This weekend were joined by comcast to learn more about the literary life and history of augusta, georgia. We are sitting here in the Augustine Museum of history, and about 10 years ago a decision was made to do a military display, a Permanent Military display to honor jimmy dyess. When it did my research on the book i went to over 9000 Carnegie Medal recipients. The 3500 or so medal of honor recipient since the civil war. And it turns out hes the only person ever to earn both awards. He would almost for sure said he did not deserve. You may point out to somebody else who was more heroic than he was. He was very humble. He never talked about the Carnegie Medal. One in a in the people who knew them when it is the book a long time ago, people know me well. I said what about the Carnegie Medal . He was 19. He didnt we think about it. I have a lot of recipients of the years of the medal of honor foundation. Most of them will tell you i didnt deserve this medal. It should have been given to someone else. Its a piece of humility that we all can learn from and i think it would in that category. We visit the home of her 20th president woodrow wilson. President wilson moved to a ghost as a child when he was just one year old, lived in another house and then moved to this house when he was 30. President wilsons very first memory was in november of 1860 before he was four years old. He was standing on the front gate out in front of the house and to maintain by in a hurry with very excited tones of voice and they said Abraham Lincoln has just been elected president and theres going to be a war. So young tommy ran inside and told his father, asked what was war, what did that mean . Why would be so excited . We think its remarkable his very first memory was about another president , Abraham Lincoln, and about another war the civil war. Of course, wilson would have deleted the country through world war i. See all of our programs from augusta saturday at noon eastern on cspan2s booktv and sunday afternoon at two on American History tv on cspan3. The National Urban league is holding its annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, florida, and we are joining them this winter from a number of the candidates running for president. Expected to speak today, hillary clinton, jeb bush ben carson, Martin Omalley and bernie sanders. Live coverage on cspan2. We expected to start in just a moment. A we are live in Fort Lauderdale, florida, this morning as the National Urban league is holding its annual conference. We expect to from a number of candidates running for president. Hillary clinton, jeb bush, then carson, Martin Omalley and bernie sanders. As we hear from then well bring you live coverage on cspan2. While we wait yesterday Senate DemocratChuck Schumer elizabeth warren, Debbie Stabenow and mark warner spoke to reporters about the first seven months of their chamber under republican control. Heres a look. A good afternoon, everybody. Im joined by my colleagues, the leadership of the d. C. Ccc. Thank you for being here. Well, we are seven months into the Republican Senate and republicans have very little to show for it. The first half of this year has been defined by the hard right republican president ial candidates hijacking the agenda times before and not in leaving the entire Republican Caucus fighting for exotic metals for weeks and weeks on end. We started the with republicans to shut down the department of Homeland Security unless they defended the president S Immigration policies. After weeks of touring with the country safety republicans were forced to back off. They then spent week after week holding the bill to prevent human trafficking. Unless they roll back Womens Health care. Finally, once again i realized the error and futility of the ways, all the while Loretta Lynch waited and waited and waited to be confirmed as our attorney general, perhaps for no reason at all. Republicans on time to vote for the 15th time to fully repeal the aca. They found time to let key parts of the patriot act go dark another finding time to defined plan. No, limit a womans access to cancer skin, Birth Control and other vital health services. What they havent found time to do is lift a single finger to help the middle class. If you look at their todo list if it helps republicans havent gotten around to it if it helps the middle class, hasnt gotten done. A bill to make Student Loans more affordable no. Something to improve workers rights in the workplace . Fat chance. Raising the minimum wage . Greenlawn. Republicans have spent nearly every waking hour in the simply getting the base and get into the special interests. Ignoring hard work americas long way. If republicans continue to follow the hard right, donald trump, ted cruz, they are going to fall right off the political cliff next year, and sadly it looks like thats where we are headed with the far right calling for republicans to shut down the government unless they defund planned parenthood. Im absolutely confident that if republicans try to defund planned parenthood in a government funding bill at the end of september, democrats will unite against it. This is a republican path to shut down. They always seem to come up with another reason to shut down the government. Republicans know that. Have republicans learned nothing . They tried to do this over aca into the walkway weeks later with their tail between the legs . Ted cruz said follow me, and they followed him for three weeks until they got to the very edge of the cliff. Are they going to do that again . As yogi berra said seems to be deja vu all over again. Less than two short years ago republicans pursued my way or the highway to defund aca. They seem poised to do it again. We hope to reverse course. We hope they will sit down and negotiate to come up with a good budget and spending plan for the rest of the year but right now they seem to be headed over that cliff once again. Senator warren. Thank you, senator schumer and thanks for being here. And let me go out of order. Ive got to run to another issue around medicaid, an issue not so much better right now but many states including virginia where weve not gone ahead and taken on medicaid dollars to try to make sure we move forward on the. These are issues we can talk about the one i want to touch on is the reluctance of our republican colleagues to come to the table about our budget. There is nothing that was said that being a more stupid option and sequestration yet tested it is going to roll back in to america, october 1 of the sugar we all know its coming. Chuck mentioned we are seeing talk of another shut down. The last thing this economy needs is another manufactured political crisis driven by the extremes in the Republican Party. So in a state that is pressed more reliant on defense dollars most any other state even our most adamant pro defense advocates advocates recognize the only way we can avoid the crony major sequestration is to provide relief for both defense and nondefense. Weve got to keep our nation strong and keeping our nation strong also means investing in our kids in research and infrastructure to make sure we can compete in the 21st century. Thank you very much, senator warner. And its just wonderful to be here with my colleagues are all working so hard on the simple premise that the United States of america cannot be Strong Enough until we have a strong middle class, period. So we look at every single issue education jobs, justice good morning. Good morning. I am so proud to see all of you. You are a wonderful audience. Want to thank everyone whos here at the Fort LauderdaleBroward County convention center. I also want to thank all who may be watching from home or office, on mobile devices, all over the world, all over the nation. The National Urban league is center stage on this morning july 31, 2015. And on behalf of the National Urban league the urban League Movement, the urban league of Broward County i am proud to welcome you to the 2015 president ial candidate plenary. His is a very special event. Because it is the first time in this election cycle that candidates from both the democratic and Republican Party have come together on one stage. The presence here today of these candidates represents an outraged and an important signal that they take our issues, take our communities and make it each and every one of you very seriously. Now, as the nations largest civil rights urban advocacy and social justice conference, i also believe that their presence here speaks volumes. Id like to state for the record that the National Urban league welcomes