Hoyer Remarks at 35th Annual Black History Month Breakfast
UPPER MARLBORO, MD – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) attended the 35th Annual Black History Month Breakfast at Camelot by Martin's in Upper Marlboro, Maryland this morning. He was joined by keynote speaker, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), and hundreds of constituents and community leaders from Maryland's Fifth District. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery.
Opening Remarks
"Good morning, and thank you for being here today as we join in celebrating Black History in the Fifth District.
"The theme of this year's Black History Breakfast is ‘Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African-American Memories.'
"All across our country, including here in Maryland, there are places imbued with Black History – sites that move us by their memories and the lessons they impart.
"In particular, I want to mention three sites in our country that have a particular resonance for me, where black history comes to life for me in a deeply personal way.
"Each of these sites represents a core American principle: equality, justice, and opportunity.
"One of the great privileges I have as your representative in Congress is working alongside a true American hero, my friend Rep. John Lewis.
"Every March, I travel with John and many of our colleagues to Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery and ‘Bloody Sunday' in 1965.
"It is one of the most powerful experiences one can have, walking in the footsteps of those who were filled with determination to brave extreme violence to demand their fundamental equality in our democracy.
"In marching for the right to register Alabamans to vote, the young John Lewis was beaten nearly to death.
"When I've walked beside him across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, singing spirituals and songs of freedom, it instills in me a determination to continue the work of fighting for every American to be able to exercise his or her right to vote and have a say as part of ‘we the people.'
"The second place that moves me deeply, which I want to share with you, is here in Maryland.
"I had the honor of representing Prince George's County in the State Senate earlier in my career, and I've spent a lot of time at the State House in Annapolis.
"A large part of my motivation to serve in public office came from the impact of the civil rights movement on my values and principles as a young man, and the civil rights movement was still in its heyday at that time.
"In 1996, a statue of Thurgood Marshall as a young lawyer was dedicated on the State House grounds – a poignant tribute of the man who would become our nation's first African-American Supreme Court justice.
"Justice Marshall, of course, was the principle attorney who successfully argued for the end of school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education.
"When I return to the State House to meet with Maryland lawmakers and see that statue of Justice Marshall, I am reminded of how the tireless work of individuals like Thurgood Marshall dedicated to justice under the law ultimately brought about the full meaning of the words in our Declaration: ‘all men are created equal.'
"And the third site I will mention is the Lincoln Memorial, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. issued his powerful moral call for equal opportunity.
"From my office in the United States Capitol, I can look out the window and see the Lincoln Memorial and the vast expanse of the National Mall, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered in 1963.
"Upon its steps, Dr. King spoke of ‘a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.'
"Today, a memorial to Dr. King stands nearby, and just down the Mall a new Smithsonian Museum is rising out of the earth, where people from every corner of America and all across the world will learn about the tragedies and the triumphs of Black History.
"But when I turn away from the window and see where I am standing, in the building where our nation's laws are made, I feel the weight of Dr. King's words and the certainty that a major focus of my service to our district in Congress must be to continue Dr. King's work of fighting for equal opportunity for every American to reach for a better future.
"These three sites – the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Marshall Statue at the Maryland State House, and the Lincoln Memorial – are my steady reminders of those three core principles for which Black History calls me to act: equality, justice, and opportunity.
"And as we celebrate Black History Month together, let us all be inspired by the sites and memories where people came together to fight for all three so that we may continue to do so together."
Introduction of Senator Ben Cardin
"It is now my great privilege to introduce someone who is making that work his own on our behalf in the United States Senate.
"Someone who also served for many years at the State House in Annapolis and has served us all so well in the United States Congress.
"Please join me in welcoming my friend and our outstanding United States Senator, Ben Cardin."
Introduction of Attorney General Lynch
"It is now my distinct honor to welcome today's keynote speaker.
"We're so fortunate to have with us today a leader who is making black history every day.
"Loretta Lynch currently serves as the 83rd Attorney General of the United States and the first African-American woman to hold that office.
"As our nation's top federal law enforcement official, Attorney General Lynch is a senior member of President Obama's cabinet and oversees a range of Justice Department agencies, including the FBI – whose new headquarters we are working hard to bring to Prince George's County.
"A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, she grew up during the civil rights movement and saw firsthand how much was sacrificed to secure the promise of equal access to the ballot, to education, and to economic opportunity.
"Her career has been a mission to secure ‘equal justice under law' for every American.
"Having graduated from Harvard Law School, Attorney General Lynch worked for a few years in the private sector before joining the Justice Department as a prosecutor against drug and violent crime offenders in New York.
"In the 1990's, she served as one of the lead federal prosecutors in Brooklyn and Long Island, taking violent criminals off the street and going after corrupt officials.
"After being appointed as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, she prosecuted the NYPD Officers who had brutally assaulted a Haitian immigrant, Abner Louima, in a case that received national attention.
"She left to join one of the nation's most prestigious law firms in 2001 and later served as a member of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
"But she continued to hear the call to public service, and she returned to the U.S. Attorney's Office in 2010, where she investigated abuses on Wall Street and the choking death of Eric Garner in 2014.
"President Obama nominated her to be Attorney General, and she was confirmed by the Senate in April 2015.
"Attorney General Lynch, I understand you are a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and we here in Prince George's County welcome you and are proud to share that this alumnae chapter of Delta is the largest in the world.
"Every day we see these women exemplifying the Delta principles of sisterhood, service, and scholarship in their many contributions to our community.
"I hope you will join me in recognizing your Delta sisters who are here today.
"Now, I'm honored to present to you the Attorney General of the United States, Loretta Lynch."