Barbara Lee Condemns Bennett’s Racist Remarks
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued the following statement today in response to former Reagan administration Secretary of Education, Bill Bennett’s recent racist remarks. Bennett, on his nationally broadcast radio show on Wednesday, said: “You could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down.”
“I join my colleagues in condemning Bill Bennett’s statement that you could reduce crime in this country by aborting black babies. He should apologize immediately for this reprehensible remark.
“I am also concerned that the Bush administration could not say anything more about these comments than that they were ‘not appropriate.’ Was the forced sterilization of black women also ‘not appropriate?’ President Bush's recent acknowledgement of the role that racial discrimination played in contributing to the devastation of hurricane Katrina means little if he does not forcefully condemn such discrimination today.
“Sadly, these remarks are not an anomaly. They are representative of an attitude that continues to fuel discriminatory policies.
“As we struggle as nation to confront the issues of race and class that Hurricane Katrina has brought again to the fore, these remarks serve as a reminder of how far we still have to go, and why we must come together with a renewed commitment to fighting prejudice and promoting opportunity.”
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