all of the declared candidates to come and address is today and share their plans for saving our cities. As each of you know the National Urban league is a Nonpartisan Organization and does not endorse any Political Party or candidate. And as a nonpartisan 501 c 3 organization, the National Urban league extended an invitation to any 2016 president ial candidate who either appeared in a reputable Public Opinion poll such as Gallup Rasmussen or others who reached out to us and contacted us before july 1. Now you might be surprised, but according to the federal election commission, that are so far at least 484 individuals who are vying for the president ial election. You can run for president , too. [laughter] but seriously, even the National UrbanLeague Conference is not big enough to provide a stage for 484 candidates to have a fair opportunity to speak. And if we could what could we possibly learn from such a circus . All we ask of these candidates is that they work with us in a timely fashion to coordinate their appearance at this private event. We are grateful to them that they did just that and it made our communities and our concerns a priority. In addition to the candidates will address us today the following candidates were invited but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts. Senator rand paul of kentucky, senator marco rubio of florida former senator jim webb of virginia, former arkansas governor mike huckabee, senator Lindsey Graham of south carolina, louisiana governor bobby jindal, Ohio Governor john kasich. In the following candidates were invited but never responded in any way to our invitation. [laughter] we believe in transparency. [laughter] [applause] those candidates are former hewlettpackard ceo carly fiorina, former new york governor george pataki, former senator Rick Santorum of Lincoln Chafee new jersey chris christie, and new York Real Estate tycoon donald trump. [laughter] and perhaps well hear from them in the future. Now, we are here because we want to listen to the candidates plans to save our cities. And in preparation for today we gave the candidates a little homework. We shared with them some of our very best ideas for safety American Cities. Each of the candidates has received the 21st centurys agenda for jobs and freedom which is endorsed i 60 civil rights and social justice organizations, put together in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. That document in that agenda identifies five urgent domestic goals for the nation. Economic parity for africanamericans, equity and educational opportunities, protection and defense of Voting Rights elimination of health care disparities, and comprehensive criminal Justice System reform. We also shared with the candidates our 10point plan for Police Reform and accountability, which includes recommendations such as mandatory body cameras and dashboard cameras, and a comprehensive overhaul of Police Hiring and training practices. Because we are here to save our cities, and not just ourselves. But in memory of our brothers and sisters such as michael brown, eric garner tamir rice sandra bland and so many others, we will save it means because their lives matter, and we say black lives matter because every life matters. [applause] and you know that while Police Tactics may have been the spark that ignited explosions in places like ferguson and baltimore, poverty, hopelessness and joblessness they are the tender, they are the kerosene. It is now time that we come together as a nation and demand reform. Not only in criminal justice and in policing, but also in economics and in education. These issues are inextricably intertwined. The National UrbanLeague Movement will be working with the next president to implement reform that is meaningful, that can help us all create a better stronger, and more equitable, and a more inclusive america. This morning we look forward to hearing from each candidate. And after a few words from our children, we will be off to the races and the program will be underway ask ladies and gentlemen, thank you once again and ask you to please join me in welcoming michael neidorff, chairman of the board of trustees of the National Urban league. [applause] good morning. Good morning. I am not a candidate. [laughter] i want to thank you for continuing to welcome me to warm me in this organization. As marc has so eloquently stated, todays plenary this one of the most important sessions of this years conference. That are currently 22 major candidates who have officially declared their candidacy. 21 of whom were invited here as marc just said. Yet only five are here to share the tenets of the platform. Lets just say the others were busy campaigning. As the ceo of an organization that largely shares a constituency with the urban League Movement, i am especially interested in hearing what these candidates have to say. To me its okay for republicans and democrats to stand across the aisle and have differing perspectives on how to accomplish the goals of governance that are best for all americans. But its not okay to ignore a disenfranchised community for any reason. Urban leagues represents the hardworking families like the one who built this country. They are mostly the background and the next president would do well to remember that. So lets all listen with open minds and ears. I know thats what ill be doing, and hope you will as well. Thank you, and bring back marc. [applause] well said, michael. We are fortunate to have you as the leader of our team. And at this time id like to acknowledge mexico, our sessions sponsor for this plenary. To deliver a brief welcome on behalf of pepsico please join me in creating tony west, executive Vice President of government affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary for pepsico. As he comes out lets take a look at what pepsi is doing. Pepsico, 22 billion brand figures of delighting consumers when it matters most. Celebrations ma fun times with friends, moments that bring communities together. A Pioneering Company that has adapted and retooled always with an eye towards the future. Healthy nourishment or a simple pleasure, a product you love and trust. Committed to performance with purpose. Rank among the worlds most ethical and Diverse Company more than the company. A community of family. This is pepsico. [applause] thank you. Good morning, National Urban league. Good morning. Thank you, National Urban league, on behalf of pepsico. Thank you, marc morial for inviting us to purchase made in this remarkable forum. We are here of course, to talk about an important and timely topic, the future of our cities and how people Work Together to build a better stronger, more equitable america for our children and for each other. And for every four years we have this great opportunity to engage in a National Conversation with those would be our leaders about where this nation is and where we are going, about how we will prepare our young people to compete and win in a global marketplace about how we will tackle a disproportionally high Unemployment Rate among people of color especially young africanamerican men and about how we can harness the challenge, diversity, the potential of this country to propel ourselves into a future better than our past. For the National Urban league, this is not a new conversation. You have been putting these issues front and center for more than a century. The country listened. Thats why when you call on president ial candidates, they show up, or they should show up. So its no surprise that the National Urban league is pressing this agenda. But why pepsico . Why as . We are located in cities and countries, cities and towns throughout this country, and we are an integral part of the community. And what we know at pepsico is that if the communities in which we operate dont succeed, we dont succeed because were all in this together, all of us teachers and parents activists and policymakers, business and labor. All of us are in this together. And each one of us will rise when all of us are lifted. And at pepsico we call this corporate philosophy performance with purpose. Its a corporate philosophy that says that we must be a value added not just to our shareholders in the short term but we must be a value added to all stakeholders who are in the societal ecosystem of which we are a part. Thats why we have since the last seven years invested in young people, over 16 million in something called diplomas now, a program that abuse High School Graduation and College Matriculation rate among africanamerican and young latino youth. By 2020 would love to over 100,000 students. Thats why we have invested about 1. 