Transcripts For CSPAN3 President 20240705 : vimarsana.com

CSPAN3 President July 5, 2024

It is my deep conviction that we have reached a turning point in the long history of our countrys efforts to guarantee freedom and equality to all our citizens. Our immediate task is to move the last remnants of the barrier, which stand between millions of our citizens and their birthright. We must make the federal government a friendly, vigilant defender of the rights and equality of all americans. When i say all americans, i mean all americans. We can no longer afford luxury of a leisurely attack upon prejudice and discriminate never before has the need been so urgent for skillful and vigorous action to bring us closer to. Our ideal. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Clifton Truman. Daniel. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. I am Clifton Truman daniel and it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Opening Event of the truman civil rights symposium 75 years ago today. My grandfather our president , harry truman, changed the course of American History when he signed executive orders that ended racial segregation, the federal workforce and in the u. S. Armed forces. On this proud occasion and on behalf of my family i want to thank all of you who are with us both in person here and and all of those all of you who helped make this symposium a reality, my grandfather once said, i dont believe in little plans. You can always amend the big plan, but you can never expand a little that the civil rights symposium was a big plan. Two years in the making. These three days will introduce us to nearly 40 individuals prominent, military and civilian leaders, elected officials, authors journalists, historians and veterans of all United States armed forces. What an extraordinary opportunity to part of this essential, essential national conversation, a conversation that invites to reflect on our founding ideals on president ial and on the future of equality in america. Grandpa also said that it is amazing what you can accomplish, if you do not care who gets the credit, but i want to take a moment to recognize a few for the tremendous accomplishment of symposium. Do me a favor, please hold your applause until. The last name is read. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the distinguished members of the symposiums honorary committee, including those who are in attendance tonight. Cochairs congressman Emanuel Cleaver and congressman james clyburn, vice chair, admiral howard, judge Richard Gergel, Brigadier General donald. And watching home ambassador john estrada. Id like to thank the truman civil rights Symposium Planning Committee the library of congress and dr. Carla hayden for not only allowing us to use this building for our event but also participating in tonights program. The Truman Library and staff and board all they do to advance my grandfathers legacy and. Our symposium sponsors theyre all listed in your program with a special thanks to our Title Sponsor, boeing and presenting sponsor cp kc. Oh, thank you all. Applause please for our. My grandfather is often called an unlikely civil rights champion and not without reason. But 75 years ago, facing a Reelection Campaign, his first chance to win the presidency, he championed the very cause that could have spelled defeat. He had this to say about win lose, draw. The people will. Where i stand in response to brutality that World War Two veterans faced in their own. My grandfather put aside political concerns and did what was right. The blinding of Sergeant Isaac woodard, whose story we will hear tonight was a turning point in my grandfathers life that ultimately led to one of the most important and politically courageous acts of his presidency. In 1947, grandpa formed the first ever president s committee on civil rights, which delivered its landmark report to secure these rights, which, by the way still stands as a blueprint for building a more equitable society. And i invite you to read it if you a chance. He became the first president to address civil rights, including the acp. He was the first president to call for equal voting rights. Equal employment. Fair laws. Antilynching legislation and more. In a civil rights address to congress. And ultimately, he did what congress would not do. On july 26th, 1948, he signed executive order 9981, ignoring public and even some of his own generals. He desegregated the United States armed forces. And as far as grandpa was concerned, and americans could no longer reconcile racial inequity, the values that our nations soldiers and sailors had fought, bled and, died to uphold. That same day he signed executive order 9980, which banned discrimination in federal hiring. Together, they paved the way for civil rights legislation and Supreme Court decisions in the fifties and 1960s, including versus the board of education, integrating the Public Schools without executive order 9981. Our nation would not have had leaders like army colin powell, who became the first black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the first black u. S. Secretary of state. We would not have had lloyd austin, a retired u. S. Army four star general, as our secretary of defense, the first black american to serve in that role. We would not have michelle howard, a retired navy admiral who became the first black woman to reach three and four stars in the armed forces and the first black woman to command a navy ship. And we would not have general cq brown junior serving as the chief of the air force and recently nominated as the next chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Ive often said that my grandfathers greatest accomplished point was showing the country and the world that an ordinary middle class american from the midwest, a farmer, a small businessman and a citizen soldier can rise to the highest office in this land and do a better job of