 Good evening and welcome to San Antonio Public Library's premier Black History Month event with special guest Donna Brazil presented in partnership and hosted by the Carver Community Cultural Center. Tonight's event is being live-streamed by Nowcast SA. At this time we ask you to please silence your cell phones and remind you that flash photography and recording are prohibited. We begin with a message from the mayor of the city of San Antonio, the Honorable Ivy R. Taylor. I'm Ivy Taylor, mayor of San Antonio, and I want to offer a warm welcome to everyone attending this evening's lecture. A special welcome to your featured speaker, Donna Brazil, who's returning to San Antonio tonight to offer her unique and valuable perspective on political and social issues facing our country. I'm so sorry to miss this event, but I'm in Washington, D.C. attending the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. I'm thrilled to be joining the mayors of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, both strong Black women leaders, as we continue to chart a course for improving our cities and fulfilling the great promise of the American experiment. We live in an exciting time when horizons for women and African Americans are continuing to expand, but it's important to remember our shared past, even when it is not one to celebrate. Women and Blacks in the United States have struggled to achieve freedom, equality, and the same levels of opportunity offered to those who more superficially resembled our founding fathers. And yet, even when disenfranchised, even when deprived of our liberty, we can be strong, courageous, and resourceful. For these reasons, I am announcing tonight my next election for the mayor's book club, 12 Years to Slave, the autobiography of Solomon Northup. I can think of no better way to remind readers of the horrors of slavery while emphasizing the true universality of the human condition, our common desire for dignity, love, and self-determination. Northup reminds us, just as did Dr. King, that a system that enslaves one enslaves us all, that the oppressor is debased along with the oppressed. It may be difficult to enjoy 12 Years to Slave, but it is an important book. I hope you will join me in reading or rereading it, and will attend my book club discussions at our libraries in the coming months. Thank you for attending this program of the San Antonio Public Library. Good evening, everyone. I am Yanni Blanchett, Executive Director of the Carver Community Cultural Center, and I welcome each of you to this very historic theater. It is indeed a great pleasure to be hosting a very special guest tonight in partnership with the San Antonio Public Library. Now, I know many of you have been to our performances, and I thank you for your support of the arts. But if this is your first time at the Carver, I hope and trust that it will not be the last. The Carver has a proud history of serving this community. For years, the Carver served as the social, cultural, political, and educational gathering place for San Antonio's African American community. Many great jazz musicians, singers, and dancers have left their artistic imprint on this stage. To date, this center continues to serve as a beacon for the very best of multi-ethnic and multicultural programming in the performing and visual arts. Carver performances are consistently of the highest quality, serving to deepen our cultural knowledge, expand our understanding of, and compassion about the world. And tonight's presentation is no exception. I'd like to thank our city council members and our city administrators for their support. I'd also like to thank the Carver Development Board for their unwavering support of our educational programming and the Carver staff for their commitment and their daily task, which keep this center a place for all together. And finally, I'd like to introduce Mr. Ramiro Salazar. He is the director of the San Antonio Public Library, and he will introduce our special guest. Once again, thank you all for being here. We appreciate you being here, and I hope to see you back here soon. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Ramiro Salazar. Thank you, Yanni. Good evening. First of all, I want to thank all of you for braving this cold weather to join us for this very special location. I'm pleased that we're introducing Black History Month with this very special guest and very special event. I would like to take a few moments to thank our partners who have made this event possible. First, I would like to thank Yanni and her team from the Carver Community Cultural Center for hosting us this evening. The Carver has been in the forefront promoting diversity through its programs and events. We're happy to partner with them to kick off our Black History Month events. I would also like to thank the Friends of the San Antonio Public Library and the San Antonio Public Library Foundation for the financial support to bring this program to San Antonio. I also would like to recognize at this time some special guests in the audience. I'll start with Councilman Ellen Warwick, District 2. Welcome, Councilman. We also have Assistant City Manager Gloria Urtado. Gloria, welcome. And Assistant City Manager Carlos Contreras. Welcome, Carlos. And I know we have members of the Library Board of Trustees and members of the Board of the Carver Community Cultural Center. I want to thank you also for your support and for your attendance. Finally, I would like to thank the staff of the Carver