3 billion every single year and women and minorityowned businesses as part of our diversity supply chain program. At its want we have stepped up to answer president obamas call by being a Founding Member of the my brothers keeper alliance. Something that we know will make a difference because of the investment we make in our young people for each of us rises when all of us are lifted. So on behalf of pepsico i want to thank all of you for being a part of this important, important National Conversation. Thank you. [applause] thank you tony. We are off to the races. Its now time to get to the reason we are here. Ladies and gentlemen, our first speaker and president ial candidate is an author and retired neurosurgeon little more than 10 years ago the National Urban league honored dr. Ben carson for his incredibly important work in the field of neurosurgery. Urban leaguers and guests, please welcome president ial candidate dr. Ben carson. [applause] thank you very much. We are absolutely delighted to be here and of course, urban league is so important for what its done historically. I am very, very cognizant of the many people who work so hard including Whitney Young. In fact, im delighted that the Whitney Young award is going to benjamin crump. Ive gotten a chance to get to know them. Tremendous individual. But individuals like income individuals like myself would never have been able to accomplish what we did without the blood, sweat and tears of so many people who sacrificed. And no one will ever know who they are that it was their foundation every provided for freedom for us to do what we do. And thats something i think that Everybody Needs to always even mind. You know i remember as a nine year old sitting on the steps in the ghetto in boston, having moved from detroit after my mother was one of 24 children, and i got married at age 13 and it moved to detroit from rural tennessee and she discovered that my father was a bigamist. And, of course that led to a divorce, and we went to boston to live in dire poverty with her older sister and brotherinlaw. I was sitting on the stairs looking to the building across the street on which all the windows had been broken, and the sun was shining through. And there was a sending and it made me think about my future. I remember thinking that i would probably never live to be beyond 25 years of age because thats what i saw around me. Of my older cousins who we adored have been killed. I think people lying on the street with Bullet Wounds and stab wounds begin to seem like a pretty dismal place. But you know, the fact of the matter is with all that going on, america is a place of dreams. My mother had a dream of education. She had never been able to get much education herself and she worked very hard too three jobs at a time leaving at five in the morning getting back after midnight scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets. And she didnt want to be on welfare. She didnt like the concept of being dependent on other people. And she worked long and hard. Showcase of accepted some aid of a the most part was able to stay off. And thats not to say that i dislike people and welfare. Theres a nasty rumor going around that carson wants to get rid of all welfare programs and all safety net for people even though he must have benefited from them. The people who say that kind of stuff, they have an agenda and they are trying to undermine and divide people. I have no desire to get rid of safety net for people who need them. I have a strong desire, however, to provide a ladder to get people out of the tendency so they become part of the fabric of america. That is really what we need to be talking about. We dont need necessarily to be depended we have to understand what true compassion is really about. There are those who came along claiming to be very very compassionate, and theyre going to eradicate poverty. Theres a war on poverty and we spent a lot of money since that started in the 60s, over 19 trillion. And what has been the result of that . 10 times more people on food stamps more welfare more poverty, more incarceration, out of wedlock births. Everything that was supposed to get better is not only worse its much worse. And i think theres a reason i cant actually gave us brains, so we could actually analyze things a reason why god actually gave us brains. You can say maybe we should try something else, or you can say lets do more of it. And i think quite frankly its better to use that brain to think about what things do work, the other way around. You know we need to be looking at the Economic Situation of this country. And how do we get it jumpstarted so that we give people courage and hope again . Theres been a lot of change, theres not a lot of hope and we got to bring real hope here. How do we do that . One thing that ive noticed you know, spending decades in Corporate America is that we had a lot of corporate money overseas. Now, some people take that to mean that american corporations are horrible and greedy and unpatriotic. Our secretary of treasury said American Companies that do business overseas to escape the high taxes here are unpatriotic. Well, you know what that indicates . A basic fundamental misunderstanding of our system. People to go into business to support the government. They go into business to make money. So if youre smart you create an atmosphere that is conducive to them making money here. And, of course, you do much better if theyre making money here because you get more revenue and youre able to do more things. Thats the way it works. And we have this strange mentality that is taking root where lets just say you have a tax system where you have a 10 tax, right, based on the bible typing. A guy makes 10 billion hiking. Ebay civilian. The guy makes 10, and its one. Some people say thats not fair. Because the guy who makes 10 billion, he still got 9 billion less. We cant let him still have 9 billion less. Weve got to take more of his money. The problem with that kind of thinking which is called socialism by the way is that you now dont have as much money so next year hes going to put in less than a billion. More importantly hes going to take what he does have and try to hide it somewhere now, the american system that made us a great nation and catapulted us to the pinnacle of the world in record time patty, philosophy. Its a tech i just put in a billion dollars, lets create a system that encourages entrepreneurial risktaking and Capital Investment so that next year he could make 20 billion he can put 2 billion in. And thats what expanse of the pot. Thats what causes real growth to occur. And our people who to demonize that and theyre trying to say no, thats the wrong idea. The idea is utopia where nobody has to worry about anything from cradle to grave. We will take care of all of their needs. And many people have tried that. The problem is it always ends up looking the same way. Small group of elites at the top are rapidly diminishing middle class, and a vastly expanded dependent class. And thats not what we need to do. What we need to be thinking about is those corporations over there, theyve got over 2 trillion of assets, funny over there which they dont bring back because they do want to pay a 35 tax rate so theyre asking what we do with it over there. What if we were smart enough to say we are going to declare a sixmonth hiatus where they can bring that the money back without paying any taxes . And 10 of it has to be to create jobs for Unemployed People and people on welfare. You want to talk about a stimulus that doesnt cost the american taxpayer a penny and has an enormous effect, there you have it. Those are the kinds of things that we need to be thinking about. Now, you know, a lot of people when i was growing up concentrated on racism. A lot of racism, and it is going to keep you from being able to do things. And there was racism no question about it, there still is and always will be. There was yesterday it is today, it would be to more small brains and evil forces, it will be there. But what do you do about it . I remember when i was in eighth grade having turned things around tremendously because i was a horrible student before my mother made us read books and were not happy about that about in those days you had to do with your parents told you so i was reading these books. And as i read about people, particularly people of enormous accomplishment. I remember one of the first books i read up from slavery from booker t. Washington, i began to recognize the person is