it than almost anybody else. That is the promise of this, and it must be extend did to all americans. The objectives he pursued, through his civil rights decisions, remain as and important now as they were in 1948. And we still have lot of work to do. As my grandfather said, whether discrimination is based on race or creed or color or land of origin, it is utterly contrary to the american of democracy. I am excited to embark on this journey with you so lets get to it. It is my honor to bring to the stage director of military and veteran affairs of the boeing linwood ham. Mr. Hamm is responsible for the development and execution of programs. Positively impact the veteran and military families community. And for leading the boeing global relationship with talent management, other boeing stakeholders in support of veteran recruitment and hiring programs. Previously he worked at the institute for security governance, where he led and guided Capacity Building programs, the indopacific region. He also worked for the u. S. Institute of peace, where he led inter organizational projects on addressing fragile states and understanding risk to u. S. Diplomats and Development Professionals and United Nations peacekeeping reform. Mr. Hamm served over 24 years in the united army, with more than 12 years of experience and executing, assessing National Policy directives, the United States department of defense and the u. S. Department of state. Friends, please join me in welcoming to the stage a message from our Title Sponsor of the company linwood ham. Thank you, clifton for those kind words and the introduction. Good, distinguished guests. Good evening, friends i am honored here tonight representing the boeing company and our partnership of the truman libraries commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of the United States armed forces. As a proud army veteran and west point graduate and a son of washington, dc, southeast dc. Im one of so many who know the importance of what our president did to open the doors for many of africanamericans and so many of them who paved a very difficult and trying path. So that i could enjoy 24 years of service. As clifton described, it was my honor to do that. But i know that every day it was my opportunity paid for by those who started on that path opened up because of the work of president truman. In the last 75 years, we have seen those from the minority communities raise their hands to serve at a rate greater than their representative rate in our country. Our military is revered around the world for many reasons, not the least of which, and most importantly, because allies and partners from around the world look at us and say, you get the very best from every part of your society in order to make this nation strong. Because we have the strongest defense force, because we pick the very best from everyone. Align with president trumans vision. Boeing is committed to ensuring equality of treatment and opportunity for all those who serve. Making investments in organizations, supporting veterans of color. The families who serve alongside. Were thrilled every single day work with over 500 partners that each day work to advance civic engagement, community involvement, economic mobility, Mental Health and benefits that are that are ill treated, served to the to the and underrepresented to communities where we live and work. Tonight, that was mentioned, which are held later, a discussion about Isaac Woodard. Someone have i thought about, you know, throughout my military career and in particular tonight as i was preparing these words i his the attack that befell that gentleman brought into sharp relief. The distance the chasm between the ideal of equality and the reality of Racial Injustice that existed in our in our country and that president truman took the courage to make this choice, because it was. Right. What was being done was immoral because he understood the human bond that was broken time and time again by these acts and so many others that we didnt even know about. Our nation is the great beneficiary of president trumans courageous act to right this terrible, wrong. Its our shared response ability to advance racial equality, equality, and to strive for more perfect union. I would also like to note that this year is also the 50th anniversary of the all volunteer force that all volunteer forces discussed before was built. The strength of bringing together this nations very best all races, all creeds, colors, men and women. Im hopeful that conversation lines like this one over the next three days and others and the conversations that organizations, like the Truman Library institute, will lead will help us find our way to continue every single day to galvanize the country so we can strengthen our ability to deliver our core values of liberty, justice for all. At boeing, we say veterans make us better. And it is also diversity that will make the country the one that we strive for. Thank you. Please welcome josh earnest. Good evening. Its a special privilege to be back in d. C. And especially to be here tonight in this beautiful space with this distinguished crowd, to mark such an historic occasion. Theres so many lessons to draw from the legacy of president trumans desegregation order. And a close examination can inform our views on an incredibly wide range of issues. The racial dynamics of partizan politics. The impact of military service on our democratic society. The exercise of president ial power. The heroism of servicemembers who bravely defended a country that conspicuously to provide the freedom that they were fighting for. The role of government in creating a path to equality of economic opportunity. The history of the Civil Rights Movement. The current state of the ongoing for civil rights. And so much more. Im sure a number of ideas about the impact of president trumans executive action will be discussed from a variety of perspectives over the course of the next couple of days. But theres one aspect of president trumans decision that i believe worthy of consideration here at outset of this symposium. And its simply this. Some of the most profound sound consequences of this executive order would have been impossible to predict when president put pen to paper. 