Community Cultural Center and the San Antonio Public Library, who worked very hard to make this event possible. As Library Director, I see day in and day out how important libraries are to this community. The power of libraries is evident throughout the many services and programs that we offer. Libraries do transform lives. Libraries play an important role in enlightening the community, educating the community. Programs such as these give us an opportunity to talk about those issues that are important to us and those things that we need to know. As part of this role, I was going to say we also, because I know this is something that Ms. Brazil is passionate about, all of our libraries are voter registration sites and we official voter registration sites and we play an active role not only in not only getting folks to register to vote, but most of our libraries also serve as voting sites during elections. So we play also that very important role of community engagement. So as part of this role, we're proud to celebrate Black History Month. During the month of February, the San Antonio Public Library will be offering many activities and events and programs to celebrate Black History Month and to also recognize the contributions of African Americans in U.S. history. As Mayor Taylor announced in her video, 12 Years a Slave is the book selected for the Mayor's Book Club for the spring session. It is important to emphasize the Mayor's point about 12 Years a Slave, being a significant book because it reminds readers of our past while celebrating the importance of determination in the face of adversity. It is essential that we remind ourselves of the past while continuing to strive to the greater good in the future. We encourage all of you to participate in the Mayor's Book Club. You can get a hard copy at any of our 26 library locations or you can get a digital copy by visiting our website, mysapl.org. Tonight's program is the first in a series of exceptional programs and events that we will explore that will give us an opportunity to explore the themes of the books as well as celebrate Black History Month. These programs again will be offered throughout the month of February. All right, to get on with tonight's program, the San Antonio Public Library is honored to partner with the Carver Community Cultural Center to host tonight's special guest. Dana Brazil is one of the best known most influential African American women in modern modern American political life. Here are some of her many distinctions. Washingtonian magazine named her as one of the 100 most powerful women in Washington DC. In essence, magazine listed her as one of the 50 most powerful women in America. She's also a weekly contributor and political commentator on CNN's Inside Politics in American Morning. Ms. Brazil is a renowned author, professor, political strategist. Ms. Brazil was also El Gore's 2000 presidential campaign manager, a first for a Black female. She's one of our nation's most astute political observers and someone who truly understands that Black history is American history. Following her discussion this evening, we will have 30 minutes for questions and answers. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity. We have microphones in each aisle for your convenience. Again, on behalf of the San Antonio Public Library and the Carver Community Cultural Center, I would like to welcome her to San Antonio. Please help me welcome Ms. Dana Brazil. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Director Salazar. Thank you, Ms. Blanchett. Thank you all for being here tonight. I know it's Thursday night and I know what I do on Thursday night. Although scandal hasn't... Well, it's one of my guilty pleasures. I want to thank the mayor who is not here as I was leaving Washington, D.C. yesterday to catch my flight to Texas. I was in Austin earlier today. The mayor was heading to Washington, D.C. and I had an opportunity to text and I say, it's cold. I say, in fact, it's snowing. And if you don't hurry up and leave by Saturday, we're going to have three more inches of snow. I got to Austin last night and I said, it's cold. And I have to tell you all, a year ago, I started my year in Texas. I don't know, maybe Louisiana people like to come here and start their year. And I was down in Corpus Christi and it was the beginning of the school year and I was doing one of my lectures and the next day we had that tremendous ice storm. Y'all remember that ice storm? Well, they told us we couldn't get out of Corpus Christi, the airport, although it was still functioning. They had to wait for the de-icing material from San Antonio. So I just want to let you all know that I'm in San Antonio. I'm not going anywhere. You got de-icing material. And ladies and gentlemen, I want to think not just Director Salazar, but I also like to think the San Antonio Public Library and the Carver Cultural Community Center for hosting this event. Yanni, thank you so much for your hospitality and all of the friends of the San Antonio Public Library, you know who you are. Thank you as well and the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and of course all of the other volunteers and those of you who made this evening happen. Last week when I came back to Washington from my little vacation away from reality, I like to say it. I had a special message on one of my machines and it was my staff person. They said, you have breakfast on Monday morning with Secretary Castro. I said, what is it? Everybody from San