the most to do what happens with you in life is you. Its not somebody else. Its not the environment. They cant stop you. And once i develop the mindset i stop listening to all the naysayers and the people who were telling me that i was a victim. As an eighth grader, i was the only black student in the eighth grade at Wilson Junior High School and they have a ceremony at the end of the year, person with the highest academic performance, and it was me. One of the teachers got up and chastised the other kids the does they obviously were not trying hard enough as a black kid was number one. Now, what she an evil person . To. She was an ignorant person. Thats the difference. Some people are just ignorant. When i first went to Johns Hopkins and i would go on the board and i would have on my scrubs, invariably some nurse would say im sorry that mr. Brothers are ready to be taken to the o. R. Yet assuming i was an orderly. Nothing wrong with orderlies that i was excuse me im dr. Carson and im sorry he is not ready and they returned about 18 shades of gray. I would be nice and say you did know, its okay. I would be so nice to them. You know i had a friend for life. They would do anything for me after that. You just have to try and understand where people are coming from and be able to react in the appropriate way. I was doing npr interview once and the interviewer said dr. Carson i know you dont talk about race very often. Why is about . I said this because im a neurosurgeon. She thought i was a strange answer. I said when i take some good operative and open up their habit, i imagine operating on the thing that makes the person that are. Is not the skin and hair who makes them it gets the brain that makes the movie are. Once we begin to understand that as a society and we stop being so superficial i think we can to make and enormous amount of progress. The other thing that i think is incredibly important is we need to start thinking about economics, particularly in our inner cities. In a black community in america theres over 1 trillion worth of assets. Thats more assets than the vast majority of countries in the world. We have to learn how to use that appropriate. You have to turn your own dollars over in your own community to our three times before you send it out. Thats how wealth is created and then you cant take that wealth and flee with the. You have to reach back and pull other people alone. Indicated that you have the ability, we have the ability within the black community to do the enormous things on our own. We dont have to wait for somebody else. We dont have to be at the mercy of anybody else. People tried to convince us that we need to be subservient to them and that they are theyre, you poor little thing, im going to take care of you. Guess what. We can take care of ourselves but we have to learn how to utilize our resources in the right way. The other thing that is finally important is we need to be able to Work Together and stop listening to the prayers of the vision who tell you that just because you think carefully about something and this person, they are your enemy. Divide and conquer and control. We dont need people who divide and conquer and control. We need people to learn how to use very, verys talents and energies together in an effective way. Thats whats going to work. And for our young people, we need to begin to put out the appropriate types of models to we need, when you look at that light there, dont just talk about thomas edison. Talk about his right hand man a black man who came up with the filament that made that light bulb work for more than two or three days who invented the electric lamp, the diagram a telephone for Alexander Graham bell. Talk about elijah mccoy who invented the automatic location system for locomotive engines, had some intentions when something would come up they would say is that a mccoy . Is about the real mccoy . You could go on and on talk about the tremendous contributions of black people to this nation. And we need to give those young men a very different vision of what success is within. We have to Start Holding up the right kind of models. We need to talk to them about how to conduct themselves is there injustice . Of course there is. But if you conduct yourself in certain ways youre going to come into trouble. Not only with Law Enforcement but with the other guy down the block. Iran to somebody whos better than you are and all of a sudden guns start floating, nice start going. We dont need that. And lastly, in wrapping up let me just say how important it is for us to think about the fact that the thing that got us to slavery, jim crowism segregation, and all the prejudices is that we have faith in god. And there are so many people now want to throw god out of our society. And they want to throw that relationship out, but there is such a thing as right and wrong. There are morals. There are values your there are principles. And if we hold on to those things it will make all the difference in the world. Because if god is for you who can be against you . Thank you, god bless you. [applause] the one question. Okay. Lets give dr. Carson a big round of applause. Thank you, dr. Carson. This is the beginning of the process and awarded to post this, a National Urban league plans to share with the candidates who come here a short questionnaire. Okay. I will ask you for your position on issues that are contained our 21st century agenda. And the crowd is very interested in knowing if you can commit to respond to to the questioner on a ton of bases . I would be extremely happy to picking, as i travel around the country i enter lots of tunnels and i dont think any questions. Im very happy to imagine any questions there is. And the things that you outlined as important, i would love to have gotten into but you cant get in 15 minutes. I be happy to get into them in some detail. We appreciated. Lets give dr. Carson another big round of applause. And you for your work. Thank you for being here with us today. Thank you very much. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, we will stand at ease for five minutes as we prepare for our next candidate. We will stand at ease. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen please resume, return to your seats. Please return to your seats. Ladies and gentlemen, our next candidate absolutely needs no introduction. She is the only person in history to have held the positions of first lady of the United States [cheers and applause] u. S. Centric, sectors day the National Urban league is proud to welcome back secretary Hillary Rodham clinton. [applause] good morning. Good morning. Wow, this is a great way to start my day. Im delighted to be here with you. I want to thank marc for not only the introduction but all of his work over the years. I have been a fan of translates into his mayor of new orleans. He did great work there and is doing great work at the National Urban league. So thank you marc. We are all thinking us hope we do every year about new orleans as we near the 10th anniversary of katrina. Something like that should never be allowed to happen in the United States of america again, so we have to keep learning the lessons and replacing our commitment. I want to thank everyone for welcoming me here today. I want to give a shout out to your National Chairman of the board, michael neidorff. Also backstage i saw a longtime friend of mine, congressman alcee hastings. And Alexis Herman who served in my husbands administration, and tony west who served in president obamas administration. Theres a hall of fame here for this event. And i can never come to a National Urban league gathering without mentioning my lifelong friend vernon jordan. He may not be here today, but hes with us in spirit because of his deep love and commitment to this organization. Its also close to my heart, over the years ive gotten the chance to work with you learn from you. I have poured over your state of black america reports. Ive spoken at your conferences. But most importantly ive seen how you change peoples lives. The theme of this conference saving our cities education, jobs and justice speaks to the important work that youve been doing for decades. I know that you help black entrepreneurs to get started capital. I know you help people find jobs. I know you give families financial counseling so they can achieve their dreams of buying a home or sending their kids to college. Energy make sure parents have the tools to take care of the kids health. Thats the kind of day today commitment that makes such a difference. As you prepare young people