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Remarks on Digital Divide 4/4/00 [1]
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�.March 18, 2000
IANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
GENE SPERLING
MARIA ECHAVESTE
STEPHANIE STREETT
T:
APRIL PRESIDENTIAL NEW MARKETS TRIP TO BRIDGE THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE
ROUND
low, you will travel the week of April 9th across the United States to continue to bring
to the need to bring digital opportunity to youth, families and communities. We hope that this
generate momentum, excitement and concrete commitments, as well as provide a national
k for government, private sector and non-profit actions to close the digital divide and create
portunity. Similar to the first two New Markets trip in July and November, you will be joined
sessional delegation, community leaders, and corporate executives where you will make
ments about new private sector investments and initiatives as well as partnerships between the
, non-profit and government sectors to bridge the digital divide.
>ED ITINERARY FOR APRIL TRIP
londay, April 10:
East Palo Alto, CA and
A Native American reservation in New Mexico
uesday, April 11:
Detroit, Ml and
A rural community in North Carolina
d also develop creative ways to use the Internet and other technology to involve multiple sites
ie country.
it event in North Carolina, we propose that you announce a future event/trip that would focus
ng digital opportunity to Americans with disabilities.
GITAL DIVIDE ACTIONS
i this memo focuses specifically on the April Digital Divide trip, we have provided you with an
f key digital divide actions we recommend for the upcoming months.
�i: Call to Action Event and Kick-oil for April 1 rip
ave circulated a "Call to Action" to major corporations, non-profits, and individuals to sign to
their support for our two national goals to provide digital opportunity to all Americans. These
are:
Bringing 21st Century learning tools to every child in every school
Bringing digital opportunity to every family and community
pril 4th, you will host an event at the White House to announce your "Call to Action" and
nstrate the widespread support for your two national goals. This event will provide you with
^portunity to recognize the hundreds of corporations, non-profits, civil rights groups, unions
ther community organizations that have signed on to the National Call as well as the need to
partnerships to provide comprehensive solutions to the digital divide.
ivent is also an opportunity for you to preview the trip and talk about the on-going
;nistration and private sector efforts to create digital opportunity for children, adults and
runities all over the country.
-11: Digital Divide Trip
trip will provide the opportunity for you to highlight meaningfiil, lasting efforts that can be
ned. See below for more detailed information.
fp Report
the trip, in order to continue with our commitment to create digital opportunity for all
icans, we propose that a follow-up report be issued in the summer that would describe new and
ng commitments to close the digital divide. This could help disseminate best practices and
ight commitments that were not featured in the trip.
ed Communities Day
re also proposing a "Connected Communities" day in the late fall to maintain momentum and
ate grassroots activity, building on the highly successful NetDay model. Since we could not
dze this ourselves, we would work to ensure that there was sufficient outside support before
hing this.
SEP PLAN FOR APRIL DIGITAL DIVIDE TRIP
*E
',ast Palo Alto, California
• Alto is a low-income urban community in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Over 80 percent of
nts in local K-8 schools are eligible for free or reduced priced lunches. The latest data available
that 21 percent of East Palo Alto residents had incomes below the federally designated poverty
jspite its geographic proximity to Silicon Valley, the center of the high-tech world, East Palo
dents are struggling. Much of the community lacks the skills necessary to succeed technologyills. Going to East Palo Alto would demonstrate that even in the shadow of Silicon Valley,
till a substantial divide.
�lessage: Importance of Motivation
At every briefing where we have discussed the Digital Divide, the issue of motivation has
consistently come up, particularly with underserved communities. While the price of
computers is continuing to decline, and some companies are beginning to offer free Internet
access, not enough has been done to demonstrate why gaining access to technology is so
important.
You could use this first event of the trip to highlight this issue and bring together a number of
major CEOs, celebrities, minority entrepreneurs as well as low-income youth who have
obtained high-tech jobs.
This would help motivate underserved communities (especially youth) to "get connected"
and become technologically literate by stressing the economic opportunities in the high tech
world.
otential Site Visits and Events
You could visit a high school to highlight the need for information and technological literacy
for young people and adults.
You could begin the event with a roundtable with major CEOs where you could highlight
corporate commitments and discuss the importance of technology and the opportunities
available for both youth and adults in schools and communities.
You could then move to the school auditorium, where you could give opening remarks that
would frame the importance of motivating both youth and adults to use technology.
S You would be joined on stage in an informal setting by two celebrities (i.e. Magic
Johnson), a minority entrepreneur and a young adult who has acquired a job in the hightech field.
S This event will provide an opportunity for you and the other participants to speak about
the many doors that can be opened through technology.
S This would also allow the participants on stage tell their stories about how technology
made a difference in their lives. Young people who are hooked up to the event via the
Internet from schools in other parts of the country could ask questions and interact with
you and the other participants.
ey Commitments for East Palo Alto Event
ublic Service Announcements
You could announce the kick-off of a major Public Service Announcement campaign with
celebrities and sports stars to motivate young people and adults to use computers and explore
the Internet. This could include a "no fear, no shame" campaign for those adults who may be
reluctant to admit that they don't know how to use technology.
�l&l
You could announce a $1.2 million grant over four years from AT&T to create an Academy
of Information Technology, a high-school curriculum to prepare students for the IT industry.
The academy would be in Oakland, California.
mericorps / PowerUP
You could announce the commitment by Americorps to significantly increase the number of
volunteers as PowerUP scales up the number of national sites. PowerUP is a major initiative
by AOL, Gateway, and other companies to expand access to technology for under-served
youth in community centers and schools.
ahoo!
Yahoo! has agreed to commit $1 million in Internet banner PSAs to recruit technology
workers to join Americorps and other volunteer organizations to serve as technology
workers. Yahoo! has also committed $1.5 million to create "Camp Yahoo!", a training
program for non-profits, CTCs and other community groups (including the Boys and Girls
Clubs of America and PowerUP) around the country.
2om
You could also announce 3Com's new "Connected Entrepreneur Awards Program", a
quarterly award program highlighting successful small businesses that use networking
technology to offer innovative products and/or services to their communities.
S The Program which is a partnership between 3Com and the YWCA of the U.S.A.,
encourages small businesses to institute mentoring programs that educate youth,
particularly young girls and women, to the benefits of high technology in the workplace
and to create an overall positive learning experience.
S 3Com will reward these "economic heroes" by providing their small businesses with the
technology tools that enable them to continue to succeed. In return, the honorees commit
to mentor young girls and others who come to the YWCA for assistance.
S 3Com will also announce the creation of the YWCA TechGYRLS, a program to raise
girls' interest, confidence and competence in the area of technology. They also plan to
announce their first round of awards throughout the country.
You could also announce another 3Com/YWCA program called NetPrepGYRLS that will
offer high-school aged girls training in computer networking that could lead to industrystandard certification. 3Com and YWCA expect 600 girls will be trained at 30
NetPrepGYRLS programs around the country.
itel and Tech Corps
You could announce a partnership between TechCorps and Intel that would provide free
software for students to develop living history websites to create a virtual community of
living histories on the web.
�ualcomm
The company has also committed to assist in the deployment of educational technology in
San Diego area schools, and other institutions, including high speed Internet access,
deployment of PCs, support of technology-focused curricula, and related teacher training and
technical support.
epartment of Education
You could announce that a number of deans of colleges of education have agreed to work
with us to ensure that all new teachers are prepared to use technology effectively in the
classroom. Currently, most schools of education do not adequately prepare new teachers to
integrate technology into the curriculum.
You could announce the Department of Education's Technology Innovation Challenge
Grants (3 grants totaling $6 million) and Star School awards. (4 grants totaling $5.5 million)
fative American Reservation in New Mexico
now, Native American communities face major economic and social challenges. A stop in
mntry will allow you to highlight these difficulties and focus on how private and public sector
.its can help bring digital opportunity to Native Americans.
lessage: Bringing Digital Opportunity to Indian Country
You could use this event to focus on access to technology as a vehicle for economic
development to help bring employment opportunities to Native Americans by, for example,
enabling more small Native American businesses to sell goods on-line.
otential Site Visits and Events
You could visit a tribal college and highlight the programs that the school has developed to
promote economic development through technology and help provide training and job skills
to its students.
ey Commitments for Indian Country
merica On-Line (AOL)
You could announce $1 million in the AOL Foundation's Digital Divide Grants, one of
which will be in Indian country.
ompaq Computers and TechCorps
You could announce a national expansion of "Techs4schools" a new online mentoring
initiative that connects IT professionals with remote and underserved schools to give them
access to much-needed technical support and advice.
Compaq, in partnership with Tech Corps, currently has 12 pilot sites (one on an Indian
reservation in New Mexico) and has decided to fully fund the program so that it will be
available to all schools nationwide in April. You could also encourage Federal government
IT workers to volunteer their expertise to be on-line technology mentors.
�xleral Communications Commission (FCC)
You could announce the FCC's proposal to increase funding under the Lifeline program so
that every member of a federally recognized Indian tribe who is income eligible can have
basic phone service for a very low monthly fee. We still need to run a policy process on this
idea.
LJD's Native American Economic Access Center
You could announce the new toll free number and website for the Native American
Economic Development Access Center, through HUD's Office of Native American programs
(ONAP). The Access Center will, for the first time, link over twelve agencies through a
single toll-free number and web-site so that entrepreneurs—Native Americans, lending
institutions, non-profits, foundations, and private businesses—can collaborate to achieve
sustainable economic development in Indian Country.
irtnership between University of Michigan and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
You could announce a partnership between the University of Michigan and the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation to work with a group of Tribal Colleges to create a "virtual Tribal College
library." A major database structure will be located at Bay Mills Community College, in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan which is working with other Tribal colleges and universities
(TCU) to develop a virtual identity for each Tribal College. The virtual library will span
challenging geographic boundaries and bring near limitless access to learning to TCU
students and faculty.
artnership between Crownpoint Institute of Technology (CIT), Phone Solutions and Computer
abling Connection Network System Integrator
You could announce the partnership between CIT and two private firms, Phone Solutions and
Computer Cabling Connection Network System Integrator, to improve the
telecommunications system across the Navajo Nation, an area the size of West Virginia. CIT
initially will develop a call center in Crownpoint, New Mexico, before expanding to a high
technological telecommunications system and offering high-tech telecommunications
services throughout the Navajo Nation. The call center portion of the project is being
conducted and will be managed by a corporation known as UCMS.
'e are currently working on the following additional commitments that you could also announce
this stop:
Commitments from e-commerce companies that could work with Native American
entrepreneurs and help them create websites and e-businesses.
Commitments from the private sector to upgrade equipment and training (i.e. e-commerce
training) to SBA's Tribal Business Information Centers (TBICs).
�o
jtroit, Michigan
e aware, in the last few months Ford Motor Company took the lead in providing Home Access
ing computers and low-cost Internet to its employees. Detroit provides a good urban setting to
areas that are in need of access to technology and to demonstrate the way the people's
lives can be enhanced by it.
essage: Importance of Home Access, Community Technology Centers (CTC) and
eighborhood Networks
You could use this first event to emphasize the need for access to technology and the skills to
use it. While universal home access is our goal, it is essential that those without it do not get
left behind. Community Technology Centers and the Neighborhood Networks program help
provide access to computers and the Internet to people in many communities who would not
otherwise be using technology.
jtential Site Visits and Events
You could take a tour of a Neighborhood Network site or a CTC and highlight the
importance of access to technology for adults, both by using Computer Technology Centers
for job searches, training and the development of microenterprise as well as though employee
commitments to provide home access to their employees.
ey Commitments for Detroit Event
ome Access
We are currently working with a major PC company to see if there are other large employers,
both in the manufacturing and service industries, that would be willing to match the
commitments made earlier this year by the Ford Motor Company and Delta Airlines. By
focusing on the service industry, we would be able to show the benefits of such an effort to
lower income workers. We could announce this commitment and highlight the efforts of
Ford and Delta. Ford is a good example of a company making the transition from the
industrial age to a technology-based "e-business."
•iC Communications
We are also talking to SBC Communications about providing high-speed Internet access to
CTCs and Neighborhood Networks.
epartment of Housing and Urban Development
You could announce the doubling of HUD's Neighborhood Networks centers from 500 to
1000 over the next two years. As you know, the Neighborhood Networks program is a
community-based initiative that encourages the development of resource and computer
learning centers in HUD-assisted and/or-insured housing.
�You could also announce a new public-private partnership between HUD, Communities in
Schools (CIS) and Cisco Systems to bring IT job opportunities to 10 underserved
communities (including a location in Indian country), including a possible site in Detroit.
Cisco Systems will commit $1 million to work with HUD and CIS to expand its Networking
Academy program to serve youth and their families in public housing. Neighborhood
Network sites, Indian country, Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities.
apartment of Education's Community Technology Center Grants
You could announce the Department of Education's grants for Community Technology
Centers totaling $32.5 million.
ural Community in North Carolina
rolina provides a good forum for addressing the broadband issue because it is a largely rural
lile North Carolina still has a significant number of communities that have not benefited from
in technology, its leadership has expressed a strong commitment to address the needs of its
alation.
Message: Need for Broadband Technology in Rural Communities
This event provides you with an opportunity to highlight the benefits of broadband as a way
to provide access to rural communities. It is also a forum for you to recognize the importance
of broadband networks to rural economic development, distance learning and telemedicine.
As you know, Erskine Bowles has led a Rural Prosperity Task Force. The key conclusion of
the Task Force was that broadband is critical to the economic future of rural North Carolina.
otential Site Visits and Events
You could visit a site that is linked up with the North Carolina Information Highway, a highspeed network that was created by Governor Jim Hunt.
ey Commitments for North Carolina
ualcomm
QUALCOMM has agreed to deploy wireless broadband Internet technology that will provide
wireless broadband Internet access for people living in areas that are currently not served by
DSL or cable modems.
ational Science Foundation (NSF)
You could announce that NSF plans to invest $10 million in FY2001 funds for research for
next generation broadband technology. Technological breakthroughs could accelerate the
deployment of broadband networks in rural areas.
�11A Keport
You could announce NTIA's report "Advanced Telecommunications Capabilities in Rural
Areas." The report shows that rural regions may be falling behind urban areas in the
development of broadband networks.
SPA
You could direct the Department of Agriculture to expand its program for rural
telecommunications to make it easier for companies to obtain loan guarantees for broadband
networks.
gree with the trip as proposed?
ES
O
ISCUSS FURTHER
�/
Rachael F. Goldfarb
03/20/2000 01:33:01 PM
Type:
Record
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
: New Markets Update
not be having a meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 21st. However, we have a couple things you
d some assistance on.
mately, site selection has not yet been finalized. However, there are a few new cities to add to the
tie new Urban Site
ipolis and St. Paul, MN
ile new Rural/Native Sites
'ille, Indiana
n Massachusettes
I Appalachia Region, VA
i (re: Native Americans)
look into any possible new, unannounced ideas for the trip and forward them to us as soon as
e. As always, the sooner the better. Also, if any one has some good ideas for possible venues in
orth Carolina that fit with the theme of bringing technology to rural areas-we would like to hear
JU as well.
', we must be informed of any possible vetting problems/issues regarding the above sites
:LL AS the original set of sites we provided you. Again, we want to make sure that we are fully
of any and all issues with any of these potential sites prior to making a final selection. So please
3 us with information, either way on all of the possible sites we have talked about no later than
omorrow (Tuesday, March 21). Just so you have it all in one place here are the all the potential
(ill being considered:
)le Urban Sites
alo Alto, CA
i, MA
and, OH
, Ml
^polis/St. Paul, MN
Jle Native American Sites
lexico
a
�ile Rural Sites
Carolina
'ille, IN
na
/Ivania
n Massachusettes
Appalachia Region, VA
aquin Valley, CA
:gain, we appreciate all of your efforts and patience. We will keep you posted regarding the sites
y future meetings this week.
you.
;e Sent To:
�Draft 7/6/99 7:00 p.m.
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS ON NEW MARKETS TO THE PEOPLE OF PINE RIDGE
PINE RIDGE, SD
July 1,1999
Thank you for making me feel so in welcome Pine Ridge and in the Lakota Nation. In fact, 1
feel so welcome, I'm going to ask for your indulgence. There's something I want to say to you in
Lakota: Mee-DAH-koo oh-YAH-seen. My neighbors, my friends, "we are all related."
Acknowledge: Pres. Sal way: the more than 50 other tribal leaders who are here today to
attend HUD's Shared Visions conference. I'd like to ask all of you to stand. Let me say a word
about the historic conference they're attending. Sec. Cuomo had the vision to say, "We must hold
our economic development conference on an Indian reservation." I want to thank him for drawing
the attention of the nation to Indian Country. Sec. Glickman. who has just launched the Pine Ridge
EZ, the nation's first EZ on an Indian Reservation; Asst. Sec. of Interior Kevin Goyer; Lynn Cutler:
Sen. Daschle; Sen. Johnson: Rep. Thune; Gov. Janklow. who couldn't be here today; Fannie Mae
CEO Franklin Raines: Norwest CEO Mark Oman: PMI Pres. Roger Haughton: Mortgage Bankers
Assoc. Pres. Don Lang, Champion Homes CEO Walter Young: AmeriCorps members; Geraldine
Blue Bird, who was kind enough to open up her home to me.
