Ashcroft Says Law Must Apply Fairly and Equally to All

There is no higher calling in government, says Attorney General John Ashcroft, "than ensuring that the law applies fairly and equally to all Americans."

Commemorating National African American History Month, Ashcroft told employees at the Justice Department February 20 that African Americans have contributed to the American adventure from the earliest days of the Revolution through today, and helped bring the nation closer to living out the ideals of its founding.

"This month and in the months and years to come," Ashcroft said, "I personally rededicate myself to rising above the injustices of our past, and I believe that we can all join in that dream and enterprise -- to secure justice for all Americans and to build a future worthy of emulation by all the peoples of the Earth."

Following is the transcript of Ashcroft's remarks:

ATTY GEN. ASHCROFT: It's really not easy to talk after Ralph talks. (Soft laughter.) I could listen to him until he takes up the offering. (Laughter.)

I want to thank you, and I want to say how honored I am to be here with you.

I have to say, Ralph, I'm honored to work with you. I love the way you bring things to our consciousness. Leadership is the process of helping people understand where we ought to go. And to know where we want to go, we need to know where we have been and where we've come from. Ralph, there are few people in this country who do it better than you do. And I'm honored to work with you; I'm honored to be a part of this celebration in commemoration of African American History Month.

Speaking of history, historian Paul Johnson's epic book entitled "A History of the American People" begins with these words: " The creation of the United States of America is the greatest of all human adventures. No other national story holds such tremendous lessons for the American people themselves and for the rest of mankind. The first lesson posed by our national story," Johnson writes, "is whether " -- and I'm quoting -- " a nation can rise above the injustices of its origins and, by its moral purpose and performance, atone for them."

By pausing this month to reflect on the experience, the contributions, the achievements of African Americans, we begin to find the answer to this question.

This month we will celebrate the great and varied contributions of all African Americans to the American adventure, and Ralph has mentioned eloquently those well-known names, which I would mention again -- Crispus Attucks, who gave his life in the Boston Massacre; Benjamin Banneker, who helped draw the plans for nation's capital here in Washington; Frederick Douglass, of course, who gave moral and intellectual force to the movement to end slavery; Sojourner Truth, whose powerful account of life as a slave helped freedom to all Americans. In own our lifetimes -- and Paul has recounted -- I mean -- (inaudible) -- Ralph has recounted from his own personal experience -- we've benefitted from the actions of friends and neighbors and relatives, as well as the determination and leadership of Thurgood Marshall and Medgar Evers and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. We've witnessed the courage of the Little Rock Nine, who opened doors for American education so that many deserving people would have the opportunity for education. We've watched with admiration as Rosa Parks, who stood up for civil rights by sitting down when she was not welcomed, led us in important understandings of where we needed to go. This is leadership at its highest and best.

Each of these brave Americans brought a great nation, a nation conceived and dedicated to liberty -- brought us closer to living out the ideals that were expressed at the founding of this nation. Dr. King challenged us to live out the true meaning of our values by envisioning a day when citizens of this great nation would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

It is my great honor to be the attorney general of the United States at a time when Dr. King's dream is closer to reality than ever before. But we have much work left to do.

Never in history has there been a more diverse and qualified leadership team here at the Department of Justice.

Under Larry Thompson's indispensable leadership, we have not been satisfied with a team that merely looks like America, we have built a team that reflects the strength of America. And I'm honored to serve with this team, and I look forward to the day when the length and breadth of the Department of Justice, from line attorneys to investigators to staff assistants, reflects the same diversity and professional excellence. Larry and I believe that this is a priority, and we've agreed that we're not going to rest until this dream that we share comes true.

Today, 139 years after the end of slavery and 38 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act and 37 years after the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we continue to build on the heritage of those who came before us. We continue to strive to live up to the ideals of freedom and equality for which those who preceded us sacrificed. There is no higher calling in government than ensuring that the law applies fairly and equally to all Americans. At the Department of Justice, equal justice under the law is our mission -- indeed, our sacred trust. It is our contribution to that, quote, "greatest of all human adventures" -- relating to America the story of this great nation and its history.

This month and in the months and years to come, I personally rededicate myself to rising above the injustices of our past, and I believe that we can all join in that dream and enterprise -- to secure justice for all Americans and to build a future worthy of emulation by all the peoples of the Earth.

Thank you very much. God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you. (Applause.)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)