75 years ago, to say it more plainly, president truman didnt know what the consequence is of his executive action would be. He couldnt have. But he did know one thing. He knew it was the right thing to do. I think theres a lesson there for all of us, even those of us who arent the president of the United States. Just yesterday, i had the opportunity to tour the 19 acre construction site that is the future home of obama president ial center in jackson park, chicagos south side. With the help of technology and a couple of good tour guides, even two years before is completed, you can get a good sense of what mr. And mrs. Obama and their team are aiming for. Yes the museum will explore the biograph physical roots of the president and first lady. It will trace the arc of an insurgent president ial campaign. And theres an extensive review of the issues the Obama Administration focused on so intently issues like health care, national security, climate change, education, the great financial crisis and the rest it. But a significant portion of the story that the obamas are looking to tell is about citizenship and the responsibility that each of us has to engage in our democracy. And do the right thing to change our community for the better. Because as president obama often said, if you can change your community, you can change your state. If you can change your state, you can your country. And if you can change your country, you can change the world. In other words, its impossible to predict just how much good you can do. Thats what both of these president s did when. They were at their best. And fortunately for the american people, the courage of their convictions is fact. What drove so many of the decisions that president truman and president obama made . Even when faced with tough decisions, especially when faced with tough decisions, they didnt on the polls or the politics. They didnt focus on the clicks, the cable hits. They concentrated on doing the right thing and letting history be the judge. Tonight will be access. It will be assessing the legacy of president trumans courageous decision. And perhaps theres no person to kick off this symposium than the very first black commander in chief of the United States military and the 44th president of the United States, barack obama. Hi, everybody. Welcome to the truman civil rights symposia here. I want to start by thanking the Truman Library institute for organizing this event. Together, you president trumans values. And im proud that my friend josh earnest is part of your team. I also want to thank all of you for being here the next few days are about celebrating the 75th anniversary of two executive orders signed by president truman. One banning Racial Discrimination in federal hiring. And the second, banning segregate in the u. S. Military. As president , you learn pretty quickly that there are limits to what you can accomplish without congress. But you also realize that as the head of the executive and the commander in chief, you have opportunities to make a real and lasting difference. Thats exactly what president truman did. The grandson of owners, harry truman, was never most likely champion for civil rights. But during the depths of jim crow, he argued for racial equality, becoming the first president to address the acp. And when he saw black veterans returning from World War Two only to face violence and abuse at home. He went a step further by desegregating the federal workforce. The single largest employer in the country. President truman set powerful example and new opportunities for generations of black americans and by ordering the integration of the military. He advanced the Civil Rights Movement helped prove that america is safer. When americans fight together. Now another thing you learn as president is that no law or executive solves everything on its own. And these were no exceptions. President trumans order to desegregate the military faced fierce opposition, and much of the progress that ultimately happened was the result of the persistence dedication and patriotism of black servicemen and women. But president truman made it possible, and more than that, he proved once again that generation can look upon our imperfections and remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideals. Maybe we continue to follow his example. Thank you and enjoy the event. Please welcome congressman Emanuel Cleaver. The second. Thank you very much for introducing me. President obama obama. As representative of Harry Trumans hometown of independence, missouri, i am very much honored to be with you this evening. When harry truman became, the first president to address the naacp in 1947, i dont think anyone could have imagined the progress to come. And since that day, just think about it dr. King marched on washington. President johnson signed a number of civil rights bills. Thurgood marshall joined the supreme. And america. Barack Hussein Obama to the presidency in his speech, president truman warned that we cannot afford the luxury of a leisurely attack on discrimination. His words marked the genesis of the civil rights era, ringing out in congress, state legislatures, congregations living, rooms and city streets all around this great country. Today we meet to keep trumans words alive and usher our children and their children into new era of civil rights. Before dr. Divulged his rosa parks took a seat on a bus and president obama swore his oath. President truman signed executive. 9981 and what the stroke of a pen. Truman

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