I will never forget the day in 1994 when I had to the chance to welcome the leaders of every
American Indian tribe to the White House. I've been wanting to come to Indian Country ever since.
I've been told that I'm the first U.S. President to come to Pine Ridge since Calvin Coolidge ... the
first to visit any Indian reservation since Franklin Roosevelt. Well, it's about time.
But our meeting, I hope, will have much more than just historic value. I have come here
today with corporate and political leaders from across the country with very practical goals. We are
here to help you spark opportunity. We are here to help you build homes. We are here to help you
create jobs. We are here to say to you: As America races forward into the 21* century, we cannot
leave Indian Country behind.
We are also here to say to every corporate leader in America: It is time to invest in Indian
Country. As you look for new markets and new workers, look in Indian Country. Here you will
find enormous untapped potential. Here you will find entrepreneurs with energy and good ideas. In
Indian Country there is profit to be made and good to be done. Indian Country is a market America
should not - and must not - ignore.
These are times of great hope in America. Our economy is strong and growing stronger. As
it expands, it benefits more and more of our people. Paychecks are growing. African-American and
Hispanic unemployment are at record lows. In the past six years, our rising tide has lifted more than
a million children out of poverty.
Still, there are communities where unemployment and poverty are far too high and hope is
far too scarce. Here in Pine Ridge, as well as in many other parts of Indian Country, the statistics -
�not to mention the human stories behir.d them - arc very hard to hear. But 1 am glad that President
Salway shared them. America must understand what kind of need we have in our midst even at this
time of growing prosperity.
Yes, America should be prouc that opportunity is starting to flow to millions of people
who have been cut off from the econc mic mainsUeam. But when there are reservations with few
phones and no banks, we know we mast do more. When we see three families forced to share
two simple rooms, we know we must do more. When there are communities where deadly
diseases and infant mortality run at many times the national rate, we simply must do more.
Now is our nation's very fines t chance. Our economy is growing. Our confidence is
soaring. Now is the moment to bring the hope of a good job and quality health care and decent
housing to every corner of this nation - from Indian Country to the Mississippi Delta, from inner
cities to the smallest rural towns. If we can't lift up our distressed communities now, when in the
world will we do it? Now is the time for the private sector to look for opportunity a few exits off
the beaten path. Now is the time to rise up to America's greatest moral challenge -- creating
opportunity for all.
We in government will do our part -- not by coming in with all the answers, not by letting
people fend for themselves. We will serve as a catalyst and a partner. We will not dictate from on
high. We want to help each community reach its own vital goals.
Nowhere is this more importapt than in Indian Country. As President, I have worked very
hard to honor tribal sovereignty, as ve strengthen our government-to-government relationships,
Long ago, many of your ancestors gave up land, water, and mineral rights in exchange for peace,
security, health care, and education f om the federal government. It is a solemn pact. And while
the government did not live up to its side of the bargain in the past, we can and we must honor it
today and into the new millennium.
I know there are enormous ne zds in Indian Country - basic needs like clean water and
telephone service and decent homes. Tribal leaders, including President Salway, made these
needs very clear to me two months aio at the White House ~ and I have seen many of these needs
today. I know that our efforts to attrtct private sector investment will amount to very little if we
do not help you meet these fundamental needs right from the start.
There's no more crucial build ng block of a strong community and a promising future than
a solid home. So today, I am pleasec to announce a series of ways the government and private
sector are going to team up to increas< homeownership throughout Indian Country. For example,
private mortgage lenders like Bank of America, Norwest, Banc One, and Washington Mutual are
going to work with the Mortgage Ban cers Association and the Department of Housing and Urban
Development to more than double the number of government-insured or -guaranteed home
mortgages in Indian Country each of the next three years. Here in Pine Ridge, Fannie Mae has set
aside millions of dollars to help you buy homes at below-market rates. And thanks to Sec. Cuomo's
leadership, the Partnership for Housing is providing much-needed financial assistance and
counseling to help families realize thelir dream of owning a home.
�We must build on the foundation of homeownership with meaningful economic
development. Because no community n America should be without safe running water and sewer
systems, the Department of Agriculture will invest nearly $16 million in water projects throughout
Indian Country, including two projects here in Pine Ridge. The Department of Energy will help you
harness the power and profits of wind <nd solar energy. Owens Corning and the North American
Steel Framing Alliance will provide sk lis training and the promise of quality jobs.
We must help Indian Country c )nnect with the world. Citibank and Gateway will work with
Oglala Lakota College and other schoo s to help Native American students learn the computer skills
that will allow them secure 21st centur 'jobs. And the Federal Communications Commission will
work with you to improve telephone service throughout Indian Country -- an absolute prerequisite
for attracting new business.
We must seize the vast potentia of tourism here in Pine Ridge bv building a Lakota Sioux
Heritage Cultural Center. Every year rjiillions of families travel long distances to see Mt.
Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and Badlands National Park. When we build the new tribal
center, they will come here too.
These commitments are only ths beginning. Through this visit, all of America will see the
promise here in Indian Country. And I jelieve that Members of Congress from both parties will
understand why I am working so hard to increase our commitment to your future. I believe they
will join with us to give you the tools t ) attract more businesses and create more private-sector jobs.
In April of 1968, Robert Kenneldycame to Pine Ridge. Many tribe members have indelible
memories of that visit. They remember Bobby Kennedy seeking medical care for a sick child lying
in the back seat of an abandoned car. Tiey remember that he wouldn't begin an important meeting
until all the tribe elders were given proper seats. The remember his message of hope.
Today, if we all work together we can renew that hope. We can renew the pride. Now is
the time. Will you help me seize this moment? Together, we must shine the light of opportunity
in Indian Country. The two million m embers of tribal nations are a vital part of today's America.
They must be an even more vital part of tomorrow's America. My neighbors, my friends, we are all
related. God bless you. God bless the Lakota Nation. God bless America.
###
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•iPrtviou* Document 2 of 132.
A'&VI>
Copyright 1999 The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
July 8,1999, Thursday, Home Edition
SECTION: CityLife Atlanta (Extra); Pg. 7JD
LENGTH: 601 words
HEADLINE: Fit for a president;
Popularity surge: Specialty cheesecake has been flying off Sweet Auburn Curb Market shelves since
Clinton's visit.
BYLINE: Kimberly H. Byrd, Staff
SOURCE: AJC
BODY:
When he was in town two months ago, President Bill Clinton stopped by the Sweet Auburn Curb
Market and had a profound impact. Not only did he put the 81-year-old Edgewood Avenue building on
the map for those not familiar with it. but he also reminded countless Atlantans that it's here and open
for business.
Ruby Jones, property manager for the market, said foot traffic has increased, telephone inquiries from
potential vendors are rising and people are calling from across the country wanting more information
about the market's offerings.
"The president's visit was a positive turning point for the market," Jones said. "It sparked a renewed
interest, and it's helping the market get to its next plateau."
Clinton came to Atlanta to talk with business representatives at the market about his "new markets"
strategy, which is designed to encourage businesses and financial institutions to invest in depressed,
underserved communities such as rural areas and the inner city. The market was chosen because it
benefited from nearly $ 5 million in federal loans in 1994.
During his visit, Clinton chatted with the 31 vendors who peddle assorted produce and wares at the Curb
Market and applauded their entrepreneurial spirit. He accepted fruit baskets, sipped on coffee and
sampled a slice of sweet potato cheesecakefromthe Sweet Auburn Bread Co., owned and operated by
Robert and Sonya Jones.
Since then, the cheesecake, which sells for $ 1.75 a slice and $ 11.99 for a whole cake, has earned a
national reputation that Sonya Jones never anticipated.
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"It was pretty popular before," Sonya Jones said, "but it's been phenomenal since the president endorsed
it."
For days after Clinton's visit, Sonya and Robert Jones baked 40 to 50 sweet potato cheesecakes a day
and that still wasn't enough to satisfy the appetites of market newcomers seeking what Clinton had had.
"Having him here was a blessing," Robert Jones said. "He more or less put us on the map."
The Joneses opened the full-service bakery nearly two years ago, serving up assorted breads and
traditional Southern desserts, including sweet potato pie, buttermilk poundcake and chess pie varieties.
Carlita Booker, who has worked in downtown Atlanta for years, is among those Atlantans who got
reacquainted with the market after Clinton's visit.
"I had not stepped foot in here since they remodeled," Booker said, moments after making her weekly
sweet potato cheesecake purchase. "After I heard the president mention it, I said, 'let me come and see
what they've done in here.' Now I'm in here every week to get the cheesecake, and sometimes I stop by
to eat lunch."
The facility opened as an open air market in 1918 and was called Municipal Market. It was rebuilt in
1923 and remodeled in 1994, when it was renamed the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Its vendors, some of
whom have been therefromthe beginning, sell assorted vegetables, seafood and produce, including pigs'
feet, ham hocks and cows' ears. There are restaurants and a drugstore.
Because many Atlantans thought the market had closed, Jones attributes to Clinton the recent
diversification of the customer base and the four new vendors set to come on board. In the coming
months, she also hopes to bring in a wine and cheese shop and persuade vendors to expand their
offerings to include such meats as lamb, veal and smoked salmon.
Charles Johnson. president of the Sweet Auburn Business and Improvement Association, pondered for a
moment the impact Clinton had had on the curb market and said, "The president gave the market the
boost it needed."
GRAPHIC: Photo
In demand: Sonya Jones, co-owner of the Sweet Auburn Bread Co., shows off some of the cheesecakes
she and her husband have been baking up in huge quantities since President Clinton came by for some,
"It was pretty popular before, but it's been phenomenal since the president endorsed it," she says. / NICK
ARROYO / Staff
Photo
Taking the cake: Sonya Jones watches as President Clinton samples her sweet potato cheesecake at the
Sweet Auburn Curb Market in May. / DAVID TULIS / Staff
LOAD-DATE: July 8, 1999
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To:
Ellen E. Olcott
04/04/2000 04:13:36 PM
Record
See the distribution list at the bottom of this message
cc:
Subject: 2000-4/4 POTUS remarks on digital divide
THE WHITE HOUSE
O f f i c e o f t h e Press S e c r e t a r y
For Immediate Release
A p r i l 4, 2000
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT DIGITAL DIVIDE KICK-OFF
The East Room
3:04 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you v e r y much. F i r s t o f a l l , J u l i a n ,
I thank you f o r your i n t r o d u c t i o n , f o r your remarks and, m o s t l y ,
f o r t h e power o f your example. I f i n d v e r y o f t e n when we do
these events i n t h e White House, by t h e t i m e I g e t up t o t a l k ,
e v e r y t h i n g t h a t needs t o be s a i d has a l r e a d y been s a i d . And I
c e r t a i n l y thank you.
I want t o thank you, Senator Barbara M i k u l s k i , f o r b e i n g t h e
f i r s t member o f Congress t o t a l k t o me about t h e d i g i t a l d i v i d e .
And once I r e a l i z e d you were i n t e r e s t e d i n i t , I stopped w o r r y i n g
about whether we would address i t -- ( l a u g h t e r ) -- because no one
w i l l ever say "no" t o t h e Senate's spark p l u g o f energy.
I want
t o thank S e c r e t a r y Herman f o r h e r s u p p o r t . And, S e c r e t a r y
Glickman, thank you f o r b e i n g here. H a r r i s W o f f o r d , t h e l e a d e r
of o u r n a t i o n a l s e r v i c e movement; and Gene S p e r l i n g , my N a t i o n a l
Economic A d v i s o r , who has pushed t h i s whole d i g i t a l d i v i d e i s s u e
so p a s s i o n a t e l y .
I want t o thank t h e members o f Congress who a r e here. Over
t o my l e f t . Senator John Breaux, my n e i g h b o r , from t h e
M i s s i s s i p p i D e l t a , where we a r e v e r y i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e p o t e n t i a l
�o f t h e computer and the I n t e r n e t . And we j u s t had a l a r g e
d e l e g a t i o n o f House members t h a t have come i n -- they've been
v o t i n g and I'm g l a d t h e y ' r e here.
I hope I have a l l t h e i r names,
but I ' d l i k e t o i n t r o d u c e them: R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Maxine Waters,
R e p r e s e n t a t i v e B a r t Stupak, R e p r e s e n t a t i v e E l l e n Tauscher,
Representative L u c i l l e Roybal-Allard, Representative S i l v e s t r e
Reyes, R e p r e s e n t a t i v e John Larson, R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Eddie B e r n i c e
Johnson, R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Zoe L o f g r e n , R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Ruben
H i n o j o s a . Thank you a l l f o r b e i n g here.
(Applause.)
D i d I get
everybody? Thank you. And E l i j a h Cummings, from Maryland -he's on t h e f r o n t row.
I ' d a l s o l i k e t o thank Governor Angus King, from Maine, f o r
b e i n g here. He i s w o r k i n g t o c r e a t e an endowment f u n d i n Maine
t o p r o v i d e p o r t a b l e computers and I n t e r n e t access t o a l l 7 t h
g r a d e r s , so t h e y can a c t u a l l y be taken home.
There are many o t h e r d i s t i n g u i s h e d Americans here who have
worked on t h i s .
Bob Johnson, the head o f BET, thank you f o r
b e i n g here. And I want t o acknowledge t h e presence o f former
Governor o f West V i r g i n i a , Gaston Caperton, now t h e head o f t h e
C o l l e g e Board. West V i r g i n i a , under h i s l e a d e r s h i p , was t h e
f i r s t s t a t e t o p r o v i d e computer access t o a l l elementary s c h o o l
s t u d e n t s . So we're g l a d t o have you here, s i r . And I thank you
a l l f o r b e i n g here.
I want t o t a l k about what we're d o i n g now as we s e t t h e
stage f o r t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n ' s t h i r d New Markets t o u r , which w i l l
b e g i n i n t h e week o f A p r i l the 16th. But b e f o r e I b e g i n , I would
l i k e t o acknowledge two v e r y i m p o r t a n t developments y e s t e r d a y i n
America's ongoing f i g h t t o p r o t e c t our c h i l d r e n from t h e dangers
o f guns f a l l i n g i n t o t h e hands o f c r i m i n a l s and c h i l d r e n -- one
o f them i n Senator M i k u l s k i ' s home s t a t e o f Maryland.
Last n i g h t I c a l l e d Governor Glendenning and L i e u t e n a n t
Governor K a t h l e e n Kennedy Townsend t o c o n g r a t u l a t e them and t h e
Maryland L e g i s l a t u r e f o r p a s s i n g l e g i s l a t i o n r e q u i r i n g b u i l t - i n
c h i l d s a f e t y l o c k s on new handguns, b a l l i s t i c s t e s t i n g f o r new
guns, and s a f e t y t r a i n i n g f o r gun p u r c h a s e r s . And y e s t e r d a y ,
Massachusetts began e n f o r c i n g tougher consumer p r o d u c t s a f e t y
r u l e s , banning j u n k guns and r e q u i r i n g t r i g g e r l o c k s . Next week,
I'm g o i n g out t o Colorado t o support a c i t i z e n b a l l o t i n i t i a t i v e
t h e r e t h a t would c l o s e the gun show l o o p h o l e .
These are a l l g r e a t e f f o r t s , and I t h i n k i t ' s w o r t h p o i n t i n g
out t h a t t h e y are b i p a r t i s a n e f f o r t s i n these s t a t e s .
(Applause.)
Colorado, f o r example, Republican r e g i s t r a t i o n has
gone up i n t h e l a s t s i x o r seven y e a r s , and t h i s b a l l o t
i n i t i a t i v e today i s overwhelmingly i n t h e l e a d on t h e b a l l o t .
So
t h i s s h o u l d not be a p a r t i s a n i s s u e i n Washington, D.C. i f i t i s
not a p a r t i s a n i s s u e i n the r e s t o f the c o u n t r y .
And a g a i n , I say, I c h a l l e n g e the Congress t o send me
common-sense gun s a f e t y l e g i s l a t i o n by A p r i l 2 0 t h , t h e
the
�a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e Columbine t r a g e d y . We have t o c l o s e t h e gun
show l o o p h o l e and r e q u i r e c h i l d s a f e t y l o c k s and ban t h e
i m p o r t a t i o n o f l a r g e - s c a l e ammunition c l i p s t h a t make o u r a s s a u l t
weapons ban a mockery. I t r e q u i r e s n a t i o n a l l e g i s l a t i o n , as
well.