for college and work in a world that can sometimes make them feel that they are not very important, you make sure they know just how precious and powerful they really are. This vital work has been my work too. My first job out of law school wasnt at some big law firm. It was with the Childrens Defense Fund started by Marian Wright edelman. That first summer after i graduated i went door to door for kids shut out of school and denied the education they deserve. I also began a lifelong concern by working with the cdf to try to figure out what we did with kids caught up in the juvenile and adult prison system. As first lady helped create the Childrens Health insurance program. You were an ally in doing that. Asked senator i championed Small Businesses owned by women and people of color, because thats where a lot of the jobs in america come from. I fought to raise the minimum wage because no one who works hard in america should have to raise their kids in poverty. These issues your issues are deeply personal to me. So im here early on this morning first and foremost to say thank you. But im also here to talk about the future. Because the work you have been doing is more important than ever, and im going to keep doing that work right alongside you. Now, i would love nothing more than just didnt have a conversation for hours going in to death about every single issue that we are worried about in depth, but you have a full plate of speakers that will follow me. So let me make three points about the work we need to do together. First, the opportunity gap that america is facing is not just about economic inequality. It is about racial inequality. Now [applause] that may seem obvious to you but it bears underscoring because some of the evidence that backs it up would come as a shock to Many Americans. Like africanamericans are nearly three times as likely as whites to be denied a mortgage, or how in 2013 the median wealth for white families was more than 134,000, but for africanamerican families, it was a just 11000. A lot of people dont realize that our schools are more segregated today than they were in 1968. [applause] or even that africanamericans are sentenced to longer prison terms than white people for the same crimes. [applause] or that political operatives are trying every trick in the book to prevent africanamericans from voting. [applause] and listen to this one because of somebody who started with the Childrens Defense Fund and who now is a proud and delighted grandmother of a 10 month old granddaughter, africanamerican children are 500 500 more likely to die from asthma than white kids. Now, i studied and advocated and introduced legislation to close health disparities. I knew, i knew how severe they were, but 500 . So all of this points to an unavoidable conclusion race. Race still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in america and who gets left behind. And yes, while that is partly a legacy of discrimination that stretches back to the start of our nation it is also because of discrimination that is still ongoing. Im not saying anything you dont already know. You understand this better than i do, better than anyone. But i want to say it anyway because im planning to be president , and anyone who seeks that office has responsibility to say if. [applause] and more than that, to grapple with the systemic inequities that so Many Americans face. Anyone who asks for your vote should try their hardest and see things as they actually are, not just as we want them to be. So i want you to know i see it and i hear you. To counter hate and injustice. How can i make our country a better fairer place . Let me be clear. I think all of us need to do that kind of introspection, but those of us who have not experienced systemic racial in equities we have the next obligation. We need to do a better job of listening when people talk about the seen and unseen barriers they face every day. We need to practice humility rather than assume our experience where everyones experience is. [applause] and yes we need to try as best we can to walk in one anothers shoes to imagine what it would need like to send our son down and have the talk. Or if people followed us around stores or lock their car doors when we locked past that empathy, that is what makes it possible for people from every background every race every religion to come together as one nation. That is the kind of generosity is. That makes the country like america endure. Given what weve seen and experienced this is an urgent call for people to search their own hearts and minds. Heres not a point. Weve arrived at a moment when all these challenges are in sharp relief and we have to seize it. Too many times now and americans have come together in shock and horror to process a violent, senseless tragedy. Like trayvon mark 10 shot to death not innate desolate street somewhere, but in a community. He wasnt a stranger. He had family there. Or Sandra Boynton, a College Educated women who knew her brides, who didnt doing anything wrong, but still ended up dying in a jail cell. Together we mourn today her rice and eric gardener, Walter Scott Freddie gray and most recently pam debose. These names are emblazoned on our hearts. Weve seen their faces heard their grieving families. Weve seen a massacre in charleston in black churches set on fire today 15. But thankfully that weve seen it in battle flag peter [applause] in the charleston that humans reached out with extraordinary grace to the men who killed their loved ones and president obama delivering a eulogy that sounded as though it comes straight from angels and anyway 80 days. [applause] young people have taken to the streets dignified and determined, urging us to affirm the basic fact that black lives matter. [applause] and because it will cost this country a growing number of americans are realizing what many of you have been saying for a long time. We cant go on like a now it is up to us to build on that momentum come and we all have to do our part. But those of us who strive to leave have a special responsibility. I am very pleased that many president ial candidates will be here today to address here. It is a signal is the work youve been doing is getting political attention there. It comes that international call. It is still around i cameras are gone era i some family man whose life and what they actually do when theyre elected. I dont think you can say that everyone has the right to rise and then say you are for facing up to cure ailing obamacare. People cant afford health care. [applause] they cant rise of the minimum wage is too low to live on. They can arise that their governor makes it harder for them to get a College Education and you cannot scarcely talk about the right to rise in support laws that deny the right to vote. [applause] so what people say matters but what they do matters more. Americans especially today deserve leaders who will face in equity, race and justice issues in all their complexity headon. So what does concede Barriers Holding people back who will do instead what it takes to tear those carriers down once and for all. I will never stop working on issues of equality and opportunity, race and justice. That is a promise. Ive done in my entire adult life. I will always be in your corner because issues like these are why i am running for president. They are why i got involved in Public Service in the first place, to tear down the barriers that hold people back from developing their talents and achieving their dreams. I am asking you to hold me accountable to hold all of us accountable. The work we are doing nicely to action and you deserve leaders who not only get that but who will work hard everyday to make make our country a better place to make it live up to its potential and provide opportunities for every single child in this country to live up to his or her godgiven potential. I have a 10 monthold grandchild now and ive got to tell you, those of you who follow to reach this incredible transformational point in our lives understand this. There is nothing like it to focus you on the president. When bill and i are with charlotte, doing our best to babysit the phones are off, tv is off. We are just focused on this miracle of life and we are the kind of grandparents, ill confess, that when she learns to clap her hands, we give her a standing ovation. You see it is not just about her granddaughter, is it . We of course will do everything we can to have all the opportunities she should as a citizen of this country, as a child of god as a person has the right to go as far as her hard work and