Antonio calling me. So I just want to let you know he's settled down. He wished he could be here. You know he loves Texas. He loves San Antonio. He is a proud father of a young son. His wife gave birth just a couple of weeks ago. They're doing well. His six-year-old daughter is adjusting well to the public schools in DC. He hasn't put on much weight and he looks good and as you all know, I believe he has a remarkable future ahead of him and so I just wanted to mention that as well. And finally, let me bring special greetings from the President of the United States and the First Lady of the United States. As the Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee, I'm always honored to take time out of my schedule to go over to the White House, especially during the Christmas holiday season. The best eggnog on this side of Mississippi, on that side of the Mississippi River is at the White House during Christmas time and I totally enjoyed it. And as you all know, the President this week issued a proclamation in honor of Martin Luther King. The good news is that no one has sued him and said that they're going to impeach him for introducing the resolution. And I hope you all get an opportunity this week to read it because it is a very special one. I've read all of the President's resolutions and proclamations and especially at this time of the year, not only because I'm an African-American, but because I care deeply about the progress that we're making as a nation. And I know he personally probably don't have the time to read all of the things that his staff and others write for him, but on this one you can tell that Barack Obama put his signature on this one because it starts off by saying a champion for justice, a champion for freedom. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., helped awaken our nation's lone, slumbering conscience and inspired a generation. Goes on to talk about all of Dr. King's accomplishments and even talks about Selma. But this is a very, I think, a well-written proclamation because he ends by saying Dr. King's voice rained out with a call, a call for us to work toward a better tomorrow, a call, a call for us to act. And as we honor his legacy, Americans across the country will join one another for a day of service, a day to get back. Picking up the baton handed to us by past generations and carrying forward their efforts as we, one people, we will show when ordinary citizens come together to participate in the democracy we love, justice will not be denied. I read that because as you all know, this event is occurring between two major events, well three if you count the state of the union address, the observance of the anniversary and honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., and of course next week we began our month-long celebration, a Black History Month. Two important events, not just for African Americans, but for all Americans because Black History is American history. Now, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to take a moment of personal privilege and I know there are council members here, there are my friends who are here, city manager, members of the clergy, activists, advocates, and so forth, students, people as young as I am at 55. Whenever I come to San Antonio, I have to start by saying thank you. Some of you know the reason why I say thank you, but for those of you who have never heard me say this, let me tell you why. I start all my speeches by saying thank you. It was 10 years ago that this city, this city and its people opened your hearts and your homes and perhaps some of you, your wallets to families and individuals running away from a terrible hurricane. As you all know, Katrina made landfall in the fall of 2005 and some of those individuals, those members, they were members of my own family. My dad Lanell, my sister Zola, her husband Ken and my niece Brianna. You opened your hearts. My dad and my family was at Kelly Air Force Base. I made a couple of phone calls after learning that they were here. Rose Marie Montgomery with the San Antonio chapter of Red Cross, my friend Lorda, Andy, Congressman Charlie Gonzalez's office and so many others. Everybody I knew in San Antonio, I called and you all helped and thank you and God bless you. Before my dad passed away two years ago, he rooted for the Spurs and so do I. And God bless y'all for that winning team. Now an entire generation as you all know, a generation of Americans has grown up associating with Dr. Kane, especially his, I have a dream speech. We all know practically the words. I have a dream that one day, trust me, I can't preach. I'm Catholic. I can pray. Oh, I can pray. Preach? No, never made it that far. But we all grew up knowing those words. I have a dream speech. Just copyright it. Of course, we all know all about the intellectual fights of the King of State, but we're not going to get into that conversation. Everybody know that Dr. Kane had that dream in 1963, but it wasn't just a dream for a day or a dream for an event. It was really a dream of a lifetime, a dream that we all continue to believe in, a dream that still is in progress. Dr. Kane dream was one that he wished we would recite every day, not just the ending of his speech, but when he talked about voting rights, when he talked about housing, when he talked about the Bank of Justice, Dr. Kane was not limited by just what he saw ahead of him. He understood what was coming from his back and also what would be ahead of him. Imagine had Dr. Kane lived, had he