“Sadly, sports groups, the National Basketball Association that brings people together, the owner decided to talk about not putting Black people and others together in a public setting”, said Rep. Jackson Lee. Pictured here: Donald Sterling.
On April 28, 2014 Rep. Jackson Lee of Texas asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for one minute regarding racism in America:
“Mr. Speaker, over the last week there was an unseemly, sad connection between a Supreme Court decision, the comments of Mr. Bundy, and the comments of the Los Angeles owner in the NBA. Justice Sonia Sotomayer had it right with respect to the affirmative action decision: the Court’s decision perpetrated harm to African American, Hispanic, and Native American students, but it also provided a harm to Michigan’s public schools when they were trying to ensure the next generation of diverse persons who could in fact be part of a new America.
Mr. Bundy’s comments about government subsidies and wouldn’t we be better off as slaves and picking cotton were outrageous, disgraceful, and disgusting.
Sadly, sports groups, the National Basketball Association that brings people together, the owner decided to talk about not putting Black people and others together in a public setting. America must move beyond that, and we as Members of Congress and others must stand against it and denounce it. This was a sad week. I hope we will move beyond it. I hope we will get better, and I hope we will denounce those ugly, racist, outrageous comments”, said Rep. Jackson Lee (source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov/).