Remarks by U.S. Ambassador John Maisto at Opening of the "Black Family Reunion," Barlovento, Venezuela, July 6, 1999

An estimated 200 U.S. citizens traveled to Barlavento, Venezuela, for a "Black Family Reunion" sponsored by the Washington-based Organization of Africans in the Americas. In opening remarks, U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela John Maisto discussed race relations in the United States and the unprecedented gains made by minority groups since passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Following is the text of the ambassador's remarks, as prepared for delivery:

I want to welcome each and every participant to this important conference. While the diaspora of Africa's children is worldwide, I am proud that so many of you are fellow-citizens of the United States. You have come to celebrate community, to share with and learn from each other. As your Ambassador to this nation, I am pleased to welcome you.

This part of Venezuela is called "Barlovento," which might be translated as "sailing with the wind." It carries the connotation of having an advantage; we might say, "having the upper hand." It is advantageous for you to meet in this spot: if you look at a map of this hemisphere, the Barlovento coast is an axis, balancing the North American, Central American, Caribbean and South American regions. How appropriate that you are here, not only on Venezuelan soil but on that section of Venezuela that is culturally closest to Africa.

A word about our host country. Venezuela thinks of itself as a mixed nation, a true melting pot, where the word "criollo" refers to the combination of European, indigenous American, and African genetic strains. Perhaps alone among South American countries, Venezuela welcomed the immigration of persons of African descent. During this conference, you will hear of how Venezuela -- and other South American countries -- have dealt with color prejudice in their cultures.

As all Americans know, we still have not eradicated color prejudice in our country. But we also know that in spite of the painful part of our past that includes bigotry, Jim Crow laws, indifference and the disenfranchisement of minorities, we can celebrate the unprecedented gains since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I say "unprecedented" because the upward mobility of Americans of African origin -- while still leaving much room for improvement -- is truly unique in the history of the world.

Harvard Sociology professor Orlando Patterson, a keen observer of and participant in African-American life, points out in his recent book, The Ordeal of Integration, "Afro-Americans, from a condition of mass illiteracy fifty years ago, are now among the most educated groups of people in the world, with median years of schooling and college completion rates higher than most European nations." In 1995, 40 percent of African-American households had mean incomes of over $36,000, and the top 5 percent averaged over $120,000. A story unreported in the media is the growth of the black middle class, which now outnumbers the black poor, and, in what surely would be a surprise to many, Patterson asserts that "a sizeable number of black men are economically better off than white middle-class America."

Not only has the economic status of the African-American improved materially in the last 30 years or so, but also the social climate of America has been transformed. Racism is no longer a tolerated point of view. What's more, increasing numbers of Americans claim close friendships across the color line. In the 1997 Gallup poll, says Patterson, "75 percent of Afro-Americans claimed that they had a 'close friend' who was Euro-American and 59 percent of Euro-Americans claimed similar 'close friendships' with Afro-Americans."

Can it be that as our century closes we are going to find some way of resolving W.E.B. DuBois' prophecy that the 20th-century problem will be the problem of the color line? I believe so. There are problems ahead; we need to confront and solve the terrible problems of our inner cities; we need to realize Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream in every hamlet, but I believe we can. In fact, in President Clinton's Proclamation of the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday this year, the president stated: "Dr. King's dream of unity for America did not die with him. Today, as our nation becomes increasingly multi-racial and multi-ethnic, his compelling vision is more important than ever, and the means for realizing it are now within our reach."

Those means include, I believe, our common adherence to an American ideal of equality. That ideal is not some Pollyanna platitude. It is enshrined and articulated in the documents that establish our nation: our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights. While the ideal has been redefined in every generation, it remains an ideal that still is worthy of our striving for, the principle of equality. "All men are created equal," now includes whites who don't own property; it includes non-whites; it includes women.

While it is important and right that this meeting focus on the Black Family, and that it establish important links between citizens of the United States and citizens of other countries, I think it important to underscore that we are all in this boat together. The maintenance of the Underground Railroad, the abolition of slavery, the scattered literacy programs and the 1890 Land Grant Colleges in defiance of Jim Crow, the success of the Tuskegee Airmen, the integration of the U.S. Armed Forces, the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the President's Initiative on Race, have been accomplished by people of good and honest hearts, working, sometimes giving their lives, to bridge the so-called abyss between their communities. In spite of the Jeremiahs whose business it is to emphasize the disasters, I believe that the army of good and honest hearts is growing, that more and more people are less and less tolerant of the cancer of racism.

The words, "an army of good and honest hearts" are not empty ones. We have experienced tragic events in America recently: the dragging death in Jasper, Texas, and this past weekend's racially-motivated shootings in Illinois and Indiana. These hate crimes are abhorrent to the vast majority of Americans. The perpetrators are our lunatic fringe. They will fail. Their actions will not infect the moral culture of America. We are, all of us, committed to a multiethnic harmonious society, where we can continually refine and implement our ideals of equality in opportunity, in education, before the law. We will continue to work out the ideal of our Pledge of Allegiance, "One Nation, under God."

With our vigilance and our ideals, we as Americans are working together to ensure that racism is not resurgent; it is not in vogue; it is not fashionable. While we will not solve everything before the end of the year, I am confident that history will show that the American people rose to the opportunity. I'd like to close by quoting President Clinton: "We have much to accomplish in the next century as we continue our journey to become a nation that respects our differences, celebrates our diversity, and unites around our shared values. As the new millennium swiftly approaches, let us proudly mark the milestones on that journey, rejoice in the progress we have made, and resolve to achieve even greater advances in the years to come."

I wish you a very successful conference.