So c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o Maryland and Massachusetts, and I
thank t h e people i n Colorado, b u t we s t i l l have t o do o u r j o b
here.
Now, I cannot imagine a b e t t e r p l a c e f o r us t o k i c k o f f o u r
next c h a p t e r i n t h e New Markets e f f o r t t h a n here i n t h e East Room
-- f o r i t was i n t h i s v e r y room n e a r l y two c e n t u r i e s ago t h a t
Thomas J e f f e r s o n and h i s p e r s o n a l a i d e , Meriwether Lewis, l a i d
maps on t h i s f l o o r t o c h a r t t h e Lewis & C l a r k e x p e d i t i o n :
Today, we a r e here a g a i n t o c h a r t a new e x p e d i t i o n , t o open
new f r o n t i e r s o f p o s s i b i l i t i e s f o r America -- t h e d i g i t a l
frontiers.
Our m i s s i o n i s t o open t h a t f r o n t i e r t o a l l
Americans, r e g a r d l e s s o f income, e d u c a t i o n , geography, d i s a b i l i t y
o r r a c e . T h i s i s a f o r t u n a t e time f o r t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s .
We
have t h e s t r o n g e s t economy i n o u r h i s t o r y ; t h e lowest A f r i c a n
American and H i s p a n i c unemployment r a t e s on r e c o r d ; t h e lowest
female unemployment r a t e i n 4 0 y e a r s .
But we a l l know t h e r e a r e people and p l a c e s t h a t have been
l e f t behind.
Over t h e l a s t year I have t r a v e l e d t o many o f these
places.
I have been t o Appalachia and t h e M i s s i s s i p p i D e l t a , t o
t h e i n n e r c i t i e s o f Newark and Watts, t o t h e Pine Ridge I n d i a n
R e s e r v a t i o n i n South Dakota.
Every p l a c e I have gone I have seen how we c o u l d do more t o
b r i n g t h e b e n e f i t s o f f r e e e n t e r p r i s e and empowerment, w i t h
p r i v a t e s e c t o r and community o r g a n i z a t i o n c o o p e r a t i o n -- f o r new
businesses, new jobs,, new t r a i n i n g and e d u c a t i o n t h a t w i l l make a
r e a l d i f f e r e n c e i n people's l i v e s .
I want you t o understand t h a t w h i l e most people t a l k about
t h e d i g i t a l d i v i d e -- and i t i s r e a l and i t c o u l d g e t worse -- I
b e l i e v e t h a t t h e computer and t h e I n t e r n e t g i v e us a chance t o
move more people o u t o f p o v e r t y more q u i c k l y t h a n a t any t i m e i n
a l l o f human h i s t o r y . That's what I b e l i e v e . (Applause.) But
i t won't happen by a c c i d e n t . W e ' l l have t o work t o make i t
happen.
On t h i s upcoming New Markets t o u r , we w i l l focus
s p e c i f i c a l l y on how t o p o o l resources t o h e l p communities g e t
access t o and t a k e best advantage o f t h e t o o l s o f t h e I n f o r m a t i o n
Age.
We w i l l v i s i t your hometown o f East Palo A l t o , a community
where 20 p e r c e n t o f t h e r e s i d e n t s s t i l l l i v e below t h e p o v e r t y
l i n e , t o show t h a t even i n t h e h e a r t o f S i l i c o n V a l l e y t h e r e i s
s t i l l a s u b s t a n t i a l d i g i t a l d i v i d e -- b u t t h a t t h i n g s a r e b e i n g
done about i t .
We w i l l v i s i t Shiprock, New Mexico, a s m a l l town i n t h e
Navajo N a t i o n , t o demonstrate t h e unique c h a l l e n g e s f a c e d by
�g e o g r a p h i c a l l y remote I n d i a n r e s e r v a t i o n s . I w i l l speak a t t h e
i n f l u e n t i a l Comdex Conference i n Chicago, where I ' l l t a l k t o
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f every major computer and I n t e r n e t company i n
America, and ask them t o j o i n o u r cause.
And t h e n t h e f o l l o w i n g week I w i l l go t o N o r t h C a r o l i n a ,
where we w i l l d i s c u s s t h e importance o f c o n n e c t i n g r u r a l America
t o t h e same high-speed broad-band networks now p r o l i f e r a t i n g i n
m e t r o p o l i t a n areas.
On a l l these s t o p s , I w i l l make t h e case t h a t new
t e c h n o l o g i e s can be an i n c r e d i b l e t o o l o f empowerment i n s c h o o l s ,
homes, businesses, community c e n t e r s and every o t h e r p a r t o f o u r
c i v i c l i f e , a r g u i n g t h a t i f we work t o g e t h e r t o c l o s e t h e d i g i t a l
d i v i d e , t e c h n o l o g y can be t h e g r e a t e s t e q u a l i z i n g f o r c e o u r
s o c i e t y o r any o t h e r has ever known.
Imagine i f computers and I n t e r n e t c o n n e c t i o n s were as common
i n e v e r y community as telephones a r e today; i f a l l t e a c h e r s had
t h e s k i l l s t o open s t u d e n t s ' eyes and minds t o t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s
of new t e c h n o l o g i e s ; i f every s m a l l business i n every r u r a l town
c o u l d j o i n worldwide markets once r e s e r v e d f o r t h e most p o w e r f u l
c o r p o r a t i o n s -- j u s t imagine what America c o u l d be.
Let me say -- f i r s t o f a l l I see Congressman J e f f e r s o n and
Congressman Rush and Congresswoman S h e i l a Jackson Lee. There may
be o t h e r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s , b u t as t h e y come i n , I ' l l t r y t o
acknowledge them. There's a t o n o f i n t e r e s t i n t h i s .
L e t me g i v e you an example. You know, I j u s t g o t back from
I n d i a , a c o u n t r y o f 900 m i l l i o n people w i t h a p e r c a p i t a income
of $450. We t h i n k we have c h a l l e n g e s . But I saw what you c o u l d
do t h e r e t o c l o s e t h e d i g i t a l d i v i d e , t o use t e c h n o l o g y i n an
a f f i r m a t i v e way.
I went t o a l i t t l e v i l l a g e i n Rajasthan c a l l e d Nayla -t y p i c a l low-income I n d i a n v i l l a g e . And i n t h e p u b l i c b u i l d i n g ,
t h e v i l l a g e ' s p u b l i c b u i l d i n g , t h e r e i s a computer w i t h s o f t w a r e
where t h e programs a r e i n b o t h E n g l i s h and H i n d i , and can be
adapted t o o t h e r l o c a l languages, as t h e case may be. And t h e
f i r s t t h i n g I saw was a mother who had j u s t g i v e n b i r t h t o a
c h i l d come i n . And t h e y have a l l t h e p u b l i c i n f o r m a t i o n from t h e
f e d e r a l and s t a t e government on t h i s computer.
So she goes -- she b r i n g s up t h e H e a l t h Department's page on
newborn b a b i e s . And t h e r e ' s so much v i s u a l -- t h e r e ' s such a
good v i s u a l component t o t h i s s o f t w a r e t h a t you c o u l d be almost
i l l i t e r a t e and s t i l l work i t . And she i d e n t i f i e s t h e
i n s t r u c t i o n s t h a t any new mother might want t o have, and t h e n she
pushes a few b u t t o n s , and t h e r e ' s a p r i n t e r .
She p r i n t s i t o u t ,
and she now has i n f o r m a t i o n j u s t as good as she c o u l d g e t i f h e r
baby were b o r n a t t h e Georgetown Medical Center here, and she
were g o i n g home.
�Then I met w i t h t h i s Women's D a i r y Cooperative -- keep i n
mind, i n t h i s l i t t l e v i l l a g e i n I n d i a , where every t r a n s a c t i o n ,
every t i m e t h e y brought m i l k i n , i t was a l l e n t e r e d on t h e
computer, what t h e f a t c o n t e n t was, what t h e volume was, what t h e
p r i c e was. And every time t h e m i l k was s o l d , i t was e n t e r e d , so
t h a t t h e y g o t a r e g u l a r computerized r e c o r d o f n o t o n l y what t h e y
had p u t i n , b u t what t h e y g o t o u t .
Then I went t o Hyderabad, which i s s o r t o f a h i g h - t e c h
c e n t e r o f I n d i a . But i n t h a t whole s t a t e , you can now g e t 18
p u b l i c s e r v i c e s on t h e computer, on t h e I n t e r n e t . Nobody goes t o
a Revenue O f f i c e t o buy t h e i r l i c e n s e anymore; you can g e t a
d r i v e r ' s l i c e n s e on t h e I n t e r n e t . Now, Governor, i f you do t h a t ,
you can be governor f o r l i f e .
T h e y ' l l r e p e a l t h e term l i m i t s ,
repeal everything.
(Laughter.)
My p o i n t i s t h a t you can see t h e p o t e n t i a l o f t h i s f o r even
t h e p o o r e s t people i n t h e w o r l d i s t r u l y e x p l o s i v e . That's why
we want these 1,000 computer c e n t e r s o u t t h e r e , because we don't
want t o w a i t even f o r a l l t h e schools t o do t h i s r i g h t . We want
a d u l t s i n r u r a l areas, i n i s o l a t e d areas, i n poor areas, t o be
a b l e t o come i n and access t h e same s o r t o f s e r v i c e s , and use
them, and g e t t h e same s o r t o f i n f o r m a t i o n and access.
The p o t e n t i a l o f t h i s i s t r u l y s t a g g e r i n g . We need n o t see
t h e d i g i t a l d i v i d e as a t h r e a t .
I t i s the greatest opportunity
t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s o f America has ever had t o l i f t people o u t o f
p o v e r t y and ignorance.
(Applause.)
But I w i l l say again, i f you l o o k a t t h e whole h i s t o r y o f
economic development, whenever t h e r e ' s a change i n t h e paradigm,
t h e r e ' s a d i v i d e t h a t opens, because some people a r e
w e l l - p o s i t i o n e d t o t a k e advantage o f t h e new economy. I t
happened when we moved from b e i n g an a g r i c u l t u r a l n a t i o n t o an
i n d u s t r i a l n a t i o n . Some people a r e w e l l p o s i t i o n e d t o t a k e
advantage o f i t , and o t h e r s a r e n ' t . So new d i v i d e s always open
when t h e dominant way o f making a l i v i n g i n any s o c i e t y changes.
But t h i s empowerment t o o l g i v e s us a chance n o t o n l y t o
c l o s e t h e d i v i d e q u i c k l y , b u t t o a c t u a l l y l i f t poor people i n a
way t h a t has never b e f o r e been p o s s i b l e .
I j u s t g o t back from N o r t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a , and I l e a r n e d t h a t
now -- I met w i t h some people from a l o t o f d i f f e r e n t computer
companies, b u t t h e people from e-Bay t o l d me t h a t t h e r e a r e now
30,000 p e o p l e - p l u s , making a l i v i n g j u s t t r a d i n g on e-Bay, n o t
w o r k i n g f o r t h e company, and t h a t many o f them used t o be on
w e l f a r e . So i t ' s i m p o r t a n t t h a t we see t h i s n o t o n l y f o r t h e
problem i t p r e s e n t s , b u t f o r t h e phenomenal o p p o r t u n i t y t h a t i t
presents.
I m p o r t a n t t h a t we see i t n o t o n l y as a way t o c l o s e a gap so
people don't f a l l f u r t h e r behind, b u t a way t o g i v e people a t o o l
t h a t w i l l enable them t o l e a p f u r t h e r ahead. But a g a i n , I say,
�i t won't happen by a c c i d e n t . I t r e q u i r e s government, b u s i n e s s ,
educators, l i b r a r i a n s , c i v i l r i g h t s , r e l i g i o u s leaders, l a b o r
u n i o n l e a d e r s -- thank you, Mr. B a r r , f o r b e i n g here today -community-based o r g a n i z a t i o n s , f o u n d a t i o n s , v o l u n t e e r s .
Everybody has g o t t o work t o g e t h e r .
Today, I want t o i s s u e a n a t i o n a l c a l l f o r a c t i o n on d i g i t a l
o p p o r t u n i t y , t o h e l p us achieve two v i t a l l y i m p o r t a n t g o a l s .
F i r s t , t o b r i n g 21st c e n t u r y l e a r n i n g t o o l s t o every s c h o o l .
That means we have t o f i n i s h t h e j o b o f c o n n e c t i n g every
classroom t o t h e I n t e r n e t , e n s u r i n g t h a t a l l s t u d e n t s have access
t o m u l t i - m e d i a computers, c r e a t i n g more h i g h q u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n a l
s o f t w a r e , h e l p i n g a l l t e a c h e r s l e a r n how t o make t h e best use o f
these t o o l s . And t h i s i s v e r y i m p o r t a n t .
Again, I want t o thank t h e members o f Congress here who have
s u p p o r t e d o u r e f f o r t s i n t h e a f t e r m a t h o f t h e Telecommunications
Act o f 1996, t o c r e a t e t h e E - r a t e , which has made i t p o s s i b l e f o r
t h e s c h o o l s , no m a t t e r how poor t h e y a r e , t o have access t o t h e
Internet.
(Applause.)
The second g o a l i s t o expand e f f o r t s f a r beyond o u r s c h o o l s ,
t o g i v e every c i t i z e n I n t e r n e t access a t home, by b r i n g i n g
t e c h n o l o g y c e n t e r s and high-speed networks t o every s i n g l e
community; by h e l p i n g a d u l t s t o g a i n t h e s k i l l s t o compete f o r
I.T. j o b s ; and i n s p i r i n g more people t o a p p r e c i a t e t h e g r e a t
v a l u e o f g e t t i n g on l i n e .
Today i s t h e opening o f t h i s n a t i o n a l c a l l t o a c t i o n . More
t h a n 400 o r g a n i z a t i o n s a l r e a d y have s i g n e d t h e pledge, and t h i s
i s j u s t the beginning.
For t h e r e s t o f t h e y e a r we w i l l t r y t o
i n s p i r e hundreds, indeed, thousands, more t o s i g n up. We w i l l
work w i t h Congress, across p a r t y l i n e s , t o b u i l d s u p p o r t f o r
budget and l e g i s l a t i v e i n i t i a t i v e s t o meet these g o a l s . And you
heard Senator M i k u l s k i o u t l i n e some o f them. We have t o be
w i l l i n g a t t h e n a t i o n a l l e v e l t o do our p a r t . T h i s i s a w o r t h y ,
f e d e r a l investment.
D u r i n g t h e New Markets t o u r , w e ' l l have an o p p o r t u n i t y t o
announce many commitments t i e d t o t h i s c a l l t o a c t i o n . Today,
I ' d j u s t l i k e t o r e v i e w f o u r o f them -- a l l o f them v i v i d
i l l u s t r a t i o n s o f t h e k i n d o f v i s i o n a r y p a r t n e r s h i p and
b a r n - r a i s i n g s p i r i t t h a t we a r e w o r k i n g t o f o s t e r .
F i r s t , t o r e p r i e v e something Senator M i k u l s k i mentioned,
AmeriCorps w i l l make an enormous c o n t r i b u t i o n t o c l o s i n g t h e
d i g i t a l d i v i d e by m a r s h a l l i n g t h e power o f a c t i v e c i t i z e n
v o l u n t e e r s . Thanks t o t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f Senator M i k u l s k i and
H a r r i s W o f f o r d , AmeriCorps i s c o m m i t t i n g $10 m i l l i o n t o r e c r u i t
750 new members t o serve i n a brand-new E-Corps. The E-Corps
w i l l be a l a r g e b a t t a l i o n o f v o l u n t e e r s , t r a i n e d and devoted
e x c l u s i v e l y t o p r o j e c t s l i k e p r o v i d i n g t e c h n i c a l support t o
s c h o o l systems and t e a c h i n g computer l i t e r a c y t o a d u l t s and
children.
�The C o r p o r a t i o n f o r N a t i o n a l S e r v i c e w i l l a l s o u n l e a s h t h e
power o f s t u d e n t s h e l p i n g s t u d e n t s by p r o v i d i n g funds t o a l l o w
90,000 h i g h school s t u d e n t s t o get i n v o l v e d i n d i g i t a l d i v i d e
p r o j e c t s as p a r t of t h e i r e d u c a t i o n a l c u r r i c u l u m .
Most young people I know can r u n c i r c l e s around me and most
people my age when i t comes t o computers and the I n t e r n e t .
AmeriCorps i s g o i n g t o t a p t h e i r c a p a c i t y so t h a t t h e y can h e l p
o t h e r s i n t h e i r communities t o c l o s e the d i g i t a l d i v i d e .
1
Second, t o h e l p get AmeriCorps E-Corps o f f t o a r u n n i n g
s t a r t , Yahoo w i l l donate $1 m i l l i o n i n I n t e r n e t a d v e r t i s i n g t o
a t t r a c t p o t e n t i a l E-Corps members w i t h h i g h - t e c h s k i l l s .
