Transcripts For CSPAN2 Pres. 20240704

Good afternoon, everyone. Have a seat. Good afternoon. To our president , joe biden, members of congress, the members of the emmett till family and my fellow americans. Today we gather to remember our history we gather to remember and act out astonishing violence and hate, and to honor the courage of those who called upon our nation to look with open eyes at that horror, and to act. The story of emmett till and the incredible bravery of mamie tillmobley helped fuel the movement for civil rights in america. And their stories continue to inspire our collective fight for justice when asserted in the United States senate i was so profoundly honored to sponsor the emmett till antilynching act, alongside congressman bobby rush and it was an even greater honor to stand beside our President Joe Biden as he signed a law that finally made lynching a federal crime. So many leaders here today made that progress possible. Our history as a nation is born of tragedy and triumph. Of struggle and success. That is who we are. And as people who love our country, expatriates, we know that we must remember and teach our full history, even when it is painful. Especially when it is painful. Today, there are those in our nation who would prefer to erase, or even rewrite, the ugly parts of our past. Those who attempt to teach that insulate people benefited from slavery, those who insult us in an attempt to gaslight us, who try to divide our nation with unnecessary debates. Let us not be seduced into believing that somehow we will be better if we forget. We will be better if we remember. We will be stronger if we remember. Because we all here know it is only by understanding and learning from our past that we can continue to Work Together to build a better future. And so now it is my great honor to introduce a leader who has dedicated his life to preserving and protecting our history, and reverend rees and parker junior just also shared with me that he and his wife will be celebrating this weekend there 56th anniversary of marriage. Reverend wheeler. [applause] in fact, we were married 56 years on sunday my wife says when we get to heaven, my wife will say lord, not here, to. [laughter] i see we have a whole lot of a mans left. [laughter] i am too humbled by this honor, see, i was born in mississippi. I see my early years as a sharecropper and was focused on fulfilling focus upon my quota of not making history from the outhouse to the white house. From a time when we live in fear to a time when president and Vice President gave us this great hope. Kept their promise by deliverin delivering, this is what America Needs to be promises made, promises kept. It has been quite a journey for me from the darkness to the light, when i set with my family on the night of terror when emmett till was taken from us, taken to be tortured, brutally murdered. Back then when with terror and fear of certain death in the darkness of a thousand midnight in the pitch black house where some have called back then in the darkness i could never imagine a moment like this, standing in the light of wisdom, grace and deliverance. Theres something amazing you fear when you meet president biden, like i did when he signed the emmett till antilynching into law. He welcomed me into this place of great power i felt the power of his personal devotion. Is devotion to justice, equality, his commitment to keeping the promise to america to escape from his heart, from his soul. God bless you, president biden, for all you have done and will do to preserve our history. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in recognizing President Joe Biden. [applause] im not going to tell you what he whispered to me. Thank you, reverend parker. Thank all of you for being here. Of what you think kamala for her, not only capacity to do what she does, but to fire, with the thing she cares about now. To all the members of congress, including benny thompson, senator tammy duckworth, represented danny davis and senator dick durbin who wish a speedy recovery from covert. And who have long thought to honor the till family. Its not due to any of them to the till family, its another to be with you again. You know, when i was preparing these remarks i quite frankly and my colleagues will understand this, i found myself trying to temper my anger as i was writing this. Im not joking. I cant fathom, i cant fathom what it mustve been like. Its hard to believe, i was 12 years old, and i just, i know no matter how much time has passed, how many birthdays, how many events, how many anniversaries, its hard to relive this. Brings it all back which we talked about wee talked about as if it happened yesterday for the images in your head, the things you remember. But its inspiring to see how many of your family has continued as mothers courage to find the faith in pain, the purpose and pain. Thats a remarkable thing, it seems to me. Insisting on an open casket, if casket for her murdered, and i might add, maimed and mutilated son. 14 years old. 14 years old. She said, let the people see what i have seen. Let the people see what i have seen. My god. All of us who lost children in other ways, the harder it is even to close the casket or keep it open, what a debate it is, but to see the child that had been maimed. In country, and the world of saul, saul, not just heard the story of emmett till and his mother, as the story of the families promise and loss and a nations reckoning with hate, violence, racism, overwhelming abuse of power and brutality. Its hard to fathom, hard to fathom this even in war for me. Its hard to fathom. Today, on what we have been, what have been his 82nd birthday. We had another chapter in the story of remembrance in healing. Just that we join together when i sign, and his name to make lynching a federal crime, inc. Along that took to happen. I mean, and screen the movie till at the white house. Today, we join together as i find a proclamation designating emmett till and mamie tillmobley National Monument in both illinois and mississippi. [applause] lynching as a matter of law talked about wanting to do this, with the support of the community. Its been so overwhelming. And thank the members of congress for the support. Im and more than that, their leadership. At a time when you are those who seek to ban books, very history, we are making it clear, crystal clear. [applause] darkness antinihilism can hide much, they erase nothing. They can hide but they erase nothing for we cant just to determine what we want to know. We have to learn what we should know. We should know about our country we should know everything, for good, the bad, the truth, who we are as a nation. Thats a great nations you and we are a great nation. Thats what they do for only with the truth comes healing, justice, repair, and another step forward toward forming a more perfect union. We got a hell of a long way to go. Thats whats happening. Thats whats happening with visitors of all backgrounds long history of emmett till and maybe to mobley to our National Monument. Look, telling the truth and the full history of our nation is important. Its important for children, grandchildren, our great grandchildren, to our nation as a whole. I stated before, theres a lesson i learned coming out of like real leaders in civil rights movement, when i came out of the civil rights live as a kid as a public defender and i used to say, you pass something that was good, you make kate go away. Hate never goes away. It just hides it hides under the rocks. And given a little bit of oxygen like bad people, it comes rolling out again. Its up to all of us to deal with that. Up to all of us to stop it up to all of us come the best way to do it is with the truth. Used in a different context but i think it applies here. Silence is complicity. I will not be silent nor will you be silent about what happened. [applause] its a really critical work had to continue the fight for Racial Injustice and equality for all americans my administration is committed to leading the baffled and annual members of dogs here are even more committed than that. I want to close with this. The reason the world saw what transcendence was because another hero in this story, the black press. [applause] im serious. Jet magazine, the chicago defender, other newspapers and radio announcers who told the story were unflinching with the bravery in which they told that story making sure america saw, saw what they saw your ida b. Wells once said, quote, the way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them. The way to write mostly sunshine the light of truth on them. That are charged today. Did everything we would talk about banning books in american . Manning history . Im serious. The till family, to all of you here today, i thank you for your courage, for never giving up, never, never giving up. Before i say even more is on my mind, im not going to leave this podium. I mean, its barbaric. Barbaric what happened. Seriously, all you moms out there can imagine the courage it took to say let them see. The courage. Its not my honor to sign this proclamation in memory of emmett till and ms. Mamie tillmobley, and i thank you all for being here. And i am, i know i am considered to much of an optimist, but i believe if we keep pushing will continue to make progress. We will continue to make progress that is already being made. The idea that when that 14yearold was buried, this many people of color Holding Power in office, change the direction of the country would have been beyond our comprehension. And we are just getting started. [applause] [background sounds] [inaudible conversations] ready . The Commission Im signing establishes the emmett till and mamie tillmobley National Monument. [applause] [applause]