not been taken down by that assassin bullet on Thursday, April 4th, 1968. Imagine had Dr. Kane lived to see all of the changes that we've made, all of the changes that we still wish to make. He would have marveled at, of course, the progress that we made just in that decade of securing housing rights, affirmative action that even came under Richard Nixon. He would have marveled seeing Jimmy Carter elected from his beloved Georgia, Thurgood Marshall being sworn in on Supreme Court. He would have been happy to see Diane Carroll play Julia and, of course, Oprah. That's what we call him. He would have been excited to see all of these marvelous athletes, Muhammad Ali, of course. He's still in my prayers and I hope he's in your prayers. Dr. Kane would be excited about all of the progress we've made in education, now seeing black college presidents, not just on HBCU campuses, but, of course, up north, Brown University, the Ivy League campuses. Dr. Kane would have been excited to have seen Shirley Chisholm run for the president. Jesse Jackson, one of his lieutenants, and, yes, Dr. Kane would have been excited to be invited to the White House. You see, not just the first black president, Bill Clinton, but the second one, Barack Obama. Oh, you can say all you want to say, but Bill Clinton will never allow anybody to take his blackness away from him. Trust me. Dr. Kane would have been so, so proud of all of the many accomplishments. Sanya Sotomayor on the Supreme Court, he would have said Gracia, so he would have figured out how to say Spanish. He would have been proud of that. Yes, he would be proud of the progress that we made as women in this society. Although we're not there yet, he would have even marveled at the fact that we're taking baby steps toward creating a society where women are finally treated as equals. 104 women in the United States Congress. He would have said, wow, because in his day, we had less than five. For all the progress that Dr. Kane would have celebrated with us, Dr. Kane, ladies and gentlemen, would still be marching today. He would not be resting comfortably in Atlanta, Georgia, waiting for Tyler Perry to make some movie. Dr. Kane would be organizing. He would be agitating. He would stir up our conscience. And why? Because Dr. Kane would not be satisfied yet about the progress we've made. He would summon all of those lieutenants who still march, who still preach. Joseph Echo's Lowry, Andy Young, John Lewis, Jesse Jackson, C.T. Vivian, he would call on even new leaders and say, it's time. It's time to march again. It's time to go to Ferguson, not just in Missouri, but the Ferguson's that exist all across America. Ferguson is not a geographic problem. It is a national problem. And it's time we focus on that. Dr. Kane would have regarded systemic poverty in our country as immoral. I mean, we celebrate the stock market hitting 12,000, 13,000, 14,000, 15, 16, 17. Yes, it's quadruple under the first black president. The wealth of the top 1% it's beyond words. But Dr. Kane would remind us that the poverty in America today is a scandal. And that's the real scandal in a world where there's such great wealth, so many resources for giving food to everyone. And yet 50% of our children, 50% of our children in our public schools today are poor. They live below the poverty line. Many of them cannot even afford to bring their own lunch. And yet we have lawmakers who want to cut them off, take away the food stamp program, cut it back. All to protect the 1%. Dr. Kane would have been in Washington this week as the president was delivering a state of the union and said, yes, let's fight for the middle class, but let's not forget the working poor. Dr. Kane would have found a way to talk about all the money we spent on wars. Trillions of dollars. When the Defense Department submit their budget, they pass it. I don't even think they read between the lines. They just pass it. It's for the military? Pass it. More weapons? Pass it. More missiles? Pass it. Drones? Pass it. Nobody even bothers to look to see it. The missiles still work. The drones have batteries. Dr. Kane would have closely examined all of the wars. And he would have asked us. He would have demanded that we return to the principles of nonviolence, of negotiation, diplomacy. Dr. Kane would have challenged us, really, in a very uncomfortable way for us not to ignore what's happening in other parts of the world. We can't send missiles to clean up problems in the Middle East or in Northern Africa or in Germany or France. We've got to send love. We've got to go and tell people, because we are the example that if we don't bring folks from the outskirts of hope, they will never be part of the circle of opportunity. They will always find a way to demand justice. And sometime the way they demand justice is immoral, but they're on the outskirts. And you can't keep them on the outskirts. You've got to bring them in. That's why Ferguson is not just a metaphor for a city or a place in Missouri. It is a metaphor for everywhere where people feel alienated and isolated. And the only hope is to try to strike a blow against the establishment because they have no other hope. Dr. Kane, he would have made us all uncomfortable. Our country, ladies and gentlemen, as we end this observation this week of Dr. Kane's legacy and his dream and talk about all of the things he would be doing, ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Kane would tell us that we need a new revolution of values in this country. Police