talent will take her. That is not enough. I dont want that just for my granddaughter. And the granddaughter of factory worker who worked in the time he was a teenager to the time he retired in this great and lisa mills. I know how blessed ive read in opportunities ive had with others just as did not. So let us tear down the barriers to mother whose child you are in child you are, you too will have the same chance. I am proud to be your allies. Im committed to be your partner. I will keep fighting right alongside you today and always to make the United States of america a country where all men and women all boys and girls are treated as they deserve to be as equals. I know we can do this. I know the path ahead is not easy, but i am absolutely convinced we will once again join hands to make a difference for those young people who not only need a path but the love and embrace of a grateful nation for the contribution date each will make to a Better Future for us all. Thank you and god bless you. [applause] ladies and gentlemen secretary hilary brought them to. Ive got three short questions. First, we are as a part of this process going to be sharing with you a questionnaire which asks for your position on issues contained in the 21st century, agenda for jobs and freedom. I want to know if you can commit to respond to the questionnaire. Will make a public. The ds. Second question is we have within the urban League Movement and exciting generation of new Generation Leaders who are coming of age. Could you talk to them a little bit about the role they would play. Both in your campaign, but also many issues in a. Some people refer to them as millennialist, part of young professionals. Some have emerged as leaders of our affiliate that they are representative large number here. Let me make a couple quick points because this is one of the most important questions you or anybody could ask ba ive been so blessed over the years to have had a lot of wonderful people working for me. And now i have the next generation dagon activists who themselves have been successful. I see a difference between this generation and maybe some prior generations where for africanamericans women, others who felt like they had to struggle to be successful there is a sense that id made it and i will do the best they can in my life. I will make contributions but the days of back this summer behind me. This new generation is in a very port way combining personal success with continuing activism and i think we need that. I not only welcome that. I hope we can together harness that. Like i said about my granddaughter, it is not enough for some of us are successful. It is not enough when we see a growing inequality, racial and social. Therefore i ask for the help of the active committed young generation. There is a great old saying, what are you to do . Well, you can comfort the dead and afflict the comfortable. That is part of your role. Even though i may be on the receiving end, that is okay. I want you to hold me accountable and i particularly want to be held accountable yet young people who know the future they want us to create. My final question in the discussion around income inequality rather racial wealth gap, one part of the conversation this did not really address is the role of Small Businesses, African American owned businesses, many of them face frozen credit markets, difficulty in building their business. What would you say to entrepreneurs about how you would address those can earn because they are in g job creators, many womenowned businesses. About 70 of womenowned and they are so crucial to closing the racial wealth gap. How would you address there could learns. We could be here all day. Let me quickly say i want to be the Small Business president. My father was a Small Businessman. I saw how hard he worked and how you provided for my family. Mark is absolutely right. 60 of the net jobs created in america are created by Small Businesses. Right now with tax burdens regulatory burdens, licensing urgent and credit carriers preventing starting a Small Businesses and growth and expansion and it is particularly a problem for people of color and women and women of color especially. Part of what i want to do and am starting to talk about all across the country this year when im tearing down those barriers. One of the problems is frozen at it, lack of credit. For 30 40 years i worked and how you get more credit to Small Businesses in underserved areas. We are still spending a lot of Small Businesses. I want to take that model across the country. I want to make sure we have online monday that its especially attuned to the needs of Small Business. I have a whole Small Business agenda because this is one of the keys to not only creating wealth and jobs are getting our economy moving as quickly and fast as we can to where we were before the big crash. Theres a lot more to talk about because i dont want to overstate my welcome. And my economic plan attack about strong growth, fair growth and longterm growth. We cannot have that unless we do more to get women in the workforce and have been paid fairly and take into account their particular challenges. Secondly, we have to get off the lotus student at because that is stopping a lot of young people. This is about the whole economy but what do they need to do to clear the way for Small Businesses to start and grow. I will be the Small Business president. The secretary Hillary Rodham clinton. Thank you for being at the urban league. [cheers and applause] ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats as we are about to resume at their program. Once again please take your seats. Ladies and gentlemen, we are running slightly behind. We want to catch up. Those of you who are in the aisle, if you would help us by taking your seats. Ladies and gentlemen, please move as quickly as possible. [inaudible conversations] ladies and gentlemen, our next speaker is a former colleague of mine and a member of the night its conference of mayors. Hes the former mayor of baltimore, former governor of maryland and the front man for the celtic rock band omalleys march. I heard he can save. Ladies and gentlemen cannot please greet president ial candidate, governor Martin Omalley. [applause] good morning. It is wonderful to be here with all of you. I want to thank the urban league and your ceo. Lets give it up for mayor maury all. Highest title in the land and they are. I want to thank you for inviting me to be here without it today. My name is Martin Omalley. I am the former mayor of baltimore and im a democrat running for president of the United States. [applause] mayor morial and bible i wish her a certain bond is having served as mayors together of two of americas oldest and greatest cities, the revolutionary cities of new orleans and also mark. Mayor morial and i have discussed many issues over the years. Some people are called to work in the gap between justice and injustice. How to rebuild our cities baltimore is now growing rather than shrinking. How to improve our schools. In the middle of the recession we invested more, not less to make schools number one in america five years in a row and make college more affordable. How to create jobs and opportunity for all. In our state we had the secondhighest percentage of African American owned businesses and the secondhighest Median Income for africanamericans of any state in the country. And the topics i would like to speak with you about today. How can we save lives . How can we improve and reform our criminal Justice System and how to gather can we make real the promise of equal protection under the law . When i ran for mayor of baltimore as a longshot candidate in 1999 it was not because our city was doing well. Despite many wellintentioned effort, our city had become the most violent, most addicted and most abandoned city in america. Every year we bury 300 lakh men who die of violent deaths on our streets and black lives matter. [applause] id like to share with you a true story from my time in service in this turnaround years of all tomorrow. Difficult but important years. October 16, 2002 and the phone by our bed rang at 3 00 a. M. And it was loud and insistent and i suppose one can get phone calls with good news at 3 00 a. M. , but as a mayor calls it that i would never have good news behind them. Deputy mayor Jayne Hitchcock had the rotating duty of screening emergency calls. Mayor, jean said there has been a fire, a really bad fire in the house with the mother and wasting five children. The fathers real bad too. Hes in intensive care very badly harmed. Awful