Martin’s call for racial justice resulted in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Have we as a nation done everything we can and should to advance the noble mission and legislative goals of the Civil Rights Act; and, if not, what more should we—and will you—do?
Our nation’s civil rights laws and principles are at the core of our nation. Our country grows stronger when all Americans have access to opportunity and are able to participate fully in our economy. I will continue to fight to strengthen civil rights in my second term as I have throughout my career as a community organizer, civil rights lawyer, Illinois state Senator, U.S. Senator, and now as President. I signed the Fair Sentencing Act to reduce the disparities in mandatory minimum sentences between powder cocaine and crack cocaine. We have taken significant steps forward by signing into law the FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act, which included the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, repealing the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, and restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers through passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I will continue to lead the fight to build a fairer and more equitable criminal justice system, will seek to strengthen hate crime legislation and will work to ensure that federal law enforcement agencies do not resort to racial profiling. Funding drug courts gives first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence in drug rehabilitation programs that work better than prison, and I will help ex-offenders reenter society through jobs strategies, substance abuse treatment, and mental health counseling.
Martin believed that “the greatest stride forward for society is that short walk into the voting booth” and heralded the consequent enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But today, voter turnout in our country ranks last among G-8 nations and 138th of 172 voting countries in the world. What will you do to encourage and support voter participation; in particular, do you support electronic voter registration and moving Election Day to the weekend?
The Voting Rights Act has been a critical tool in ensuring that all Americans not only have the right to vote, but the right to have their vote counted. This goes back to that historic day on March 7, 1965, when Congressman John Lewis led about 600 peaceful protestors demanding the right to vote across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. I am grateful for the actions of Congressman Lewis and Dr. Martin Luther King, who were on the front lines of the civil rights movement.
I continue to support the principles of this important piece of legislation, and will work to ensure that voting rights are protected and that Americans do not suffer from increased discrimination during a time of economic distress.
My campaign will also continue to help support voting rights and participation in all 50 states. In 2008, we registered millions of voters across the country through the help and hard work of our volunteers. We will continue to register new voters and help voters who have moved update their registration in 2011 and 2012. Strong voter participation is the backbone of our democracy, and I will continue to support equal and full participation.
Martin’s conviction that legal rights alone do not ensure equality and opportunity led to his clarion call for economic justice through the Poor People’s Campaign and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Nearly a half-century later, however, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that poverty rates in virtually every sector of our country have risen to historic levels. Tragically, over 15,000,000 American children (1 in 5) will go to sleep tonight wondering whether tomorrow morning is their turn to have breakfast. What role do you feel our government should play in helping to provide such necessities as housing, health care, nutrition, and jobs for all Americans?
Today, too many Americans live without access to good, family-supporting jobs. I am committed to creating the opportunity for all Americans to grab the first rung on the ladder to the middle class. That includes investing in strategies to make work pay, expanding access to affordable housing, and helping low-income Americans build the job skills to succeed in the workforce. The American Recovery Reinvestment Act lifted millions of Americans out of poverty. To fight hunger, the Act includes a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, as well as funding for food banks and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. To broaden access to affordable housing, the Recovery Act provides $1 billion in increased funding for the Community Development Block Grant; $4 billion in increased public housing capital funds; $2 billion in Neighborhood Stabilization Funds to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes; and $1.5 billion in Homelessness Prevention Funds to keep people in their homes.
I am also committed, as is the First Lady, to ensuring that children have nutritious meals to eat at home and at school, so that they grow up healthy and strong. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation, was signed into law so all kids have healthier food in school and even more have access to a healthy lunch. In 2010, Michelle launched the “Let’s Move!” campaign and “Let’s Move Cities and Towns,” with nearly 500 communities across America making commitments to significant changes in support of their communities’ health.
The Affordable Care Act established health care as a basic tenet of working and middle class Americans. As a result of this historic piece of legislation, 32 million uninsured Americans will be able to afford health care insurance. Our work is not done. In my second-term, I will continue to lead a new federal approach to revitalize communities stricken by the economic crisis as well as communities that were hurting before it began.