shooting. Dr. Kane would respect. Yeah, he would respect the men and women in uniform or no question about it. Dr. Kane would respect and also applaud this new generation of young people who are forcing us, many of them in nonviolent ways. You know, a couple of weeks ago my office is two blocks from the White House. It's just a location. And I was, you know, I like at the end of the day, I like to rip on out and get to where I need to go. And I had to get somewhere quick and hey, them young kids wouldn't have nothing. They just laid down there on Pennsylvania Avenue. Now, you know, in my good day, I would have been out there on the street laying down with them. Sure enough, would have been just right out there, did a dyin. But at my age, I get on my knees unless it's on carpet and I can get up. I wouldn't need help up. But I applauded them. I say, well, you know, I'm gonna be late for my appointment, won't make it, but that's okay. I'm glad you're doing what you're doing. You're making a statement. I said, but let the statement be more than just Ferguson. It's time that you talk about the mass incarceration of young people, young black people, young Hispanic people, young people of color period. The mass incarceration of people of color is a big reason why today in America, there's almost a 50% chance of a black child born into poverty might wind up in jail or with a criminal record. Dr. Kane would be fighting that. He would not be opposed to raising this and telling the president of the United States, we must do more. Ladies and gentlemen, the meat of what I want to talk about tonight is because it is dear to my heart and the reason why I'm still in the struggle and why I continue to fight. And that is if Dr. Kane were alive today, he would denounce perhaps the strongest of terms what he sees as an attack on voting rights in America. Dr. Kane would initiate an immediate campaign to restore, to restore the Voting Rights Act in 1965. You know, next month we're going to Selma, President Obama is going, I'm sorry, in March. I'm already in February. I've already jumped. Sorry about that. I don't want anybody with a birthday over the next 10 days to think I'm forgetting about your happy birthday. We're in February. But here we are, ladies and gentlemen, 21st century and we're still litigating the past. Still litigating issues that we thought we resolved when those 600 brave souls marched across the Pettus Bridge. Now, let me just in full disclosure say I have seen the movie Selma three times. The first time I was in a theater like this with Magic Johnson sitting behind me and Smokey Robinson on the other side and I could barely watch the movie. I'm not lying. And when Sidney Portier walked in there, I did a Donna move. I looked at his wife because I didn't want nothing. You know, my mom always said, don't start nothing. Okay. I said, look, I know y'all are married, but I want to hug and kiss him. And then I said, amen. Remember that song when he was, amen with the nuns, amen, amen. I got my hug. Second time I saw it and I don't want to have a spoil alert in here. But the second time I saw it, I was so agitated. I was so torn off because ladies and gentlemen, who want to be reminded of the beatings? I've met most of them. I've worked for half of those individuals. I've been lucky enough in my life to even work on the bill to make Dr. King's birthday a holiday worth for Coretta Scott Kane, John Lewis, CTV and Jesse Jackson. I paid some dues. I got a lot more to pay. Second time I was agitated. Perhaps, and again, I'll give you one spoil alert. I ain't giving you no more. You go see the movie. Them four little girls in church always mess with me. And it's some people marching for their right. Dr. Kane, Dr. Kane would be marching today over the attempts, the constant attempts to diminish and to demean and to treat people as if they have no humanity, especially those who dare to simply wake up and go and cast their ballot. Dr. Kane would mobilize mass support to ensure that the voting rights act was brought back home. I don't care about the Supreme Court, they're not the real Supreme. Justice Robert, who spent most of his, he spent most of his professional life before getting on a court, trying to find ways to dismantle. You see, let me just say this. We haven't settled much of anything. Seriously. These laws are good only if they're enforced. But we've had so many, what I call attacks. We've had attacks on the civil rights act. We all know we have attacks on affirmative action, but the attacks on the voting rights act, in my judgment, is just simply scandalous. And it's not just happening in Texas. Let me talk about y'all. Y'all bad. Y'all not even good. You know, like everybody else, I wanted to celebrate, you know, the election of Barack Obama. I would have celebrated the election of Hillary Clinton. You know, hey, my daddy used to say, you're black. Well, nope. Yeah. But also you're a woman. Yeah. So who are you going to support, my dad? Oh, Barack or Hillary? I said, I'm a black woman. I, you know, I like them both. No, no, no, who was I mean, he really got down to me like having to tell him, look, I'm getting old and grumpy like you. John McCain is running. He almost put me out his house. But there's no question, ladies and gentlemen, that since the, since the historic election of 2008, when we saw millions of newly registered voters, many of them young people for the first time feeling the love and joy of going to the ballot box, making change possible. Since 