i said. But there is something the voice that night that told me the story was not over. Police and fire are here and they believe it was intentional and they are very shaken up. I am here come the neighbors are here and they say it was retaliation. I said retaliation . By whom, for what. Gene set for calling the police about drug dealers. Is so terrible and indeed it was. My ears as two terms as governor, two terms as mayor, the tragic events of the Early Morning are forever seared into my memory. The reality was this. For allen and Angela Dawson who load their five children in a row house at the corner of preston and eaten straight on of baltimore. Mom and dad worked, provided for their children, reveled in talent and ways but like so many families in so many neighborhoods in our city they were threatened, they were harassed and they had life in their own neighborhood made miserable by openair drug dealing. They would call police to complain. Mrs. Dawson would dutifully go to court to testify. Two weeks later someone two weeks earlier to this incident someone had thrown a molotov cocktail through the dawson bedroom window. The bottle failed to explode police responded. There were no witnesses the dawsons refuse to be driven from their neighborhood. Each industry police. Like many families in humble neighborhoods to have a hard time make amends made the dawsons are keeping their home he did that night they live in the gas of open and on it at 2 20 a. M. A 21yearold young men from the neighborhood, more of a look at than a dealer let the rag with the full bottle of gasoline, kicked in the doors of the family slept and tossed the bottle inside where it smashed on the stairs. The old row house was engulfed in flames and second everyone that mick foley and painfully except for mr. Dawson who clung to life for two more days. I stood and align the couple of days later with the good people of east baltimore as we filed past the tiny caskets at the funeral home. As the perpetrator was brought to federal trial Angela Dawsons mother and other relatives made clear to the federal prosecutor that they did not want to see the Death Penalty pursued. They did not want to see these deaths lead to one word that couple was imposed. To this day it is impossible for me to think about the dawsons without becoming sad and emotional and i suppose it always will be. Their little house became our alamo. It would either beginning or end. The dawsons are buried together at the same resting place of so many of baltimores black and white police and firefighter heroes whove given their line of duty. Every time i visit on Fallen Heroes day or other occasions i walk over the hill to the dawsons grave and i still wait and hope for love and peace and justice to have the final word. Uni are part of a living, so creating mystery called the United States of america. Our country was not warning perfection by without original sin because of the sacrifices and perseverance of so many generation after generation we have moved towards a fully respect for one another. We have moved towards more equal justice and protection under the law, but we are not there yet. Every headliner video of abuse, injustice and difference killing a murderer reminds us how far we have to go. Every story reminds us americans of color must endure a constant state of random vulnerability even when they are just driving to work and all of us must ask how many individuals like Sandra Boynton and have been subject to abuse of arrests when the cameras were not rolling. How many names will we never know . How many walter scott had been savagely shot down and got up to take the blame for it and cameras in Cell Phone Technology were not in the on position. How many names do we not know . There are certain beliefs we share as americans. A belief in the dignity of every individual and our own responsibility to advance the common good and an understanding we are all in this together. And our idea of country, there is no such thing as they are american. As americans, we believe you do not surrender your Human Dignity when you change lanes without signaling. As americans, we believe you do not surrender your human side of your car have been to burn out and no american surrenders their dignity whatever the emergency because of the color of theirs can. [applause] and miss you do not believe, you are not qualified to run the city. And if you do not believe that you are not qualified to wear a badge or carry a gun. [applause] leading my own city in my state forward to achieve the largest reduction in Violent Crime in modern history, we strive and search every day to become smarter about Public Safety and the actions to work to save lives and redeem lives. The constant search for better ways are for president to an restart treatment to policing and Everything Else we do. From 1999 ford black men died violent deaths of baltimore thanks to the Public Safety of any big city in america. I closed the largest most notorious and then imprisoned in the state of maryland and by the time i left office at governor in january we had not only reduce Violent Crime to 35 year low in maryland biotech actions to reduce recidivism and are cursed originally to a 20 year low and reduced new prison emissions by night ampersand compared to 10 years before. [applause] by doing the things like expanding reentry programs, not cutting them. Like increasing drug treatment like expanding education and workforce training inside the wall and giving exoffenders and i. D. Card before they are released from prison so they can apply for jobs and housing and benefits afterwards. We also did this by doing away with the things that clearly do not work and clearly do not serve. For example, we decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. [applause] were restored Voting Rights of 52000 citizens with old felony records. And not on our first try and not on her second try, but perseverance on her third try we repealed the Death Penalty in the state of maryland. [applause] in our party we have lots of good candidates who will make progressive promises, lots of people talk about criminal Justice Reform but ive actually done it. I will talk about a new agenda for criminal Justice Reform for an entire nation. Policing will always be locally controlled and locally directed there is a vital role or federal government must fulfill in setting standards funding programs and the common good we share. We can reduce racial disparities. We can redirect dollars currently spending we can get more people opportunities to turn their lives around. First our laws must allow punishments to suit the crime and congress appears reducing mandatory minimums for nonViolent Crimes and i support this important bipartisan and long overdue after at the federal level. As president i will bring up minus sentencing disparities at the one exists between the possession of crack and powder. And this president i will work with all to forge a consensus that leads to repeal of the Death Penalty in america ever since the United States from the worlds public executions. The fact that i will take actions to put the work of rehabilitation at the center of our justice agenda for the sake of employment there is no progress about a job. Our nation currently has the highest in duration rate of any nation in the free world. We must recognize investments we make for reentry pay for themselves by reducing recidivism. Federal government and must expand job training and we must support Community Services that help people return to their families and make the transition back to protect his life. To that end our federal government must lead by example and ban in the box of past criminal record does not prevent a person whos paid their debt to society from gaining employment. [applause] third we must recognize many people who fall into our criminal Justice System would be far more effectively helped by our Public Health system. Yet police are often our First Responders to people in crisis. I will better prepare officers and neighbors suffering a mental illness. It automatically expand our federal commitment to drug treatment and Community Health services. Fourth and finally, we must improve policing in the way we police our police in order to rebuild trust. [applause] when i ran for mayor of baltimore in 1999 i was not endorsed by the fraternal order of police. In that election i promise for the protection of our neighbors and Police Officers that we together as a people that do a much better job of policing our police have better recruitment better training, better pay. That