Third,
i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h the YWCA, 3Com i s l a u n c h i n g an i n n o v a t i v e
i n i t i a t i v e c a l l e d "NetPrep GYRLS" -- g - y - r - l - s . C u r r e n t l y l e s s
than 30 p e r c e n t -- l i s t e n t o t h i s -- l e s s than 30 p e r c e n t of our
computer s c i e n t i s t s and programmers are women. NetPrep GYRLS
w i l l h e l p t o r i g h t t h i s imbalance o f f e r i n g f r e e computer network
t r a i n i n g and c e r t i f i c a t i o n t o hundreds o f h i g h school g i r l s
across our c o u n t r y .
F o u r t h , the American L i b r a r y A s s o c i a t i o n has pledged t o
g r e a t l y expand the I n f o r m a t i o n L i t e r a c y Programs o f i t s members
i n a t l e a s t 250 communities. So t h i s i s j u s t the b e g i n n i n g , b u t
I want t o thank the people who were i n v o l v e d f o r these f o u r
initiatives.
There w i l l be many more, but I thank you v e r y much.
(Applause.)
I've heard H a r r i s W o f f o r d -- who worked w i t h M a r t i n L u t h e r
King, and who was i n Selma w i t h me the o t h e r day, and was i n
Selma 35 y e a r s ago when the f i r s t march took p l a c e -- say t h a t
making sure a l l young Americans share i n the o p p o r t u n i t y and
promise o f America i s the u n f i n i s h e d business o f t h e c i v i l r i g h t s
movement.
I t i s a p p r o p r i a t e t h a t we are meeting here on t h i s s u b j e c t
32 y e a r s t o t h e day a f t e r M a r t i n L u t h e r King was a s s a s s i n a t e d i n
Memphis. He was t h e r e w o r k i n g t o l i f t the economic f o r t u n e s o f
d i s a d v a n t a g e d people. I t h i n k i f he were w i t h us today, he would
t h e r e f o r e say c l o s i n g the d i g i t a l d i v i d e i s a r i g h t e o u s cause.
I n h i s l a s t Sunday sermon, he ended w i t h a p r a y e r t h a t s a i d ,
"God g r a n t us a l l a chance t o be p a r t i c i p a n t s i n t h e newness and
m a g n i f i c e n t development o f America." That's what t h i s i s a l l
about. We need more people J u l i a n . We need more people l i k e
you, not o n l y c l a p p i n g f o r people l i k e J u l i a n , but h e l p i n g them
t o l i v e t h e i r dreams.
We do t h a t when we h e l p young people; when we h e l p s e n i o r s
i n r u r a l America get m e d i c a l advice over the I n t e r n e t ; when we
c r e a t e t o o l s t h a t a l l o w people w i t h d i s a b i l i t i e s t o open new
doors o f p o s s i b i l i t y . We g i v e our n e i g h b o r s a chance t o
p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h i s a s t o n i s h i n g American renaissance, we have
�done something t h a t would have made Dr. King proud.
And t h e new
t e c h n o l o g y o f t h e d i g i t a l age g i v e s us a chance t o do i t f o r more
people, more q u i c k l y , more p r o f o u n d l y , t h a n a t any t i m e i n human
history.
I t ' s up t o us t o s e i z e t h a t o p p o r t u n i t y .
Thank you v e r y much.
END
Message Sent To:_
(Applause.)
3:25 P.M.
EDT
�Draft 4/4/00 10:45am
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS ON DIGITAL DIVIDE
THE WHITE HOUSE
April 4, 2000
Acknowledge: introducer Julian Lacey; Sec. Herman; Sec. Glickman; Harris Wofford;
Gene Sperling; Sens. Mikulski, Breaux, Bingaman, Dorgan, Levin, Specter; Reps. John Conyers,
Brian Baird, Carlos Romero-Barcelo, Xavier Becerra, Corrine Brown, Elijah Cummings, Harold
Ford Jr., Ruben Hinojosa, William Jefferson, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Sheila
Jackson-Lee, John Larson; Gov. Angus King, who is working to create an endowment fund in
Maine to provide portable computers and Internet access for all seventh-graders.
I am grateful to all of you for coming here to help us set the stage for our Administration's
third New Markets Tour, which we will take beginning the week of April 16th. I can't imagine a
better place to kick things off than here in the East Room. Nearly two centuries ago, Thomas
Jefferson and his personal aide Meriwether Lewis laid maps upon the floor and charted the Lewis
and Clark expedition. Today, we are here again to chart a course and to open new frontiers of
possibility for our nation. The new frontier we are exploring is the digital frontier. And our
mission is to open that frontier to all Americans - regardless of income, education, geography,
disability, or race.
We are truly fortunate to be alive at this moment in history - a time of stunning advances in
human knowledge and of unparalleled prosperity. Our economy is the strongest it has ever been with nearly 21 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the lowest AfricanAmerican and Hispanic unemployment on record.
WTiat are we to do with this momentum? Well, I say there is no better use than helping all
of our communities reap the rewards of this remarkable age. If we don't do it now, when will we
ever get around to doing it?
Over the past year, I have traveled all over the country to see communities that represent
America's new markets - from hard-pressed rural areas in Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, to
the inner cities of Newark and Watts, to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Each place I have gone,
I have seen how we can team up with the private sector and community organizations to build new
business, create new jobs, and make a real difference in people's lives.
On this upcoming New Markets tour, we will focus specifically on how we can pool our
resources to help communities get access to, and take best advantage of, the tools of the Information
Age. We will visit East Palo Alto - a community where 20 percent of the residents live below the
poverty line - to show that even in the heart of Silicon Valley there is still a substantial digital
divide. We will visit Shiprock, New Mexico, a small town in the Navajo Nation, to demonstrate the
unique challenges faced by remote Indian Reservations. I will speak at the influential Comdex
conference in Chicago, where I will address representatives of every major computer and Internet
company in America and challenge them to join this cause. And then, the following week, I will
travel to North Carolina, where we will discuss the importance of connecting rural America to the
same high-speed, broadband networks that are now proliferating in metropolitan areas.
�On all these stops, I will make the case that new technologies can be incredible tools of
empowerment in schools, homes, businesses, community centers, and in every other part of civic
life. I will argue that if we work together to close the digital divide, technology can be the greatest
equalizing force our society - or any other - has ever known. Just imagine if computers and
Internet connections were as common in every community as telephones are today ... if all teachers
had the skills to open students' eyes and minds to the possibilities of this new world of technology
... if every small business in every rural town could join worldwide markets once reserved for the
most powerful corporations. Just imagine what America could be.
But as we imagine this future, we must remember the lessons of the past. History teaches us
that even as new technologies create new opportunity, they can heighten economic inequalities and
sharpen social divisions - as we saw in the Industrial Revolution. Today we have a chance to avoid
these mistakes. We can reap the growth that comes from new technologies - and at the same time
use these technologies to eliminate, not widen, the disparities that exist.
We can do it if we all work together: governments, businesses, educators, librarians, civilrights and religious leaders, labor unions, community-based organizations, foundations, and
volunteers - the entire rich mosaic of America's civil society. That is why I am challenging all of
these groups to answer a National Call to Action for Digital Opportunity and to help us achieve two
vitally important goals.
st
The first goal is to bring 21 century learning tools into every school. That means finishing
the job of connecting every classroom to the Internet, ensuring that all students have access to
multi-media computers, creating more high-quality educational software, and helping all teachers
learn how to make the best use of these new tools. The second goal is to expand our efforts far
beyond our schools - by working to give every citizen has Internet access at home, by bringing
technology centers and high-speed networks to every community, by helping adults gain the skills
to compete for IT jobs, and inspiring more people to appreciate the great value of getting online.
Today represents the opening bugle blast for this National Call to Action. Yet more than
400 organizations have already signed on to the pledge. And this is just the beginning. For the rest
of this year, we will be working to inspire hundreds, if not thousands, more to sign up. Of course,
we'll also be working with the Congress, across party lines, to build support for budget and
legislative initiatives to meet these goals.
During our New Markets tour, we will have an opportunity to announce many public- and
private-sector commitments tied to this National Call to Action. Today, in advance of the tour, I'd
like to announce four such commitments - all of which are vivid illustrations of the kind of
visionary partnerships and barn-raising spirit that we are working to foster.
First, AmeriCorps will make an enormous contribution to closing the digital divide by
marshaling the power of active citizens. Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Mikulski, who is at the
forefront of this issue, and Harris Wofford, who so ably heads our Corporation for National Service,
AmeriCorps is committing $10 million to recruit 750 new members to serve in a brand-new ECorps. This E-Corps will be a large battalion of volunteers trained and devoted exclusively to
projects like providing technical support to school systems and teaching computer-literacy to adults
and children. The Corporation for National Service will also unleash the power of students helping
students by providing funds to allow 90,000 high school students get involved in digital divide
projects as part of their educational curriculum. Most young people I know can run circles around
�me when it comes to computers and the Internet. AmeriCorps is going to help them put those skills
to work in service to their communities.
Second, to help get AmeriCorps' E-Corps off to a running start, the Internet company
Yahoo! will donate a remarkable $1 million in Internet advertising to attract potential E-Corps
members with high-tech skills. Third, in partnership with the YWCA, 3Com is launching an
innovative initiative called NetPrep GYRLS [girls]. Currently, less than 30 percent of U.S.
computer scientists and programmers are women. NetPrep GYRLS will help to right this
imbalance, by offering free computer-network training and certification to hundreds of high-school
girls across the country. Fourth, the American Library Association has pledged to greatly expand
the information- literacy programs of its members in at least 250 communities. I thank all of these
groups for their commitments.
As my friend Harris Wofford likes to say, the effort to make sure that all young Americans
share in the opportunity and promise of America is the unfinished business of the Civil Rights
movement. So it is especially appropriate to note that it was exactly 32 years ago today that Dr.
King was assassinated and his dream put on hold. Although it takes a certain temerity to even
speculate, I believe that if Dr. King were still with us on this Earth he would view closing the digital
divide as a deeply righteous cause.
In the very last Sunday sermon of his life, Dr. King ended with this prayer: "God grant us
[all a chance to] be participants in the newness and magnificent development" of America. My
friends, that is the prayer we help to fulfill when we open the eyes of an inner-city child to the
wonders of the Internet, as Julian is doing ... when we help seniors in rural America get medical
advice over the computer from doctors hundreds of miles away ... when we create tools that allow
people with disabilities to open new doors of possibility. When we do these things, we give our
neighbors a chance to participate - and we make this righteous cause our own. Thank you and God
bless you.
###
�http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-.../oma.eop.gov.us/1998/6/9/10.text.l
THE WHITE HOUSE
O f f i c e o f t h e Press S e c r e t a r y
( L i n c o l n , Massachusetts)
For Immediate Release
June 5, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 1998 COMMENCEMENT
K i l l i a n Court
Campus o f Massachusetts I n s t i t u t e o f Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
11:55
A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Dr. Vest.
I t h i n k you're t h e r e a l
thing.
( L a u g h t e r . ) Chairman d ' A r b e l o f f , Dr. Gray, members o f t h e
C o r p o r a t i o n , t h e f a c u l t y , e s p e c i a l l y t o t h e members o f t h e Class o f 1998
and your f a m i l i e s , t h e Class o f 1948 and 1973, Mayor Duahay, members o f
the C i t y C o u n c i l . I thank t h e Brass Ensemble f o r t h e w o n d e r f u l music
before.
Let me say I am p r o f o u n d l y honored t o be here on t h e same p l a t f o r m
w i t h Dr. David Ho, and g r a t e f u l f o r t h e work he has done f o r humanity.
(Applause.)
When we met a few moments ago, i n P r e s i d e n t Vest's o f f i c e , w i t h a
number o f t h e s t u d e n t s and o t h e r o f f i c i a l s o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y , I s a i d you
had a good r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f speakers today -- t h e s c i e n t i s t s and t h e
s c i e n t i f i c a l l y challenged.
(Laughter.)
But my a d m i n i s t r a t i o n has been able t o c a r r y on i n no s m a l l
measure because o f c o n t r i b u t i o n s from MIT. S i x t e e n MIT alumni and
f a c u l t y members have served i n i m p o r t a n t p o s i t i o n s i n t h i s
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , i n c l u d i n g a t l e a s t two who are here today — t h e former
S e c r e t a r y o f t h e A i r Force, S h e i l a W i d n o l l , and t h e Deputy S e c r e t a r y o f
Energy E r n i e Monic. Four o f your f a c u l t y members and your P r e s i d e n t
have done i m p o r t a n t work f o r us. I thank them a l l .
And I come here today w i t h good news and bad news f o r t h e
graduates.
The good news i s t h a t t h i s morning we had our l a t e s t
economic r e p o r t :
unemployment i s 4.3 p e r c e n t ; t h e r e have been 16
m i l l i o n new j o b s i n t h e l a s t f i v e years; t h e r e a r e numerous j o b openings
t h a t pay w e l l .
The bad news i s t h a t you now have no excuse t o your
p a r e n t s i f you don't go t o work.
(Laughter.)
MIT i s admired around t h e w o r l d as a c r u c i b l e o f c r e a t i v e t h o u g h t ,
a f o r c e f o r p r o g r e s s , a p l a c e where dreams o f g e n e r a t i o n s become
reality.
The remarkable d i s c o v e r i e s and i n v e n t i o n s o f t h e MIT community
have t r a n s f o r m e d America. E a r l y i n your h i s t o r y , MIT was known f o r
advances i n geology and m i n i n g . By mid-century, MIT p i o n e e r e d X rays
and r a d a r . Today, i t ' s atomic l a s e r s , a r t i f i c i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e ,
b i o t e c h n o l o g y . MIT has done much t o make t h i s t h e American c e n t u r y .
And MIT w i l l do more t o make America and t h e w o r l d a b e t t e r p l a c e i n t h e
21st c e n t u r y , as we c o n t i n u e our a s t o n i s h i n g j o u r n e y t h r o u g h t h e
i n f o r m a t i o n r e v o l u t i o n — a r e v o l u t i o n t h a t began n o t as our own d i d
lof6
3/29/2000 1:06 PM
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here i n Massachusetts, w i t h a s i n g l e shot heard around the w o r l d , b u t
i n s t e a d was sparked by many c a t a l y s t s -- i n l a b s and l i b r a r i e s ,
s t a r t - u p s and b l u e c h i p s , homes and even dorm rooms across America and
around t h e w o r l d .
I come today not t o t a l k about the new marvels o f science and
e n g i n e e r i n g . You know f a r more about them than I do. I n s t e a d I come t o
MIT, an e p i c e n t e r o f t h e s e i s m i c s h i f t s i n our economy and s o c i e t y , t o
t a l k about how we can and must apply enduring American values t o t h i s
r e v o l u t i o n a r y t i m e ; about t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s we a l l have as c i t i z e n s
t o i n c l u d e every American i n the promise o f t h i s new age.
From t h e
fulfillment of
by f r e e people,
c a l l e d "a more
s t a r t , our n a t i o n ' s g r e a t e s t m i s s i o n has been t h e
our founders' v i s i o n -- o p p o r t u n i t y f o r a l l , best secured
w o r k i n g t o g e t h e r toward b e t t e r tomorrows and what t h e y
p e r f e c t union."
Americans b e l i e v e t h e spark o f p o s s i b i l i t y burns deep w i t h i n every
c h i l d , t h a t o r d i n a r y people can do e x t r a o r d i n a r y t h i n g s . Our h i s t o r y
can be understood as a c o n s t a n t s t r i v i n g on f o r e i g n f i e l d s and f a c t o r y
f l o o r s , i n town h a l l s and t h e c o r r i d o r s o f Congress, t o widen t h a t
c i r c l e o f o p p o r t u n i t y , t o deepen the meaning o f our freedom, t o p e r f e c t
our u n i o n t o make r e a l the promise o f America. Every p r e v i o u s
g e n e r a t i o n has been c a l l e d upon t o meet t h i s c h a l l e n g e . And as we
approach a new c e n t u r y and a new m i l l e n n i u m , your g e n e r a t i o n must answer
the c a l l .
You e n t e r t h e w o r l d o f your tomorrows a t a remarkable moment f o r
America. Our c o u n t r y has the lowest crime r a t e s i n 25 years, t h e
s m a l l e s t w e l f a r e r o l l s i n 27 years, t h e lowest unemployment i n 28 years,
the l o w e s t i n f l a t i o n i n 32 years, t h e s m a l l e s t n a t i o n a l government i n 35
years, and t h e h i g h e s t r a t e o f home ownership i n our h i s t o r y . Such a
remarkable t i m e , a p e r i o d o f renewal, comes along a l l t o o r a r e l y i n
l i f e , as you w i l l see.
