Hoyer Remarks at Congressional Black Caucus Ceremonial Swearing-In for the 114th Congress

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus ceremonial swearing-in for the 114th Congress yesterday. Below is a transcript of his remarks and a link to the video.

Click here for the video.

“Good morning. ‘Facing the rising sun upon a new day begun.’ What an extraordinary group of Americans I have as my colleagues to face that rising sun with new challenges and new opportunities.

“I want to congratulate my dear friend, [Rep.] Marcia Fudge, on the extraordinary leadership she has given to the Congressional Black Caucus and to commiserate with my brother [Rep.] G.K. Butterfield for the shoes he has to fill. And to all of the officers of the Congressional Black Caucus. This is a significant year as I’m sure [Rep.] Jim Clyburn, my friend, will talk about, as others will talk about.

“My friend [Rep.] John Lewis – fifty years, half a century. Martin Luther King said: ‘I may not get there with you, but I have seen the promised land.’ Everybody in this auditorium knows that we may have seen the promised land, but the promise is not yet redeemed, that there is still much to do.

“In the last Congress the CBC played a essential and critical role in shaping policy and moving legislation forward to benefit all Americans. As this new Congress begins, with new challenges facing our country, we will continue to look to the group that is known as the ‘conscience of the Congress’ for ideas and inspired leadership and inspiration.

“For over four decades, the CBC has promoted a vision of America where everyone, regardless of color, creed, economic circumstances, has an equal shot to pursue the American Dream and is entitled to equal justice under the law. That's the objective. That is the vision.  That is the promise. No one in this auditorium would say that promise has been redeemed yet. So there is still much work to be done. It need not be only a vision but a reality. Sadly it is not, but it must continue to be the goal for which we strive and towards which the Congress works.

“There are no Members of the Congress of the United States who further that vision more passionately or more focused or – as [Rep.] John Lewis would say – keeping their eye on the prize than my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus. How proud those of us are who serve with them, of their leadership and their inspiration, of their integrity and their courage. Under Chairwoman Fudge the CBC has continued to raise its profile by serving both as a moral voice and an active player in shaping policy, not only to better the lives of African-Americans but to expand opportunities for all Americans. My buddy, [Rep.] Barbara Lee, will tell us all that lifting up all Americans and all people, irrespective of race, from the ravages of poverty and of want is a major objective of us all. With Chairman Butterfield at the helm, I know this important work will continue and strengthen.

“For the 114th Congress the CBC has grown to include the largest numbers of Members in its history, comprising nearly a quarter of the Democratic Caucus – almost 25 percent of the Democratic Caucus, Pastor [Dr. William Barber], are African-Americans. Ten percent of the Congress of the United States: African-Americans. But it is not just the color of their skin that is so important. It is the content of their character that they display on a daily basis, calling us all to the best that is within us and the best that is America. CBC Members represent twenty-two states and the District of Columbia. All five of the new CBC members for the 114^th Congress are women, I will tell my male friends, bringing the total to twenty – almost half of the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. And in another historic first, and perhaps the most illustrative of its strength in policy-making, seven full committee Ranking Members are CBC Members.  Will the Ranking Members stand? Will the Ranking Members stand?  This speaks to the enormous progress that we have made over the past fifty years.

“In 1965, [Rep.] John Lewis walked across a bridge, the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma. Two weeks later, Dr. Martin Luther King with legions walked across that bridge. The conscience of America was moved, and we made progress.

“Today though, the Voting Rights Act is under threat. All our efforts in restoring its protections for a new generation of Americans have not yet succeeded. The Supreme Court said things were much different, and indeed they are much different, but the Supreme Court was wrong that the job was done. It is not. I want to congratulate my friend [Rep.] Jim Clyburn for his leadership in assuring that we redeem what has been bled for and died for.

“When the law was passed, I was active in my own state, a segregated state, a southern state in many ways.  I come from a region that was as southern as any region in the country, I think. We had great problems in Cambridge, in Baltimore, and, yes, in my county of Prince George’s County in Southern Maryland. Thanks to the CBC, these battles are being carried forward with strength and conviction and a dogged determination in Congress, as we prepare to mark the fiftieth anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday.’ I'm looking forward to accompanying many of you to Selma and to other places where people died and fought for the freedom and dignity of my three children, as well as all children of color. We are in this together.

“Pastor [Dr. William Barber], you would say, I think, with me, that every individual, every sparrow has God's eyes on them, and they ought to have our eyes on them as well. I'm so very proud to be here to congratulate all of you. Those of you who are new and those of you who have fought the fight for decades. Those of you who began this Black Caucus, you have made Congress better. Much more importantly, however, you have made America better.

“God bless you, Godspeed, and thank you.”