is exactly what we did. There are things every Police Department should do every day to improve the trust necessary between citizens and Police Officers sworn to serve and protect us all all of us. Among those things inadequately staffed internal Affairs Division and independently staffed board reversed integrity to safeguard professional integrity of every police force and our federal government can play a vital role in lifting practices in advancing Adoption Across the country. Today, every Police Department in the nation reported that federally measured using. Murder, robbery and reports and timely accurately and an open way. As president i will require every Police Department to report all custodial dads all incidents of lethal force and complaints of discourtesy and excessive force. [applause] it is a fact of human nature we cannot understand what we do not see. We cannot improve what we do not measure. But once we measure and once we see and once we understand we can arrogantly improve. The reality is Racial Injustice at my enforcement in america have been painfully intertwined since the very first days of our nation. If we are to have any hope of improving police and Community Relations in america for around six in the sixth of our children and grandchildren these measures of professional policing must be open and visible for all to see. Limits also advanced deployment of new technology would be cameras, cruiser cameras that promise openness and transparency and accountability and Technology Double my fix everything that is about a step forward to achieving accountable policing. We must free ourselves from the tyranny of that is the way weve always done it. Every Police Department must pass the test of whether it saves lives and every newly and Public Safety must pass the same test that we saving lives or redeeming lives and this is the ongoing work we share as a nation to do more of what works and less of what does not to create an america where there is truly liberty and justice for all. Final thought. The great Barbara Jordan once said the gap between the promise and reality of america can one day be finally close. We believe that. Barbara jordan grew up amid some of the harshest segregation in our country denied everything from the use of a fountain to admission to her state university. Never stop believing we should make the promise of america reality. She became the first africanamerican since the days of reconstruction of first africanamerican ever sent from texas to congress and there she fought for Voting Rights and human rights. One of her very first acts of congress is to advance of funding and reform effort to bend prairie view a m which happen to be the school where sandra bland was to work the school where sandra bland never made it to work on july 10th. Barbara jordan was found when it came to justice people who are right must that with people who have the motive. Harper jordan passed away not yet even 60 years old at the time the Houston Chronicle headline read a voice for justice dies. I dont believe that is true. Because voices for justice never died. Voices for justice will always resonate. Sandra bland told the Police Officer she couldnt wait to get to court so her voice would be heard and we are hearing her voice right now. We can make ourselves a more just nation, a more compassionate nation, a more just people. We can teach all of our children a more generous, compassionate and caring way forward. There is more that unites us than divides us. We must help each other if we are to succeed in love peace and justice will have the final word. Thank you all very, very much. [applause] governor Martin Omalley. Governor very quickly i will ask altering you can respond to all three at once. We will be sending you a questionnaire and i want you to commit to responding to the questionnaire on a timely basis. Second talk about the role of Young Leaders an emerging generation and to how your campaign and administration and the future century and third is an element of income inequality in the racial wealth gap for what happened with the frozen market for Small Businesses and africanamerican businesses based on how you would and what expanded opportunity is there. Mayor, thank you. I will absolutely with zeal in speed for the questionnaire and i look forward to having a larger discussion in the course of the president ial campaign about the new agenda for American Cities big investment workforce come Affordable Housing mass transit as well as making citys leaders in the new clean, green future. Im not people our headquarters in baltimore have a core group of young men and women representing the great strength of our country and they keep me going. As i travel around the country and talk to young americans, i rarely meet people under 30 who denied that Climate Change is real or think we should do something about it. I rarely ever meet under 30 who want to discriminate against couples or bash immigrants. That tells me we are moving to a much better place as the country. Ill speak to that better america and youll see a tremendous response and a lot of leaders in the course of this campaign. The final point as soon as i was elected is down our case. I did it with an executive order to raise it higher. We put in place a way to measure our outcomes and we raised our goal. Maryland has the highest in the country and we exceeded it in the middle of a recession. We as a people have to walk the walk when it comes to understanding the genius of our nation is in every generation we take actions to include more cute role more fully in the economic social life of our nation. When we make opportunities, loans business startups, are set as the second business percentage of any state in america. We have to take action if we want Economic Growth that lives on. Governor Martin Omalley thank you for being here. We will see you back again mr. Mayor. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you again to take your seat. Moved very quickly as we thank governor Martin Omalley again. Lets give him a round of applause. Thank you for being at the National Urban league. Very quickly, ladies and gentlemen, i would like you to get you dead as i briefly introduce our next speaker. Our next speaker has been active in the Civil Rights Movement sensors day as a student at the university of chicago in the early 1960s. There he was arrested for protesting segregated student policy. He participated in the night 63 march on washington. Another former mayor as serving from her mom in the night teen 80s. He went on to congress and asked tears in the United States senate. Lets hear from him now. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the urban lake, senator bernie sanders. [applause] thank you all very much for inviting me. Im looking at the teleprompter, unfortunately there is nothing there. I aint a teleprompter guide. Let me congratulate the National Urban league for the enormous role you are playing in this country are fighting for social justice and not only the ideas you are bringing forth, but the daytoday work you are doing in terms of job training, Small Businesses financing contracts and the help you the help viewer provided families are counseling when they are trained to realize the American Dream will help ownership and that is just a few of the areas you have excelled in. My views are a little bit different than others. I am the longestserving independent in the history of the United States congress and i am running for president of the United States today within the democratic primary and caucus process. It is my belief from the bottom of my heart i would not be running for president if i thought otherwise, that given the enormous crises this country faced is today crises that may be more severe than any time since the Great Depression of the night teen 30s, that frankly it is too late for that which policies. It is too late for establishment politics. It is too late for establishment economics. We need some new thinking, some bold thinking. [applause] and most importantly this may make some people nervous and thats the way it is. I think when we have a nation today were a handful of William Ayers have unbelievable influence over the economic and political life of this country there is nothing significant we will accomplish unless we have the courage to take them on and that is what this campaign is about. They met to believe the remarks at this point. See the entire event in the seas and video library. Courtesies and. Org. Live now to the u. S. Senate. Senators in for a brief pro forma session. Adjourn