I t g i v e s us both t h e o p p o r t u n i t y and t h e
p r o f o u n d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o address t h e l a r g e r , l o n g e r - t e r m c h a l l e n g e s t o
your f u t u r e .
This s p r i n g I am speaking t o graduates around t h e c o u n t r y about
t h r e e o f those c h a l l e n g e s . Last month I went t o t h e Naval Academy t o
t a l k about t h e new s e c u r i t y c h a l l e n g e s o f t h e 21st c e n t u r y -- t e r r o r i s m ,
o r g a n i z e d crime and drug t r a f f i c k i n g , g l o b a l c l i m a t e change, t h e spread
of weapons o f mass d e s t r u c t i o n . Next week a t P o r t l a n d S t a t e i n Oregon I
w i l l d i s c u s s how our n a t i o n ' s t h i r d g r e a t wave o f i m m i g r a t i o n can e i t h e r
s t r e n g t h e n and u n i t e America o r weaken and d i v i d e i t . And I thank Dr.
Ho f o r what he s a i d about i m m i g r a t i o n and our immigrants.
Today, I ask you t o focus on t h e c h a l l e n g e s o f t h e I n f o r m a t i o n
Age.
The dimensions o f t h e I n f o r m a t i o n R e v o l u t i o n and i t s l i m i t l e s s
p o s s i b i l i t i e s are w i d e l y accepted and g e n e r a l l y understood, even by l a y
people.
But t o make t h e most o f i t we must a l s o acknowledge t h a t t h e r e
are c h a l l e n g e s , and we must make i m p o r t a n t c h o i c e s . We can extend
o p p o r t u n i t y t o a l l Americans o r leave many behind. We can erase l i n e s
of i n e q u i t y o r e t c h them i n d e l i b l y .
We can a c c e l e r a t e the most p o w e r f u l
engine o f growth and p r o s p e r i t y t h e w o r l d has ever known, o r a l l o w t h e
engine t o s t a l l .
H i s t o r y has t a u g h t us t h a t choices cannot be d e f e r r e d ; t h e y a r e
made by a c t i o n o r i n a c t i o n . There i s no such t h i n g as v i r t u a l
o p p o r t u n i t y . We cannot p o i n t and c l i c k our way t o a b e t t e r f u t u r e . I f
we a r e t o f u l f i l l t h e complete promise o f t h i s new age, we must do more.
A l r e a d y t h e I n f o r m a t i o n Age i s t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e way we work. The
h i g h - t e c h i n d u s t r y employs more people today than t h e auto i n d u s t r y d i d
a t i t s h e i g h t i n t h e 1950s. Auto and s t e e l i n d u s t r i e s i n t u r n have been
r e v i v e d by new t e c h n o l o g i e s . Among those making t h e most use o f
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t e c h n o l o g y R&D a r e t r a d i t i o n a l American e n t e r p r i s e s such as
c o n s t r u c t i o n , t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , and r e t a i l s t o r e s .
I t ' s t r a n s f o r m i n g the way we l i v e .
The t y p i c a l American home now
has much more -- as much computing power as a l l o f MIT d i d i n t h e year
most o f t h e s e n i o r s here were born. I t i s t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e way we
communicate. On any business day, more than 30 times as many messages
are d e l i v e r e d by e-mail as by the p o s t a l s e r v i c e . And today, t h i s
ceremony i s b e i n g c a r r i e d l i v e on t h e I n t e r n e t so t h a t people a l l over
t h e w o r l d can j o i n i n .
I t i s t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e way we l e a r n . With t h e DVD t e c h n o l o g y
a v a i l a b l e today, we can s t o r e more r e f e r e n c e m a t e r i a l i n a 3-inch s t a c k
o f d i s k s t h a n i n a l l t h e s t a c k s o f Hayden L i b r a r y .
I t i s transforming
t h e way o u r s o c i e t y works, g i v i n g m i l l i o n s o f Americans t h e o p p o r t u n i t y
t o j o i n i n t h e e n t e r p r i s e o f b u i l d i n g our n a t i o n as t h e y f u l f i l l t h e i r
dreams.
The t o o l s we develop today a r e b r i n g i n g down b a r r i e r s o f race and
gender, o f income and age.
The d i s a b l e d a r e opening l o n g c l o s e d doors
o f s c h o o l , work, and human p o s s i b i l i t y .
Small businesses a r e competing
i n w o r l d w i d e markets once r e s e r v e d o n l y f o r p o w e r f u l c o r p o r a t i o n s .
Before t o o l o n g , our c h i l d r e n w i l l be able t o s t r e t c h a hand across a
keyboard and reach every book ever w r i t t e n , every p a i n t i n g every
p a i n t e d , every symphony ever c o n t r o l l e d .
For t h e v e r y f i r s t time i n our h i s t o r y , i t i s now p o s s i b l e f o r a
c h i l d i n t h e most i s o l a t e d i n n e r - c i t y neighborhood o r r u r a l community t o
have access t o t h e same w o r l d o f knowledge a t t h e same i n s t a n t as t h e
c h i l d i n t h e most a f f l u e n t suburb.
Imagine t h e r e v o l u t i o n a r y
d e m o c r a t i z i n g p o t e n t i a l t h i s can b r i n g .
Imagine t h e enormous b e n e f i t s
t o o u r economy, our s o c i e t y , i f n o t j u s t a f r a c t i o n , b u t a l l young
people can master t h i s s e t o f 21st c e n t u r y s k i l l s .
J u s t a few m i l e s o f here i s the w o r k i n g c l a s s community o f East
Sommerville.
I t has sometimes s t r u g g l e d t o meet t h e needs o f p o p u l a t i o n
t h a t i s growing more d i v e r s e by t h e day.
But a t East Sommerville
Community School, w e l l - t r a i n e d t e c h n o l o g y t e a c h e r s w i t h equipment and
s u p p o r t from Time Warner Cable have begun t o g i v e 1 s t t o 8 t h - g r a d e r s an
e a r l y and enormous boost i n l i f e .
F i r s t graders a r e p r o d u c i n g s m a l l
books on computers.
S i x t h graders a r e p r o d u c i n g documentaries. The
t e c h n o l o g y has so m o t i v a t e d them t h a t almost a l l t h e 6 t h g r a d e r s showed
up a t s c h o o l t o work on t h e i r computer p r o j e c t s over w i n t e r break.
That s m a l l m i r a c l e can be r e p l i c a t e d i n every s c h o o l , r i c h and
poor, across America.
Yet, today, a f f l u e n t schools a r e almost t h r e e
times as l i k e l y t o have I n t e r n e t access i n t h e classroom; w h i t e s t u d e n t s
more t h a n t w i c e as l i k e l y as b l a c k s t u d e n t s t o have computers i n t h e i r
homes.
We know from hard experience t h a t unequal e d u c a t i o n hardens i n t o
unequal p r o s p e c t s . We know t h e I n f o r m a t i o n Age w i l l a c c e l e r a t e t h i s
t r e n d . The t h r e e f a s t e s t growing c a r e e r s i n America a r e a l l i n computer
r e l a t e d f i e l d s , o f f e r i n g f a r more than average pay.
Happily, the
d i g i t a l d i v i d e has begun t o narrow, b u t i t w i l l n o t disappear o f i t s own
accord. H i s t o r y teaches us t h a t even as new t e c h n o l o g i e s c r e a t e growth
and new o p p o r t u n i t y , t h e y can h e i g h t e n economic i n e q u a l i t i e s and sharpen
social divisions.
That i s , a f t e r a l l , e x a c t l y what happened w i t h t h e
m e c h a n i z a t i o n o f a g r i c u l t u r e and i n t h e I n d u s t r i a l R e v o l u t i o n .
As we move i n t o t h e I n f o r m a t i o n Age we have i t w i t h i n our power t o
a v o i d these developments.
We can reap the growth t h a t comes from
r e v o l u t i o n a r y t e c h n o l o g i e s and use them t o e l i m i n a t e , n o t t o widen, t h e
disparities that exist.
But u n t i l every c h i l d has a computer i n t h e
classroom and a t e a c h e r w e l l - t r a i n e d t o h e l p , u n t i l every s t u d e n t has
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the s k i l l s t o t a p t h e enormous resources of the I n t e r n e t , u n t i l every
h i g h - t e c h company can f i n d s k i l l e d workers t o f i l l i t s high-wage j o b s ,
America w i l l miss the f u l l promise of t h e I n f o r m a t i o n Age.
We cannot a l l o w t h i s age o f o p p o r t u n i t y t o be remembered a l s o f o r
the o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h a t were missed. Every day, we wake up and know t h a t
we have a c h a l l e n g e ; now we must decide how t o meet i t . Let me suggest
three things.
F i r s t , we must h e l p you t o ensure t h a t America c o n t i n u e s t o l e a d
the r e v o l u t i o n i n science and t e c h n o l o g y . Growth i s a p r e r e q u i s i t e f o r
o p p o r t u n i t y , and s c i e n t i f i c r e s e a r c h i s a b a s i c p r e r e q u i s i t e f o r growth.
J u s t y e s t e r d a y i n Japan, p h y s i c i s t s announced a d i s c o v e r y t h a t t i n y
n e u t r i n o s have mass. Now, t h a t may not mean much t o most Americans, but
i t may change our most fundamental t h e o r i e s -- from the n a t u r e o f t h e
s m a l l e s t subatomic p a r t i c l e s t o how t h e u n i v e r s e i t s e l f works, and
indeed how i t expands.
T h i s d i s c o v e r y was made, i n Japan, yes, but i t had t h e support o f
the investment o f t h e U.S. Department o f Energy. This d i s c o v e r y c a l l s
i n t o q u e s t i o n t h e d e c i s i o n made i n Washington a couple of years ago t o
disband t h e s u p e r - c o n d u c t i n g s u p e r c o l l i d e r , and i t r e a f f i r m s t h e
importance of t h e work now b e i n g done a t t h e Fermi N a t i o n a l A c c e l e r a t i o n
Facility in Illinois.
The l a r g e r i s s u e i s t h a t these kinds of f i n d i n g s have i m p l i c a t i o n s
t h a t are not l i m i t e d t o the l a b o r a t o r y . They a f f e c t the whole of s o c i e t y
-- not o n l y our economy, but our v e r y view o f l i f e , our u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f
our r e l a t i o n s w i t h o t h e r s , and our p l a c e i n t i m e .
I n j u s t t h e past f o u r years, i n f o r m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y has been
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r more than a t h i r d of our economic expansion.
Without
government-funded r e s e a r c h , computers, t h e I n t e r n e t , communications
s a t e l l i t e s wouldn't have g o t t e n s t a r t e d . When I became P r e s i d e n t , t h e
I n t e r n e t was t h e p r o v i n c e o f p h y s i c i s t s , funded by a government r e s e a r c h
project.
There were o n l y 50 s i t e s i n t h e w o r l d . Now, as a l l o f you
know, we are adding pages t o t h e Worldwide Web a t t h e r a t e o f over
100,000 an hour, and 100 m i l l i o n new users w i l l come on t h i s year. I t
a l l s t a r t e d w i t h r e s e a r c h , and we must do more.
I n t h e budget I submit t o Congress f o r the year 2000 I w i l l c a l l
f o r s i g n i f i c a n t i n c r e a s e s i n computing and communications r e s e a r c h . I
have d i r e c t e d Dr. Neal Lane, my new A d v i s o r f o r Science and Technology,
t o work w i t h our n a t i o n ' s r e s e a r c h community t o prepare a d e t a i l e d p l a n
f o r my r e v i e w .
Over t h e p a s t 50 years our commitment t o science has s t r e n g t h e n
t h i s c o u n t r y i n c o u n t l e s s ways. S c i e n t i f i c r e s e a r c h has c r e a t e d v a s t
new i n d u s t r i e s , m i l l i o n s o f j o b s , a l l o w e d America t o produce t h e w o r l d ' s
most b o u n t i f u l f o o d s u p p l i e s and remarkable t o o l s f o r f i g h t i n g d i s e a s e .
Think o f what today's investments w i l l y i e l d .
Dr. Ho w i l l u n r a v e l t h e
a g o n i z i n g r i d d l e s o f AIDS. There w i l l be a cure f o r cancer; a
f l o u r i s h i n g economy t h a t w i l l produce much l e s s p o l l u t i o n and move back
.from t h e b r i n k o f p o t e n t i a l l y d e v a s t a t i n g g l o b a l warming. High-speed
w i r e l e s s networks t h a t b r i n g d i s t a n c e l e a r n i n g , t e l e - m e d i c i n e and
economic o p p o r t u n i t y t o every r u r a l community i n America.
That i s why, even as we balanced our budget f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e i n
29 years, we have i n c r e a s e d our investments i n s c i e n c e . T h i s year I
asked Congress f o r t h e l a r g e s t i n c r e a s e i n r e s e a r c h f u n d i n g i n h i s t o r y
-- not j u s t f o r a year, but s u s t a i n e d over f i v e years. I t i s a core
commitment t h a t must be p a r t o f how every American, r e g a r d l e s s o f
p o l i t i c a l p a r t y o r p e r s o n a l endeavor, t h i n k s about our n a t i o n and i t s
mission.
(Applause.)
Thank you — those are t h e people who r e c e i v e d
the r e s e a r c h g r a n t s over t h e r e . (Laughter.)
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I want you t o know t h a t we are a l s o working t o address t h e t h r e a t
t o our p r o s p e r i t y posed by the Year 2000 Bug.
I t r i e d and t r i e d t o f i n d
out what t h e c l a s s hack p r o j e c t was f o r the Class o f '98 and I f a i l e d .
But I d i d l e a r n t h a t i n t h e year 2000, t h e g r a d u a t i n g c l a s s i s p r o p o s i n g
t o r o l l a l l o f our computers back by 100 years. And I am d e t e r m i n e d t o
t h w a r t you.
I w i l l do my b e s t .
(Laughter.)
The second t h i n g we have t o do i s t o make sure t h a t the
o p p o r t u n i t i e s o f t h e I n f o r m a t i o n Age belong t o a l l -our c h i l d r e n .
Every
young American must have access t o these t e c h n o l o g i e s . Two years ago i n
my S t a t e o f t h e Union address, I c h a l l e n g e d our n a t i o n t o connect every
classroom t o t h e I n t e r n e t by the year 2000. Thanks t o unprecedented
c o o p e r a t i o n a t n a t i o n a l , s t a t e , and l o c a l l e v e l s , an o u t p o u r i n g o f
support from a c t i v e c i t i z e n s , and the d e c r e a s i n g c o s t s o f computers,
we're on t r a c k t o meet t h i s g o a l .
Four years ago when you came t o MIT, b a r e l y t h r e e p e r c e n t o f
America's classrooms were connected.
By t h i s t i m e next year, we w i l l
have connected w e l l over h a l f our classrooms i n c l u d i n g 100 p e r c e n t o f
the classrooms i n t h e n a t i o n ' s 50 l a r g e s t urban school d i s t r i c t s .
(Applause.)
But i t i s not enough t o connect the classrooms.
The s e r v i c e s have
t o be accessed. You may have heard r e c e n t l y about something c a l l e d t h e
e-rate.
I t ' s t h e most c r u c i a l i n i t i a t i v e we've launched t o h e l p connect
our s c h o o l s , our l i b r a r i e s , and our r u r a l h e a l t h c e n t e r s t o t h e
I n t e r n e t . Now some businesses have c a l l e d on Congress t o r e p e a l t h e
initiative.
They say our n a t i o n cannot a f f o r d t o p r o v i d e d i s c o u n t s t o
these i n s t i t u t i o n s o f l e a r n i n g and h e a l t h by r a i s i n g a b i l l i o n d o l l a r s
or so a year from s e r v i c e charges on telecommunications companies -something t h a t was agreed t o i n t h e Telecommunications Act o f 1996 t h a t
passed w i t h overwhelming b i p a r t i s a n m a j o r i t i e s i n b o t h Houses.
I say we cannot a f f o r d not t o have an e - r a t e . Thousands o f poor
schools and l i b r a r i e s and r u r a l h e a l t h c e n t e r s are i n desperate need o f
discounts.
I f we r e a l l y b e l i e v e d t h a t we a l l belong i n t h e I n f o r m a t i o n
Age, t h e n , a t t h i s s u n l i t moment o f p r o s p e r i t y , we can't leave anyone
b e h i n d i n t h e dark.
Every one o f you who understands t h i s I urge t o support t h e
e - r a t e . Every one o f you here who came from a poor i n n e r - c i t y
neighborhood, who came from a s m a l l r u r a l school d i s t r i c t , who came
perhaps from another c o u n t r y where t h i s was j u s t a d i s t a n t dream, you
know t h a t t h e r e are poor c h i l d r e n now who may never have a chance t o go
t o MIT u n l e s s someone reaches out and g i v e s them t h i s k i n d o f
o p p o r t u n i t y . Every c h i l d i n America deserves the chance t o p a r t i c i p a t e
i n the i n f o r m a t i o n r e v o l u t i o n .