2008 and after the 2010 election, we've had nothing but fight all over the country, restricting the rights of ordinary citizens to vote. There's been over a billion people that cast their ballots since 2010, yet only 31, 31, 31 individuals have been arrested for impersonating someone else at the ballot box or for voting multiple times. Half these people, half these cases have been dismissed. That's woman, 0.00003. I'm from Louisiana, so when we do our math, we have to put our fingers up. Only Louisianaians do like that. Mississippi, they started singing the hymns as if they forgot how to count. My grandmother from Mississippi. But no question about it, that voter fraud, yes, it should be prosecuted. Anyone who's impersonating someone else should go to jail, should be arrested. But 31, I mean the laws that have been enacted to combat 31 people on some fewer number, those laws are draconian because often they prohibit tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even over a million people from participating because they set up barriers. How many forms of IID do you need to vote in the state of Florida? One, two, no, my sister Demetri had to throw three forms of IID. She threw her driver's license, her voter registration card, and simply because she's like most Brazil women, she had a utility bill. There's no reason why a senior citizen in the state of Texas have to come up with a birth certificate from 1921. You can't find anything from 1921. And yet, if you have a hunting license in Texas, you can vote, but not your college ID. I guess you should take up hunting, get your hunting license, and go back and get your major in economics. Seriously, folks, when Dr. King in 1957, this is before 65, Dr. King and I quote, he said, give us the ballot, give us the ballot, and we will no longer have to worry about the federal government or state governments taking away our basic rights because we will have that secret right to vote. Give us the ballot, yes, and we will no longer plead to the federal government for passage of anti-lynching laws. We will have the power by our vote to write new laws and statues on the books. Give us the ballot, and we can bring an end, we can bring an end to all other perpetrators of violence in the South. Give us the ballot, and we will transform the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs into the calculated good deeds of ordinary citizens. Give us the ballot, and we will fill our legislative halls with men of good will, and send to the secret halls of Congress men who will sign a Southern manifesto because of their devotion to the manifesto of justice. Give us the ballot, and we will place judges on the benches of the South who will do justly and love mercy, and we will place at the head of the Southern state governors who will not only help us, but they will grow to love the divine. Dr. King understood that the right to vote was a sacred part of our relationship to the Constitution, and the denial of this sacred right is a tragedy. The right to vote, ladies and gentlemen, it is at the heart of our democracy, and there's nothing else you do in life. You must prepare yourself to vote on Election Day. Here we are, 50 years, 50 years after the passage of the voting rights act, and it didn't come easy. A lot of blood was shed. We know that. But here we are, 50 years, and there's still plenty of detours and potholes and barriers being erected. It's not been an easy road. True, the Supreme Court started this recent unraveling by gutting key provisions, but Congress, ladies and gentlemen, they're not willing to do anything. I have to tell you, this is just from the other day. I mean, as you all know, we got a new Congress. A new Congress. Only 17% of the American people voted for this so-called Congress. This was the lowest voter turnout in 70 years, but not voting our worst nightmares are about to come true. I have to quote a Republican, because I'm a Democrat, so every now and then I have to quote a Republican. Congressman Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, and this is his quote from two days ago. He said, the first week here, we were in trouble. We didn't understand who we would support. The second week, we put up barriers on immigration to try to overturn the president's executive order. And now the third week, this is the third week, we're putting restrictions on women's right to choose. I don't know when we're going to get back to jobs and doing things for the American people. And I look, I tweeted him and I say, you got that right. Here it is, the leader of the so-called judiciary committee. I don't know how you have a judiciary committee and all you want to do is unravel. He said, at this point, we have not seen a process that is necessary because we believe the Voting Rights Act provided substantial protection. There's no reason to fix the problems that the Supreme Court good late. This is chairman good late of Virginia. He said, and this was Wednesday, that his committee had reviewed the effects of the court ruling and concluded that the Voting Rights Act is strong enough in its current form. Now, since 2010, I would argue with him since 2010, but the killer's nobody's going to call me before hearing. I wish I would even put on a red dresser. That would make him happy. I'll put on blue. Whatever color that makes you happy, I will do it, you know? But since 2010, 22 states, ladies and gentlemen, have put new restrictions in place. 