John Kerry Addresses National Black Chamber Of Commerce Convention

Senator John Kerry, Address to National Black Chamber of Commerce
14th Annual Convention
New Orleans, Louisiana
July 21, 2006

Last night the Senate passed the Voting Rights Act, extending this landmark civil rights bill for another 25 years. We’ve made great strides in attacking racial discrimination, but our work is far from done. This bill protects voters in places with a history of restricting minority rights. It outlines language assistance requirements, and empowers the Attorney General the ability to assign poll watchers. Last year I introduced the Count Every Vote Act to end the absurdly long lines, mistaken purging of voters, voter suppression and intimidation, and unequal access to the voting process that hold our democracy back from being the best it can be.

But just protecting voting rights is not enough. Economic opportunity for everyone is also a civil right.

This is my third trip to Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast last summer. When I came here in May with Senator Mary Landrieu, I toured parts of New Orleans that, frankly, still look like the third world. We met with business and community leaders, including Mr. Alford, to learn first-hand the challenges they face. Equal opportunity is certainly not alive in New Orleans. And we have to work to bring it here.

Katrina pulled back the curtain and revealed a reality of poverty and desperation that many thought no longer existed in our country. It’s astounding. Here we are, in the richest country in the world, and nearly one year after a devastating storm, our people are still waiting for help from the federal government to pick up the pieces and rebuild. Amazingly, tragically, just like during the storm, the people of New Orleans are once again waiting for the help from Washington that they’ve been promised. This time, they’re not waiting for a rescue, they just want a hand to reach the higher ground, to get their businesses up and running again. And once again, it’s mission NOT accomplished.