(Applause.)
The t h i r d t h i n g we have t o do i s t o make sure t h a t a l l t h e
computers and t h e c o n n e c t i o n s i n t h e w o r l d don't go t o waste because our
c h i l d r e n a c t u a l l y have 21st c e n t u r y s k i l l s .
For f i v e years now I've
done my b e s t t o make e d u c a t i o n our number one domestic p r i o r i t y ,
c r e a t i n g HOPE S c h o l a r s h i p s , expanding P e l l Grants, t o make t h e 13th and
14th years o f e d u c a t i o n as u n i v e r s a l as t h e f i r s t 12 are today. We've
passed t a x c r e d i t s , reformed the s t u d e n t l o a n program, expanded
work-study, c r e a t e d AmeriCorps t o open the doors o f c o l l e g e t o every
young person who i s w i l l i n g t o work f o r i t .
We're w o r k i n g t o make our p u b l i c schools the best i n t h e w o r l d ,
w i t h s m a l l e r c l a s s e s , b e t t e r f a c i l i t i e s , more master t e a c h e r s and
c h a r t e r s c h o o l s , h i g h e r s t a n d a r d s , and end t o s o c i a l p r o m o t i o n . But t h e
new economy a l s o demands t h a t our n a t i o n commit t o t e c h n o l o g y l i t e r a c y
f o r every c h i l d . We s h o u l d n ' t l e t a c h i l d graduate from m i d d l e s c h o o l
anymore w i t h o u t knowing how t o use new t e c h n o l o g i e s t o l e a r n .
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A l r e a d y , 10 s t a t e s w i t h an eye t o t h e f u t u r e have made t e c h n o l o g y
l i t e r a c y a requirement o f g r a d u a t i o n from h i g h s c h o o l . I b e l i e v e we
s h o u l d meet t h i s g o a l i n t h e middle school years. I b e l i e v e every c h i l d
i n every s t a t e s h o u l d leave middle school a b l e t o use t h e most c u r r e n t
t o o l s f o r l e a r n i n g , r e s e a r c h , communication, and c o l l a b o r a t i o n . And we
w i l l h e l p every s t a t e t o meet t h i s g o a l .
I f a s t a t e commits t o adopt a t e c h n o l o g y l i t e r a c y r e q u i r e m e n t ,
then we w i l l h e l p t o p r o v i d e t h e t r a i n i n g t h a t t h e teachers need. I
propose t o c r e a t e a team o f t r a i n e d t e c h n o l o g y e x p e r t s f o r every
American m i d d l e school i n every one o f these s t a t e s , and t o create,
c o m p e t i t i o n s over t h e next t h r e e years t o encourage t h e development o f
h i g h - q u a l i t y e d u c a t i o n a l s o f t w a r e and e d u c a t i o n a l web s i t e s by s t u d e n t s
and p r o f e s s o r s i n commercial s o f t w a r e companies.
A l l s t u d e n t s should f e e l as c o m f o r t a b l e w i t h a keyboard as a
c h a l k b o a r d ; as c o m f o r t a b l e w i t h a l a p t o p as a t e x t b o o k . I t i s c r i t i c a l
t o e n s u r i n g t h a t t h e y a l l have o p p o r t u n i t y i n t h e w o r l d o f t h e 2 1 s t
century.
Today I pledge t h e resources and u n r e l e n t i n g e f f o r t s o f o u r n a t i o n
t o renew o u r e n d u r i n g values i n t h e I n f o r m a t i o n Age. But t h e c h a l l e n g e s
t h a t we face cannot be met by government alone. We can o n l y f u l f i l l t h e
promise o f t h i s r e v o l u t i o n i f we work t o g e t h e r i n t h e same way i t was
launched t o g e t h e r , w i t h c r e a t i v i t y , r e s o l v e , a r e s t l e s s s p i r i t o f
innovation.
While t h i s m i s s i o n r e q u i r e s t h e e f f o r t s o f every c i t i z e n , those
who f u e l and e n j o y t h e u n p a r a l l e l e d p r o s p e r i t y o f t h i s moment have
special responsibilities.
The t h r i v i n g new companies t h a t l i n e Route
128 i n S i l i c o n V a l l e y -- I c h a l l e n g e them t o use t h e i r power t o empower
o t h e r s , t o i n v e s t i n a s c h o o l , embrace a community i n need, endow an
eager young mind w i t h o p p o r t u n i t y ; n o t t o r e s t u n t i l every one o f our
c h i l d r e n i s technology l i t e r a t e .
Many o f you a r e doing such work
a l r e a d y and many o f them a r e ; b u t America needs a l l such companies t o
participate.
And, f i n a l l y , t o t h e graduates o f t h e c l a s s o f 1998, I , t o o , o f f e r
my c o n g r a t u l a t i o n s and, as your P r e s i d e n t , my g r a t i t u d e f o r your
commitment, f o r c h a l l e n g e s conquered, f o r p r o j e c t s completed, f o r goals
reached and even surpassed.
You, your p a r e n t s and your f r i e n d s s h o u l d
be v e r y proud today, and v e r y h o p e f u l , f o r a l l t h e p o s s i b i l i t i e s o f t h i s
new age a r e open t o you. You a r e a t t h e peak o f your powers and t h e
w o r l d w i l l r i g h t l y reward you f o r t h e work you do.
But t o make t h e v e r y most o f your l i f e and t h e o p p o r t u n i t i e s you
have been g i v e n , you, t o o , must r i s e t o your r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o g i v e
something back t o America o f what you have been g i v e n . As t h e years
pass your g e n e r a t i o n w i l l be judged and you w i l l b e g i n t o judge
y o u r s e l v e s n o t o n l y on what you do f o r y o u r s e l f and your f a m i l y , b u t on
the c o n t r i b u t i o n s you make t o o t h e r s -- t o your c o u n t r y , your
communities, your g e n e r a t i o n o f c h i l d r e n . When you t u r n your good
f o r t u n e i n t o a chance f o r o t h e r s , you then w i l l n o t o n l y be l e a d e r s i n
science and i n d u s t r y , you w i l l become t h e l e a d e r s o f America.
T w e n t y - f i r s t c e n t u r y America belongs t o you -- take good care o f i t .
Thank you and God b l e s s you.
END
6 of 6
(Applause.)
12:21 P.M. EDT
3/29/2000 1:06 PM
�Draft 2/1/00 11:00pm
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS ON "DIGITAL DIVIDE"
BALLOU HIGH SCHOOL
February 2, 2000
Acknowledge: introducer Darnell Curley; Co-principals Dr. Durham and Dr. Bridges; AOL
Chairman and CEO Steve Case; Epic Learning Pres. David Sterling; Sen. Bennett; Reps. John
Lewis, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Xavier Becerra, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Stephanie Tubbs Jones,
William Jefferson, Zoe Lofgren, Adam Smith, Ellen Tauscher, David Wu; Mayor Williams;
Superintendent Ackerman; Harris Wofford [whose AmeriCorps*VISTA members have made helping
to bridge the digital divide a core mission]; Gene Sperling; VP Gore [who has been leading our
nation's efforts for many years]; Sec. Daley [who is speaking on this issue in Harlem today];
Special guest: Karen Siegrist [who wrote you that very nice email on State of the Union night.]
I just had a wonderful tour and got a chance to learn how technology is enhancing the
educational mission of this school. I learned that every freshman is taking a computer literacy class.
I learned that students are going online to get help on their homework, chat in foreign languages
with students around the world, and work on projects with scientists from the Naval Research Lab.
I was particularly pleased to learn about Epic Learning's long-term commitment to helping
students earn certificates toward high-tech careers and about the ways 3M, AT&T, and Cisco are
combining forces with the AFL-CIO to provide you with additional hardware, software, and teacher
training. [From the students' point of view, there is one downside to all this new technology: I can
already imagine the day when a big snow storm won't mean a day off but rather a day of
teleconferencing from home.]
The reason I am here today is to announce new ways we can team up to bring the benefits of
new technologies into our schools, our homes, small businesses, and every other part of community
life. Because I believe that computers and the Internet can be the greatest equalizing force our
society has ever known - breaking down mighty barriers of race and geography, disability and age.
I've seen the beginnings of this here at Ballou. We're seeing remarkable examples all over the
country.
Victor Shen is a high school junior in Whittier, Alaska, who dreams of becoming a
professional mathematician. Unfortunately, his school does not offer college-level calculus and his
town is so remote that it is cut off from the rest of the world for several months each winter. But
Victor will soon have the chance to take the classes he needs - just by getting online. Two years
ago, Clinton Johnson lost his little bakery on 125 Street in Harlem and had no savings to support
his wife and two kids. But he found a community technology center near his home, learned HTML
code, and landed himself a good job as a web developer.
th
Dale O'Reilley, a grandmother of two from Medford, NJ, was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's
Disease nine years ago. Although she cannot move or speak, a special laptop computer allows her
to voice her thoughts and to continue writing articles for the Philadelphia Inquirer. This past
Christmas, I bought several gifts on a web site that features the work of artists from the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation. The Internet is giving Native Americans an opportunity to sell their crafts all
over the world.
1
�These small miracles are just the beginning. Just imagine when every child in America will
be able to stretch a hand across the keyboard and reach every book ever written, every painting ever
created, every symphony ever composed ... when high-speed wireless networks bring distance
learning and telemedicine to every rural community in America ... when even the smallest
businesses can compete in worldwide markets once reserved for the most powerful corporations.
This is the future we are trying to build.
In 1994 - back when only 3% of all classrooms were wired - the Vice President and I set a
goal of connecting every classroom and library to the Internet. The public and private sectors have
risen to the challenge - through generous grants, through Net Days, and especially through the steep
discount on access charges known as the E-rate, for which we owe the Vice President enormous
thanks. As a result, more than half of our classrooms are now wired - and in our schools and
libraries, the digital divide has already narrowed greatly.
But make no mistake: The digital divide is still a yawning gap in many parts of America.
Recent studies confirm what you might expect: low-income families are far less likely to have
access to the Internet and computers at home than middle-class families; low-income AfricanAmericans and Hispanics are falling even further behind than low-income whites. People living in
rural areas are lagging far behind in computer ownership and Internet use, as well - nowhere more
so than in Indian Country.
Eventually, this digital divide will deprive businesses of the technology-sawy workers they
desperately need - slowing productivity and economic growth. It could also widen fissures of
inequality between people and open a chasm that separates us from our nation's highest ideals.
We cannot allow this age of opportunity to be an age of missed opportunity. We must make
computers and Internet connections as common in every community as telephones are today. And,
of course, we must go way beyond wires and hardware. We need teachers with the skills to open
students' eyes and minds to the possibilities of this new world of technology. We need compelling
software to help our children think creatively, push their potential, and explore beyond the four
walls of the classroom.
And of course, we need your help. Because these challenges are too big for government
alone. Closing the digital divide is a job for all of us - businesses and governments, foundations
and community organizations, institutions of learning and houses of worship.
To highlight the need for all of us to work together on this great cause, in April I will lead a
New Markets tour focused specifically on the digital divide. In the coming days, I will be reaching
out to top CEOs as well as various nonprofit leaders to join me on this tour. My great hope is that,
together, we can spread the old-fashioned barn-raising spirit to communities across 21 century
America.
st
I am also pleased to announce that the budget I will submit to Congress on Monday
represents the greatest effort our nation has ever launched to close the digital divide and open new
digital opportunities for all our citizens.
First, if we are serious about making Internet connections as common as telephones are
today, we must start by making sure that there is a community technology center in every low-
�income urban and rural area. We began investing in these centers two years ago, when Rep.
Waters, then head of the Congressional Black Caucus, brought this new idea to our attention. These
centers work so well that we tripled our investment last year. And this year, we're tripling it again,
to add as many as 1,000 new centers all over America.
Second, I want to take another step toward universal access with a new public-private
partnership geared toward bringing computers and Internet access into more low-income homes.
Public-spirited members of the high-tech industry have already pledged to work with us on this vital
goal.
Third, I want to give private companies $2 billion in new tax incentives, for building and
supporting community technology centers, for donating quality used computers, and for providing
computer training to their workers.
Fourth, I am proposing to give technology training to all new teachers in America, to help
them become as proficient with computers as they are with textbooks. All the computers and
connections in the world will go to waste if our teachers lack the knowledge to help our students
make the best use of these powerful tools.
Fifth, we are offering new incentives to encourage private-sector firms to bring high-speed
networks to under-served communities. In the digital economy, business leaders are looking for
high-speed Internet access when they consider new sites for their facilities. Rural areas without
such links face a real competitive disadvantage.
Finally, I want to triple our investment in Sec. Daley's highly successful Technology
Opportunities Program, to help create innovative applications of technology for low-income
communities. The idea is to support innovations like health information systems that raise
childhood immunization rates in inner cities or tele-mentoring for at-risk youth.
The paradox of this age of possibility is that the same tools that are breaking down mighty
barriers can also heighten economic inequalities and sharpen social divisions. That is what
happened with the mechanization of agriculture and again during the Industrial Revolution. In the
Information Age, we have it within our power to avoid these mistakes. We must not let the digital
divide exacerbate the human divide. On the contrary, we must use this new technology to help
close the gaps between people, communities, and nations.
To those of you who are already doing so much, I am deeply grateful. And to those of you
who have not yet gotten involved, we're ready to show you the way. It's time for every company in
America to use its power to empower others. At this sunlit moment of prosperity and promise, there
is no reason why any American has to be left in the dark.
###
�I saw that yesterday when I was in this little village of Nayla. And there was a computer
hook-up to the state and federal government so that all the people could come in and
find out what all the services were that were available to them. And there were printouts
so that the women could get actual prints that they could take home that would tell them
how to take better care of their children.
And some day every village will have all the educational software available anywhere in
the world on it, so that in the poorest villages of India or Africa or China or Latin
America, people will be able to print out for their school children the most modern
educational materials available anywhere, so that people in the poorest villages of the
world will have access to the same learning materials that the people in the richest
schools in the United States or any other country have today.
If we do this right, we will find that doing what is morally right, consistent with the values
of India that's a sense of community and mutual responsibility, also turns out to be very
good economics in the Information Age - because you need more education, you need
more people with the capacity to make the most of this new economy.
But I have learned every day now, for over seven years. And I think it's very interesting
for a man my age - I'm 53, which is way too old to make any money in information
technology -- (laughter) - but it's very interesting - the terms that are used today by
young people and not-so-young people anymore had such different meanings for me
when I was in my 20s. When I was a young man, chips were something you ate,
windows were something you washed, disks were part of your spinal column, that when
you got older often slipped out of place, and semiconductors were frustrated musicians
who wished they were leading orchestras. (Laughter and applause.) The world is a
very different place today.
true test of the information revolution is not just the size of the feast it creates, but the
number of people who can sit at the table to enjoy it.
It is incredible to think about how far science has come in just the seven years and a
few months since I first became President. In that time we have explored a galaxy 12
billion light years away; we have seen the cloning of animals. We are just a few months
away from completing the sequencing of the human genome, with all that promises for
improving the life and the quality of life of people all around the world.
When I was elected President, there were - listen to this - there were only 50
sites on the Worldwide Web, in January of 1993. Today, there are more than 50 million.
And it is the fastest growing communications medium in history.
I'm personally intrigued by the fact that you can get a driver's license on the Internet and
you don't have to go wait in line, as you do in America.
So our challenge is to turn the newest discoveries into the best weapons humanity has
ever had to fight poverty.
In all the years of recorded human
�history, we have never had this many opportunities to fight poverty. And it is good
economics to do so.
Look at India, with 17 officially recognized languages and some 22,000 dialects. You
can get on the Internet today and find dozens of sites that bring together people who
speak Telugu from every part of the world. You can download fonts in Gujarati, Marati,
Assamese and Bengali. You can order handicrafts made by people from every part of
India - I saw one of the sites just before coming in here. And you know the proceeds
are going to the people in need.
The new technology can reinforce our cultural distinctions while reaffirming the
even more important fact of our common humanity. And India can also help us lead the
way in doing that.
We have to bring government services with printers to every village, so people can see
in basic ways what it is they need to do to improve the health care of their children. We
need printers with computers on the Internet with all the educational software available.
If we could do that for every village in South Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, in the
Middle East, then overnight the poorest places in the world could have access to the
same learning materials that only the richest schools offer their students today. We can
do that if we do it together.
But we cannot forget the simple message that, no matter how much new technology
there is, the two things we must remain committed to are empowerment and
community. Everyone counts. Everyone should have a chance. Everyone has a role
to play. And we all do better when we help each other.
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Clinton Library
DOCUMENT NO.
AND TYPE
001. note
SUBJECT/TITLE
DATE
"May 3 Dig Connections..." [partial] (1 page)
n.d.
