more young men of color from the University of Maryland than we do from the criminal justice system.

And we need to make real reforms in our health care system: reforms that will help us end health disparities, make coverage more secure and stable for the insured, and more affordable for those without insurance.

Public Safety/Crime

And we need to work together to improve public safety and criminal justice. We need to do more to encourage our youngest brothers and sisters to embrace the opportunities we’ve created for them. And I don’t think it’s any surprise that President Jealous has made criminal justice a priority for the NAACP since becoming President.

We need to forge partnerships and make communal strides to end the grip crime, drugs and violence have on our most vulnerable communities. We’re not going to do that by arresting our way out of the problem. We’re not going to do it by scaring kids straight.

We’ll do it by investing in the potential of each individual. We’ll do it by promising to never abandon a neighbor who is struggling to make something of his life. And we’ll do it together – as Marylanders.

Recidivism

Together, we’ll continue to fight recidivism. Through the Maryland Reentry Initiative, we currently provide 37 occupational programs in 18 disciplines for incarcerated individuals and ex-offenders.

Helping ex-offenders enter the workforce gives them an incentive to live within the law. It gives them something to lose if they return to the lifestyle that first got them in trouble. More importantly, it gives them something to gain. It welcomes them to the productive class, offers them with an opportunity to provide for their families, to be a man, and it saves the state millions.

And for those reasons, I’m proud that over 4,800 former offenders took part in the MRI training last year and nearly 2,000 joined the Maryland workforce. Those aren’t the only reentry and rehabilitative programs we support. We understand the importance of investing in the potential of all young people, so we support programs that put troubled youth to work, to develop life skills and employment skills.

We believe the statistics that show community service helps offenders develop work and life skills. So we support opportunities that allow inmates to “pay society back” as part of their sentence.

Some of these projects include:

• Inmates who operate a thoroughbred horse rescue farm, tending to animals that might otherwise have been slaughtered.
• State veterans’ cemeteries “employing” inmates who are honorably discharged veterans working to restore the grounds – the only the only project of its kind in the nation.
• “Employing” Maryland inmates to clear thousands of acres of woodland and plant hundreds of thousands of trees to restore forests across the state, including at Antietam National Battlefield.
• And the use of inmate-made oyster spat cages and planting inmate-picked and grown bay grasses to help restore and protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

And on the national front, we have a friend and an advocate working with us. Our former Secretary of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Tom Perez currently leads the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights division. And I can attest personally that Tom is a man of principle and a public servant who will work tirelessly to end any and all injustices.

Public Education

Still, we know that no matter what we invest in reentry, no matter what employment programs we support and no matter who we have leading the charge. We know that greatest weapon in this fight is our commitment to public education.

Maryland has the nation’s top public schools. Not by chance; not because of luck, but because we choose to have the best schools. And the improvements in this City, in Prince George’s County and in African American communities across the state are a top reason why my statement is backed up by Education Week Magazine.

During these tough economic times, we have been forced to make difficult decisions. Like all of you, we’ve had to do more with less. But because test scores are up in every county, in every grade, in every subject and across every demographic group; because that improvement is being led by African American students; and because we understand how important education is, we have, so far, held public K-12 education harmless during each of the rounds of budget cuts.

Conclusion

Together, we can meet the challenges of the next 100 years, just as we met those of the previous century. And we will meet them with the same resolve, the same passion and the same hope for a brighter tomorrow that Dr. King inspired in our parents and President Obama inspires in our children.

Congratulations on 100 successful years. And, again, thank you very much for inviting me this evening God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

 

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