22. And these new laws have focused on three key areas, photo identification, cutbacks in early voting and restrictions on voter registration. Let me repeat that. Photo identification. And ladies and gentlemen, let me just tell you this. I have no problems with photo ID. I need an ID to get on the airplane. I often show them the picture where my hair is a little bit darker. Thinking that if TSA stopped me, fine, I'll just go to the bar. Of course, if you want to require a photo identification, then have one standard and then give it to everybody. I think when a child is born into this world, into the United States of America, they should get a birth certificate, and on the back of it, they should get their voter registration card. I believe a mandatory universal vote birth certificate voter registration card. I don't know why we have barriers. Cutback in early voting. Ladies and gentlemen, look, I travel a lot. So I know there's an election on April 28th in Washington D.C., okay? It's an open end because we just elected a new mayor. And my city council woman is now the new mayor. So we have an election. Now April 28th, I'm already out of town. Thank God we have early voting in D.C. Thank God I can cast my ballot early. And thank God I don't have to write down the excuse. I don't have to make it up. I have two weeks before the election start to request my ballot. I don't have to show up. I can vote early. No restrictions. But North Carolina, Wisconsin, Ohio, all across my beloved South Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Yeptip, Texas, cutbacks, and restrictions. It's obvious that partisanship is a key factor. Most restrictions pass through Republican-controlled legislatures and in state with Republican governors and also states that had an increase in minority voting. Of course, voting advocates have filed suits in federal and state courts challenging these new restrictions. And as of today, there are suits in seven states, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Texas. It's not all doom and gloom. I don't want to leave you all with that. Because as you know, there are still heroes out there and she rose. There are still men and women of valor and courage who are not afraid, who will fight back. And since 2012, 16 states have passed laws to increase voter access, focusing on online registration, increasing early voting, et cetera. The effort to restrict voting through legislation began, as I mentioned, in that election where I served as campaign manager. You know, I wasn't just a black woman running and managing a campaign. I was an organizer. So I used to tell Al Gore, say, look, I don't know how to make campaign commercials, but I know a good one when I see one. I don't know how to raise $200 million, but I know how to spend it. But one thing I know how to do, sir, is I know how to get out the vote. I managed that campaign for two years of my life. And, ladies and gentlemen, we never lost one race. Not one primary contest, not one caucus state. And if truth be told, we had a large voter turnout. We won the popular vote. But as you all know, the Supreme Court stopped the vote and the results went to your former governor, George W. Bush, who I got to know very well before the end of his presidency. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, this is, I think, one of the big challenges. If we're going to deal with mass incarceration, if we're going to deal with education, which I also believe is a fundamental issue that Dr. King would be fighting for, if we're going to deal with healthcare, if we're going to deal with all of the other major issues in our society, we need people who will get out and vote. If you don't use your power at the ballot box, then you have no power to change what happens in society and in your community. That is as important as your money you make every week. So this is a great time. This is a great opportunity for us to renew our own commitment to fighting for voting rights for all people. And I believe that we will fight for the right to vote just as that generation did 50 years ago, willing to put our own bodies on the line. Don't get spooky. This is a, if you thought electing Barack Obama was going to end all of our racial problems, and we would be in this sunny post-racial moment, please pass that Kool-Aid on. I am surprised that so many of my great friends somehow or another believe that at that moment when he took the oath of office, and I was there, or Rita had still as a conversation piece. I'm shocked that people thought that we would enter an era of post-racial anything. Post-racial, seeing unarmed kids being shot. Post-racial, looking at little kids coming over the border being stopped with ugliness. I like that. Post-racial, all a billion people being sought after because of who they love. Post-racial, post-gender? No. We're not there yet. Excuse me. We are in the mist in my judgment. This is what happens when you talk to my tone cable television. One second. Don't worry. This is not deflated footballs. I thank God I didn't have to comment on that today. Coming to San Antonio, I dodge that. As I said to someone, I don't want to touch that. We are in the same period of history as many of those who march across that Pettus bridge. I'm not denying the progress. I talked about all of the progress. I've seen a lot in my own time. I am a kid who's the product of the Head Start program 50 years ago. Lyndon Johnson, thank you very much. I am the kid that went to college. I am the proud daughter of a maiden of janitor. I am living proof that when government