RESTRICTION
P6/b(6)
COLLECTION:
Clinton Presidential Records
Speechwriting
Weiss, Lowell
OA/Box Number:
17199
FOLDER TITLE:
Remarks on Digital Divide 4/4/00 [1]
2006-0470-F
wrl92
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�REMAINING AWAKF. THROUGH A GREAT R E V O L U T I O N
44
Remaining Awake Through
a Great Revolution
At Dean Francis Sayre's invitation, Dr. King delivered this Passion Sunday
mon at the National Cathedral (Episcopal) in Washington, D.C, on 31 Mam
1968. It was his last Sunday morning sermon.
I need not pause to say how very delighted I am to be here this mor
ing . . . to have the opportunity of standing in this very great and sign
cant pulpit . . . and I do want to express my deep personal appreciatio
to Dean Sayre and all of the Cathedral clergy for extending t
invitation.
It is always a rich and rewarding experience to take a brief break frc
our day to day demands and the struggle for freedom and human dig
ty . . . and discuss the issues involved in that struggle with concern
friends of good will all over our nation. And certainly it is always a <
and meaningful experience to be in a worship service. And so for :
reasons, I'm happy to be here today.
I would like to use as a subject from which to preach this mornij
"Remaining awake through a great revolution." The text for the mc
ing is found in the book of Revelation. There are two passages thej
that I would like to quote, in the sixteenth chapter of that book—V|
hold I make all things new, former things are passed away."
I am sure that most of you have read that arresting little story fr
the pen of Washington Irving, entitled "Rip Van Winkle." Thefo
thing that we usually remember about the story is that Rip Van Wi)
slept twenty years. But there is another point in that little story th
almost completely overlooked. It was the sign in the end, from wfi
Rip went up in the mountain for his long sleep.
When Rip Van Winkle went up into the mountain, the sign had i
ture of King George I I I of England. When he came down twenty;
later the sign had a picture of George Washington, the first presiden
the United States. When Rip Van Winkle looked up at the picti
George Washington, and looking at the picture he was amazed,
was completely lost—he knew not who he was. And this revealsj
that the most striking thing about the story of Rip Van Winkle
/
269
prely that Rip slept twenty years, but that he slept through a revolui). While he was peacefully snoring up in the mountain a revolution
itaking place that at points would change the course of history—and
ipknew nothing about it: he was asleep. Yes, he slept through a revolupp. And one of the great liabilities of life is that all too many people
^themselves living amid a great period of social change and yet they
| to develop the new attitudes, the new mental responses—that the
(^situation demands. They end up sleeping through a revolution.
tiere can be no gainsaying of the fact that a great revolution is tak[ place in the world today. In a sense it is a triple revolution; that is a
biological revolution, with the impact of automation and cybernay then there is a revolution in weaponry, with the emergence of
nic and nuclear weapons of warfare. Then there is a human rights
[)lution, with the freedom explosion that is taking place all over the
i . Yes, we do live in a period where changes are taking place and
: is still the voice crying through the vista of time saying, "Behold, I
: all things new, former things are passed away."
jjgw whenever anything new comes into history it brings with it new
enges . . . and new opportunities.
I would like to deal with the challenges that we face today as a
Jt of this triple revolution, that is taking place in the world today.
, we are challenged to develop a world perspective. No individual
live alone, no nation can live alone, and anyone who feels that he
[jye alone is sleeping through a revolution. The world in which we
a$geographically one. The challenge that we face today is to make it
i terms of brotherhood.
it is true that the geographical oneness of this age has come into
[ to a large extent through modern man's scientific ingenuity. Modthrough his scientific genius has been able to dwarf distance
ace time in chains. And our jet planes have compressed into minstances that once took weeks and even months. All of this tells us
jr world is a neighborhood.
fpugh our scientific and technological genius, we have made of this
^neighborhood and yet. . . we have not had the ethical commit' ?,make of it a brotherhood. But somehow, and in some way, we
It to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers. Or we
^.perish together as fools. We are tied together in the single gar^destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And
• affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange rea| never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.
f;<an never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.
lie way God's universe is made; this is the way it is structured.
)Qnne caught it years ago and placed it in graphic terms—"No
I island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent—a
ie main." And he goes on toward the end to say, "Any man's
;
�270
/
FAMOUS SERMONS A N D PUBLIC ADDRESSES
R E M A I N I N G AWAKE
death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind. Therefore nev-j
er send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." We must seei
this, believe this, and live by it . . . if we are to remain awake through a ]
great revolution.
Secondly, we are challenged to eradicate the last vestiges of racial in-j
justice from our nation. I must say this morning that racial injustice is]
still the black man's burden and the white man's shame.
It is an unhappy truth that racism is a way of life for the vast majorityj
of white Americans, spoken and unspoken, acknowledged and denied,!
subtle and sometimes not so subtle—the disease of racism permeatesj
and poisons a whole body politic. And I can see nothing more urgentl
than for America to work passionately and unrelentingly—to get rid o f j
the disease of racism.
a
Something positive must be done, everyone must share in the guilt a$j
individuals and as institutions. The government must certainly shar
the guilt, individuals must share the guilt, even the church must shar
the guilt.
We must face the sad fact that at eleven o'clock on Sunday morning
when we stand to sing, " I n Christ there is no East or West," we stand in
the most segregated hour of America.
The hour has come for everybody, for all institutions of the publitj
sector and the private sector to work to get rid of racism. And now if v
are to do it we must honestly admit certain things and get rid of certaia
myths that have constantly been disseminated all over our nation.
One is the myth of time. It is the notion that only time can solve i
problem of racial injustice. And there are those who often sincerely sajr
to the Negro and his allies in the white community, "Why don't you
slow up? Stop pushing things so fast. Only time can solve the problen
And if you will just be nice and patient and continue to pray, in a huijj
dred or two hundred years the problem will work itself out."
There is an answer to that myth. It is that time is neutral. It cani
used either constructively or destructively. And I am sorry to say
morning that I am absolutely convinced that the forces of ill will inou
nation, the extreme rightists of our nation—the people on the wrom
side—have used time much more effectively than the forces of gcxj'
will. And it may well be that we will have to repent in this generatio
Not merely for the vitriolic words and the violent actions of the bad]
pie, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good
who sit around and say, "Wait on time."
Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls'!
on the wheels of inevitablity. It comes through the tireless efforts;
the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be i
workers with God. And without this hard work, time itself become
ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. So we must help tin
and realize that the time is always ripe to do right.
s
THROUGH A GREAT R E V O L U T I O N
/
271
Now there is another myth that still gets around; it is a kind of overre| liance on the bootstrap philosophy. There are those who still feel that i f
t the Negro is to rise out of poverty, i f the Negro is to rise out of slum
|.conditions, if he is to rise out of discrimination and segregation, he must
[do it all by himself. And so they say the Negro must lift himself by his
|own bootstraps.
1' They never stop to realize that no other ethnic group has been a slave
| on American soil. The people who say this never stop to realize that the
Ipation made the black man's color a stigma; but beyond this they never
|stop to realize the debt that they owe a people who were kept in slavery
1244 years.
| { : In 1863 the Negro was told that he was free as a result of the Emancifpation Proclamation being signed by Abraham Lincoln. But he was not
fgiven any land to make that freedom meaningful. It was something like
tkeeping a person in prison for a number of years and suddenly discovering that that person is not guilty of the crime for which he was convicted.
JAnd you just go up to him and say, "Now you are free," but you don't
pive him any bus fare to get to town. You don't give him any money to get
yome clothes to put on his back or to get on his feet again in life.
j . Every court of jurisprudence would rise up against this, and yet this is
very thing that our nation did to the black man. It simply said,
gYou're free," and it left him there penniless, illiterate, not knowing
(fhat to do. And the irony of it all is that at the same time the nation
pled to do anything for the black man—through an act of Congress it
ps giving away millions of acres of land in the West and the Midwest—
Hhich meant that it was willing to undergird its white peasants from Euppe with an economic floor.
jtBut not only did it give the land, it built land-grant colleges to teach
em how to farm. Not only that, it provided county agents to further
tteir expertise in farming: not only that, as the years unfolded it projded low interest rates so that they could mechanize their farms. And
idiis day thousands of these very persons are receiving millions of doljp in federal subsidies every year not to farm. And these are so often
r very people who tell £Iegroes that they must lift themselves by their
jp bootstraps. It's all right to tell a man to lift himself by his own bootpps, but it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift
elf by his own bootstraps.
Ve must come to see that the roots of racism are very deep in our
pitry, and there must be something positive and massive in order to
>rid of all the effects of racism and the tragedies of racial injustice,
("here is another thing closely related to racism that I would like to
ation as another challenge. We are challenged to rid our nation and
^world of poverty. Like a monstrous octopus, poverty spreads its nagpg, prehensile tentacles into hamlets and villages all over our world,
rare ill-housed, they are ill-nourished, they are shabbily clad. I have
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FAMOUS SERMONS A N D PUBLIC ADDRESSES
U N I N G AWAKE
seen it in Latin America; I have seen it in Africa; I have seenl
ty in Asia.
:
I remember some years ago Mrs. King and I journeyed ^
country known as India. And I never will forget the experier
marvelous experience to meet and talk with the great leadei
to meet and talk with and speak to thousands and thousanc
all over that vast country. These experiences will remain de
long as the cords of memory shall let them.
But I say to you this morning, my friends, there were the.
moments—how can one avoid being depressed?—when he!
own eyes evidences of millions of people going to bed hung.
How can one avoid being depressed when he sees with hi
God's children sleeping on the sidewalks at night?
.£
<
In Bombay more than a million people sleep on the side
night. In Calcutta more than six hundred thousand sit
sidewalks every night. They have no beds to sleep in; the
houses to go in. How can one avoid being depressed when h'
that out of India's population of more than five hundred n
pie—some 480,000,000 make an annual income of less than?
lars. And most of them have never seen a doctor or a dends
As I noticed these things, something within me cried out
America stand idly by and not be concerned?" And an a m .
"Oh, no!" Because the destiny of the United States is t i e d i
destiny of India and every other nation. And I started thiriJ
fact that we spend in America millions of dollars a day to st '
food, and I said to myself, " I know where we can store that'll,
charge—in the wrinkled stomachs of millions of God's childr
the world who go to bed hungry at night." Maybe we sp^!
much of our national budget establishing military basest
world rather than bases of genuine concern and understand,
Not only do we see poverty abroad, I would remind your!
own nation there are about forty million people who are p o f
en. I have seen them here and there. I have seen them in the.
the North; I have seen them in the rural areas of the South;!,
them in Appalachia. I have just been in the process of tou^
areas of our country and I must confess that in some situati^
literally found myself crying.
?(Ajj
I was in Marks, Mississippi, the other day, which is in Whittf
ty, the poorest county in the United States. I tell you I saw hi!
little black boys and black girls walking the streets with no sh(j«
I saw their mothers and their fathers trying to carry on a ir
start program, but they had no money. The federal governim
funded them but they were trying to carry on. They raised i<li
ey here and there; trying to get a little food to feed the childi'
to teach them a little something.
:
THROUGH A GREAT R E V O L U T I O N
/
273
• mothers and fathers who said to me not only were they unKthey didn't get any kind of income—no old-age pension, no
feck, nor anything. I said, "How do you live?" And they say,
around—go around to the neighbors and ask them for a
ling. When the berry season comes, we pick berries; when
eason comes, we hunt and catch a few rabbits, and that's
s in Newark and Harlem just this week. And I walked into
f welfare mothers; I saw them in conditions—no, not with
II carpet, but wall-to-wall rats and roaches. I stood in an apartis welfare mother said to me "The landlord will not repair
've been here two years and he hasn't made a single repair."
out the walls with all of the ceiling falling through. She
i the holes where the rats came in. She said night after night
ifstay awake to keep the rats and roaches from getting to the
llSaid, "How much do you pay for this apartment?" She said,
Jooked and I thought and said to myself, " I t isn't worth sixty
r people are forced to pay more for less. Living in condiand day out where the whole area is constantly drained withreplenished. It becomes a kind of domestic colony. And the
itso often—these forty million people are invisible because
s so affluent, so rich; becaues our expressways carry us away
etto, we don't see the poor,
ild a parable one day, and he reminded us that a man went to
he didn't see the poor. His name was Dives. He was a rich
lithere was a man by the name of Lazarus who was a poor man,
ily was he poor, he was sick. Sores were all over his body, and
k that he could hardly move. But he managed to get to the
es every day, wanting just to have the crumbs that would fall
able. And Dives did nothing about it. And the parable ends
ives went to hell, and there were a fixed gulf now between
nd Dives."
nothing in that parable that said Dives went to hell because
.Jesus never made a universal indictment against all wealth.
Jthat one day a rich young ruler came to him, and he advised
1 all, but in that instance Jesus was prescribing individual surKhot setting forth a universal diagnosis. And i f you will look at
able with all of its symbolism, you will remember that a converik place between heaven and hell and on the other end of that
ince call between heaven and hell was Abraham in heaven talks in hell.
iraham was a very rich man. I f you go back to the Old Testasee that he was the richest man of his day, so it was not a rich
ill talking with a poor man in heaven, it was a little millionaire
Iking with a multimillionaire in heaven. Dives didn't go to hell
!
v
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/
FAMOUS SERMONS A N D PUBLIC ADDRESSES
^ |
because he was rich; Dives didn't realize that his wealth was h i
nity. It was his opportunity to bridge the gulf that separat<
• his brother, Lazarus. Dives went to hell because he was pas,
rus every day and he never really saw him. He went to helL
allowed his brother to become invisible. Dives went to helfl
maximized the minimum and minimized the maximum. It
went to hell because he sought to be a conscientious objectt
against poverty.
^
And this can happen to America, the richest nation inVt
and nothing's wrong with that—this is America's opporttii
bridge the gulf between the haves and the have-nots. T h i
whether America will do it. There is nothing new about pd
is new is that we now have the techniques and the resources!!
poverty. The real question is whether we have the will, fi
In a few weeks some of us are coming to Washington to s^,
is still alive or i f it is alive in this nation. We are coming l o $
in a poor people's campaign. Yes, we are going to bring th"'
poor, the huddled masses. We are going to bring those who 1
long years of hurt and neglect. We are going to bring the
come to feel that life is a long and desolate corridor with i.u
We are going to bring children and adults and old peopleyt
have never seen a doctor or a dentist in their lives.
^
We are not coming to engage in any histrionic gestureiti
coming to tear up Washington. We are coming to demand tli
ernment address itself to the problem of poverty. We read on!
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created^
they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rig,
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Bill
doesn't have a job or an income, he has neither life nor lib< "
possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists. - L ,
f We are coming to ask America to be true to the huge proni!
that it signed years ago. And we are coming to engage in drar
violent action, to call attention to the gulf between promise s
ment; to make the invisible visible.
4
Why do we do it this way? We do it this way because it is ov&
ence that the nation doesn't move around questions of genuiriii
for the poor and for black people until it is confronted massil
matically in terms of direct action.
.vj"
Great documents are here to tell us something should be!^
met here some years ago in the White House conference on d i .
and we came out with the same recommendations that we wil
manding in our campaign here, but nothing has been done. H i
dent's commission on technology, automation and economics'
recommended these things some time ago. Nothing has be<
Even the urban coalition of mayors of most of the cities of our
jjeading businessmen have said these things should be done.
§has been done. The Kerner commission came out with its re&• few days ago and then made specific recommendations,
i been done.
ibmit that nothing will be done until people of good will put
iies and their souls in motion. And it will be the kind of soul
light into being as a result of this confrontation that I believe
fthe difference. Yes, it will be a poor people's campaign. This
stion facing America. Ultimately a great nation is a compasation. America has not met its obligations and its responsibil« poor.
twe will have to stand before the God of history and we will
of things we've done. Yes, we will be able to say we built
th bridges to span the seas, we built gigantic buildings to kiss
s, we made our submarines to penetrate oceanic depths. We
Into being many other things with our scientific and technoJwer.