intervenes to provide a social safety net, you catch some. You build up. We're in a period of resistance. When people believe that, well I'm just going to be blunt, that the poor are undeserving of anything, and that the government exists for a limited purpose and for limited special interests, and the rest be damned. We're in a period where the rights to so-called opportunities have been afforded to so many. Now we don't need it anymore. We're in that same period of history. But we can make history again. We can complete that march. We can keep this movement alive if only we believe and we take our own seats at the table. Why you? Because there's no one better. Why now? Because tomorrow is not soon enough. When Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States, saw Miss Anise Boyd and Robinson, a woman who's now over a hundred years old. She was at the Capitol. And Eric went up to her, you know, Eric is a tall, dignified, nice-looking, sexy man. Sharon knows how I feel about him too. And he said to Miss Boyd and he kneeled down and he said, we stand on your steely shoulders. And this one hundred years in the paper, she said, well then get off my shoulder. She said, we got too much work to do so. Tonight I'm here to tell you in San Antonio, get off the shoulders of the giants and start marching. Get off the shoulders of the giants and start registering new people to vote. Get off the shoulders of the giants and believe that public education is the key for unlocking poverty in our country. Get off their shoulders. Stop putting them on the wall. Stop putting them on the mantle. Start working. Start acting. Start agitating. Speak up. I can tell you people are uncomfortable when you speak up when you tell them that I still believe in a dream, that I still want to fight for the dream. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I want to fight for the day that we will have a woman in the White House, have an Hispanic Asian Pacific Islander American, openly gay American. I don't care. That White House no longer belongs just for white men. It belongs for all of us. But don't use your power to vote. You can't change things. So I'm going to close because I talked too much. You heard my voice leaving me. I want to take your questions. I got to spend the night in San Antonio again. I don't want to close to say that it's not enough to register and get others to register. You have to vote. We have to know where our polling places are. And we have to be willing to stand in long lines of vote absentee or do whatever it takes. And some of you in this room will have to just run, run for office, serve. John Lewis would tell you if he was here, some of you will just have to get in the way, make the comfortable uncomfortable. Some of you will have to remind, will have to remind others that Dr. King's dream is still a work in progress. And that we're going to devote ourselves to expand an opportunity for all people. That we're going to lead the revolution in values so that every soul, every soul, no matter what zip code you come from, every soul matters. And when you see some child walking down the street with their head up, tell them, lift it up. When you see a homeless person sitting in the park or maybe under the bridge asking if they need help. Some of them are our veterans. They've come home and can't find a home or a job or even get healthcare. They deserve our support. When you see an elderly person, some of them don't even want to tell you they need help. Last week, one of my friends called me and said, you know, so and so and so and so. Yeah. Well, her mama, he ain't working. I just got home from work and I was about to turn on the haves and have-nots. Had my Oprah moment, watching on, about to pour me a little, you know, subsidy, pop a little popcorn. And it was funny because that morning I woke up and I'm like, I got to stop buying things for their own sale because I think somebody need them. And I had bought one of those new little radiator heaters. And you know what? I said, what does she live? All in 10, Virginia. 1117 at night. And I even know I could pick the thing up with one hand. I grabbed it, her house. It was going down to 25 degrees. And I got it to her house just as her temperature, her thermometer, her house was at 43. I got home at 1230. Thank God the haves and have-nots repeats itself several times. I mentioned this is that some of y'all go to church, call yourselves Christians or whatever, and then you walk out of church looking good and go get a buffet and forget everything you heard about what Jesus would do. I can't do that. I got up and I delivered that little heater because I pray to God that if I get to the ripe old age of 79, 80, and my heater ain't working, some poor soul would turn off their TV, drop their wine, and come and bring me some heat. So let us find ways to be engaged, to stay involved, to recommit yourselves. Let us remember the goal and that the goal is greater than our individual pettiness. Let us remember to act and let us remember what Dr. King once said. If you can get up, do something. If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. When it comes to fighting for poor people, when it comes to fighting for our children, for the education, when it comes to fighting for our seniors, our veterans, for all who need help, when it comes to fighting for our right to vote, whatever you do, whatever we do, we have to keep moving forward. Thank you and God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.