Ss that I can hear the God of history saying, "That was not
Jut I was hungry and ye fed me not. I was naked and ye clothed
vas devoid of a decent sanitary house to live in, and ye proshelter for me. And consequently, you cannot enter the kingatness. I f ye do it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye do it
([That's the question facing America today,
o say one other challenge that we face is simply that we must
Rernative to war and bloodshed. Anyone who feels, and there
Slot of people who feel that way, that war can solve the social
facing mankind is sleeping through a revolution. President
lid on one occasion, "Mankind must put an end to war or war
fn end to mankind." The world must hear this. 1 pray God that
[Will hear this before it is too late because today we're fighting a
bnvinced that it is one of the most unjust wars that has ever
ffght in the history of the world. Our involvement in the war in
torn up the Geneva accord. It has strengthened the milififstrial complex; it has strengthened the forces of reaction in
i>ri; it has put us against the self-determination of a vast majority
Dtetnamese people, and put us in the position of protecting a cor|ime that is stacked against the poor,
jlayed havoc with our domestic destinies. This day we are
[five hundred thousand dollars to kill every Vietcong soldier—
Sie we kill one we spend about five hundred thousand dollars
ispend only fifty-three dollars a year for every person characterSbverty-stricken in the so-called poverty program; which is not
! skirmish against poverty,
ily that, it has put us in a position of appearing to the world as
�/
FAMOUS SKRMONb A N D PUBLIC ADDRESSES
an arrogant nation. And here we are ten thousand miles ai
home fighting for the so-called freedom of the Vietnamese peb
we have not even put our own house in order. And we force youi
men and young white men to fight and kill in brutal solidarity:!^
they come back home that can't hardly live on the same block^tt
The judgment of God is upon us today, and we could go riffi
the line and see that something must be done . . . and somethij
be done quickly. We have alienated ourselves from other natic"
end up morally and politically isolated in the world. There is ntJ
major ally of the United States of America that would dare sent
to Vietnam and so the only friends that we have now are a fi^l
nations like Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and a few other ^
This is where we are. Mankind must put an end to war or
an end to mankind, and the best way to start is to put an end!
Vietnam because i f it continues, we will inevitably come to thet
confronting China which could lead the whole world tojj
annihilation.
(i
It is no longer a choice, my friends, between violence and
lence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence, and the alteri
disarmament, the alternative to a greater suspension of nude
the alternative to strengthening the United Nations and ther
arming the whole world may well be a civilization plunged i n t a l
of annihilation, and our earthly habitat would be transformed
inferno that even the mind of Dante could not imagine.
il
This is why I felt the need of raising my voice against thatti
working wherever I can to arouse the conscience of our natior
remember so well when I first took a stand against the war in Y.
the critics took me on and they had their say in the most negaf
sometimes most vicious way.
One day a newsman came to me and said, "Dr. King, don't
you're going to have to stop, now, opposing the war and move'S
line with the administration's policy? As I understand it, it has jiij
budget of your organization and people who once respected yoSf
lost respect for you. Don't you feel that you've really got to chan|
position?" I looked at him and I had to say, "Sir, I'm sorry ydt
know me. I'm not a consensus leader. I do not determine what;]
and wrong by looking at the budget of the Southern Christian i
ship Conference. I've not taken a sort of Gallup poll of therm
opinion. Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for conser"
a molder of consensus."
On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedienl
then expedience comes along and asks the question—is it politic,
Vanity asks the question—is it popular? Conscience asks th^
tion—is it right?
^
There comes a time when one must take the position that it isV
politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells
ight. I believe today that there is a need for all people of good
e'with a massive act of conscience and say in the words of the
^spiritual, "We ain't goin' study war no more." This is the
acing modern man.
se by saying that we have difficult days ahead in the strugtice and peace, but I will not yield to a politic of despair. I'm
laintain hope as we come to Washington in this campaign, the
tacked against us. This time we will really confront a Goliath.
iFthat we will be that David of truth set out against the Goliath
e.'the Goliath of neglect, the Goliath of refusing to deal with
items, and go on with the determination to make America the
it'America that it is called to be.
iwou that our goal is freedom, and I believe we are going to get
ause however much she strays away from it, the goal of AmerSedom. Abused and scorned though we may be as a people, our
Ktied up in the destiny of America.
tUhe Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth, we were here. Before
fetched across the pages of history, the majestic words of the
6n of Independence, we were here. Before the beautiful words
Sr-Spangled Banner were written, we were here.
than two centuries our forebears labored here without
liey made cotton king, and they built the homes of their masic'midst of the most humiliating and oppressive conditions. And
5f.a bottomless vitality they continued to grow and develop. I f
pressible cruelties of slavery couldn't stop us, the opposition
Show face will surely fail.
[going to win our freedom because both the sacred heritage of
on and the eternal will of the almighty God are embodied in our
^demands. And so, however dark it is, however deep the angry
ire, and however violent explosions are, I can still sing "We
ercome."
ihall overcome because the arc of a moral universe is long, but it
toward justice. We shall overcome because Carlyle is right—no
: forever. We shall overcome because William Cullen Bryant is
Jth crushed to earth will rise again. We shall overcome beJames Russell Lowell is right—as we were singing earlier today,
|forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne, yet that
I;sways the future, and behind the demon known, stands a God
the shadow, keeping watch above his own."
fthis faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair
We of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the janIiscords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
Ink God for John, who centuries ago out on a lonely, obscure isalled Patmos caught vision of a new Jerusalem descending out of
�heaven from God, who heard a voice saying, "Behold, I mai
new—former things are passed away."
Godgrant that we will be participants in this newness and;
ficent development. I f we will but do it, we will bring a b o u t i
justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day the morniti
smg together and the sons of God will shout for joy. God bl
45
|See the Promised Land
>r.' King's last, and ?nost apocalyptic, sermon. He delivered it, on the
sassination, at [the Bishop Charles] Mason Temple in Memphis,
n 3 April 1968. Mason Temple is the headquarters of the Church of
Krist, the largest African American pentecostal denomination in the
itrs.
i very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in
[ent and generous introduction and then thought about myself,
I who he was talking about. It's always good to have your closland associate say something good about you. And Ralph is the
rid that I have in the world.
'lighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warnveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is
f;in Memphis, something is happening in our world.
|know, i f I were standing at the beginning of time, with the
of general and panoramic view of the whole human history
¥ 'and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which
[you like to live in?"—I would take my mental flight by Egypt
Tor rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toijjpromised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't
re. I would move on by Greece, and take my mind to Mount
i And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Ars assembled around the Parthenon as they discussed the great
rial issues of reality.
gouldn't stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of
an Empire. And I would see developments around there,
Jyarious emperors and leaders. But I wouldn't stop there. I
i come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick pic11 that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of
t<I wouldn't stop there. I would even go by the way that the man
i I'm named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther
acked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in
f
v
Congressional Record 1 14 (9 April 1968): 9395-97.
suldn't stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and
svacillating president by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally
[[the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclama279
�....
/fi
x
Record Type:
To:
Mara A. Silver
03/29/2000 05:22:01 PM
Record
Lowell A. Weiss/WHO/EOP@EOP
cc:
Subject: a few more
These may work - I like the first and third.
Also, is there any way you could go over palm pilot stuff w/ Terry? He's eager to enter the
21st century and I thought you might be a good palm-tutor.
If Virtue & Knowledge are diffused among the People, they will never be enslaved. This
will be their great Security.
-Samuel Adams to James Warren. February 12, 1779.
They [the Americans] have all a lively faith in the perfectibility of man, they judge that the
diffusion of knowledge must necessarily be advantageous, and the consequences of ignorance
fatal; they all consider society as a body in a state of improvement, humanity as a changing
scene, in which nothing is, or ought to be, permanent; and they admit that what appears to
them today to be good, may be superseded by something better tomorrow.
-Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America, pt. I [1835], ch. 3
To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is ... the greatest benefit that can be
conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself and enlarges the sphere of existence.
-John Quincy Adams, Report on the establishment of the Smithsonian Insitution [1846]
Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right
.. and a desire to know; but besides this, they have a right to that most dreaded and envied
kind of knowledge, I mean of the characters and conduct of their rulers.
-John Adams, A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law [1765]
�(
^
"'
r
Mara A. Silver
03/29/2000 03:42:02 PM
Record Type:
To:
Record
Lowell A. Weiss/WHO/EOP@EOP
cc:
Subject: quotes
Hope some of these will work - Monica's looking for others
Information Quotes
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what
never was and never will be. The functionaries of every government have propensities to
command at will the liberty and property of their constituents. There is no safe deposit for
these but with the people themselves; nor can they be safe with them without information.
Where the press is free, and every man able to read, all is safe.
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Colonel Charles Yancey, January 6, 1816.—The Writings
of Thomas Jefferson, ed. Paul L. Ford, vol. 10, p. 4 (1899).
The most effectual means of preventing [the perversion of power into tyranny are] to
illuminate, as
far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, and more especially to give them
knowledge of those facts which history exhibits, that possessed thereby of the experience of
other ages and countries, they may be enabled to know ambition under all its shapes, and
prompt to exert their natural powers to defeat its purposes.
-Thomas Jefferson: Diffusion of Knowledge Bill, 1779. FE 2:221, Papers 2:526
The information of the people at large can alone make them the safe as they are the sole
depositary
of our political and religious freedom.
-Thomas Jefferson to William Duane, 1810. ME 12:417
Light and liberty go together.
-Thomas Jefferson to Tench Coxe, 1795.
Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own
government;... whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied
on to set them to rights.
-Thomas Jefferson to Richard Price, 1789. ME 7:253
�And say, finally, whether peace is best preserved by giving energy to the government or
information
to the people. This last is the most certain and the most legitimate engine of government.
Educate and inform the whole mass of the people. Enable them to see that it is their interest
to preserve peace and order, and they will preserve them. And it requires no very high degree
of education to convince them of this. They are the only sure reliance for the preservation
of our liberty.
-Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787. (Forrest version) ME 6:392
I look to the diffusion of light and education as the resource most to be relied on for
ameliorating the conditions, promoting the virtue and advancing the happiness of man.
-Thomas Jefferson to Cornelius Camden Blatchly, 1822. ME 15:399
�.
Mara A. Silver
' ^ 03/29/2000 03:44:33 PM
Record Type:
To:
Record
Lowell A. Weiss/WHO/EOP@EOP
cc:
Subject:
A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a
Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance:
And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power
which knowledge gives.
-James Madison, letter to W. T. Barry, August 4, 1822.—The Writings of James
Madison, ed. Gaillard Hunt, vol. 9, p. 103 (1910).
�Natasha F. Bilimoria
Record Type:
To:
Record
Lowell A. Weiss/WHO/EOP@EOP ^ >
cc:
Subject: from potus memo-per your conversation with Kalil.
East Palo Alto is a low-income urban community in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Over 80
percent of the students in local K-8 schools are eligible for free or reduced priced lunches. The
latest data available indicates that 21 percent of East Palo Alto residents had incomes below
the federally designated poverty level. Despite its geographic proximity to Silicon Valley, the
center of the high-tech world, East Palo Alto residents are struggling. Much of the community
lacks the skills necessary to succeed technology-based skills. Going to East Palo Alto would
demonstrate that even in the shadow of Silicon Valley, there is still a substantial divide.
~ /
(,$~l(oQ
7
, f kx
^
^...^ ^
U^A/
/V
�36
1 Have a Dream
This is perhaps the most well-known and most quoted address Dr. King delivered. He delivered this speech before the Lincoln Memorial on 28 August 1963
as the keynote address of the March on Washington, D.C, for Civil Rights. The
television cameras allowed the entire nation to hear and see him plead for justice
and freedom. Mrs. Coretta King once commented, "At that moment it seemed as
if the Kingdom of God appeared. But it only lasted for a moment."
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the
greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Fivescore years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we
stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous
decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves
who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a
joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free; one hundred
years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of
segregation and the chains of discrimination; one hundred years later,
the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean
of material prosperity; one hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in
his own land.
So we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a
sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution
and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory
note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was the promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note
in so far as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this
sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a
check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." We refuse to
believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we've come to cash this check, a check that will
give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the
217
�210
/
FAMOUS SERMONS A N D PUBLIC ADDRESSES
avoid being depressed when he sees with his own eyes millions of people
sleeping on the sidewalk at night?
In Calcutta alone, more than a million people sleep on the sidewalks
every night; in Bombay, more than six hundred thousand people sleep
on the sidewalks every night. They have no beds to sleep in; they have
no houses to go into. How can one avoid being depressed when he discovers that of India's four hundred million people, more than 365 million make an annual income of less than sixty dollars a year? Most of
these people have never seen a doctor or a dentist.
As I looked at these conditions, I found myself saying that we in
America cannot stand idly by and not be concerned. Then something
within me cried out, "Oh, no, because the destiny of the United States is
tied up with the destiny of India—with the destiny of every other nation." And I remembered that we spend more than a million dollars a
day to store surplus food in this country. I said to myself, ' I know where
we can store that food free of charge—in the wrinkled stomachs of the
millions of people who go to bed hungry at night." Maybe we spend too
much of our national budget building military bases around the world,
rather than bases of genuine concern and understanding.
All this is simply to say that all life is interrelated. We are caught in an
inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. As long as there is
poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even i f he has a billion
dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people cannot
expect to live more than twenty or thirty years, no man can be totally
healthy, even if he just got a clean bill of health from the finest clinic in
America. Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you
are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until 1
am what I ought to be. This is the way the world is made. I didn't make
it that way, but this is the interrelated structure of reality. John Donne
caught it a few centuries ago and could cry out, "No man is an island
entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main
. . . any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind,
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for
thee." I f we are to realize the American dream we must cultivate this
world perspective.
There is another thing quite closely related to this. We must keep our
moral and spiritual progress abreast with our scientific and technological advances. This poses another dilemma of modern man. We have
allowed our civilization to outdistance our culture. Professor Maclver
follows the German sociologist, Alfred Weber, in pointing out the distinction between culture and civilization. Civilization refers to what we
use; culture refers to what we are. Civilization is that complex of devices, instrumentalities, mechanisms and techniques by means of which
we live. Culture is that realm of ends expressed in art, literature, religion and morals for which at best we live.
The great problem confronting
means by which we live to outdis
have allowed our civilization to (
danger now of ending up with gui<
men. This is what the poet Thor
means to an unimproved end." I f •
dream of our mission and the dre
gulf and somehow keep the mea;
ends for which we live.
Another thing we must do is to
that there are superior and inferi'
still lags around in spite of the f
Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedi(
have pointed out and made it cl
there are no superior races and th
be intellectually superior individu
evidence, however, the view still
superior and inferior races. The
rests on this fallacy.
You know, there was a time whe
riority of the Negro and the color
Bible and religion. They would s
because of Noah's curse upon the
brother had probably read the 1c
brought into being the syllogism
nor premise and a conclusion, and
totle and he put his argument in tl
gism. He could say that all men ar<
a major premise. Then came his
knows, is not a Negro; therefore t
called logic!
But we don't often hear these :
based on "sociological and cultural
ally ready for integration, and if in
the white race back a generation. I
raise these standards." And then <
and there are those who would aln
they never point out that these thi
these problems are problems of ui
poverty, and disease, and ignorar
group may be. And it is a tortuou
segregation and discrimination as a
I f we are to implement the Amei
tion once and for all that there £
means that members of minority gi
use their resources even under advt
�04/04/00 TUE 10:50 FAX 202 208 4214
HARRIS W F O D C O
OFR, E
©001
CORPORATION
FOR NATIONAL
SERVICE
1201 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20525
202-606-5000
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Please Deliver to:
From:
Lowell WeiSS
Fax Number:
456-2505
Lilla Giles, Scheduler
Fax number:
202-208-4214
Phone Number
202-606-5000 ext. 240
We are transmitting a total of 2 page(s) including this cover page.
I
Please Note:
The information contained in this facsimile message is privileged and confidential, and only for the use of the
individual named above and others who have been specifically authorized to receive i t If you arc not the
intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination distribution, or coping of this communication
Is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, or if any problems occur with the
transmission, please notify us at the telephone number obove.
MESSAGE: Per your conversation with John Gomperts.
04/04/00
�04/04/00
TUE 10:50 FAX 202 208 4214
HARRIS WOFFORD, CEO
10 002
OF KENNEDYS AND KINGS
In any case, in early April 1968, after coming down from the mountaintop Martin Luther King showed a special zest for life. In the sermon
the evening before his death, he told of the white girl in ninth grade who
wrote to him after the stabbing in Harlem to say, "I'm so happy that you
^ didn't sneeze." King told that last Memphis audience that he, too, was
"so happy that I didn't sneeze" because if he bad he would not have been
around for the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, and all the marches. He went
on to put it in more cosmic terms:
1'
in--
If I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of a
general and panoramic view of the whole human history up to now, and
the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you
like to live in?"—I would take my mental flight by Egypt through, or
rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised
land. . . . I would move on by Greece, and take my mind to Mount
Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and
Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon as they discussed the great
and eternal issues of reality.
But I wouldn't stop there. . . . Strangely enough, I would turn to
the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the
second half of the Twentieth Century, I will be happy." Now that's a
strange statement to make, because the worid is all messed up.
.. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you
see the stars. And I sec God working in this period of the Twentieth
Century in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding—something is happening in our world. . . . Now, I'm just happy that God has
allowed me to live in this period, to see what is unfolding.
It was good to leam that after the sermon the preachers did some
relaxing in the Lorraine Motel, and that in Martin King's last hours, as he
looked forward to a supper of soul food (with the chitlins, pig's feet, and
potato pie he liked), he shared a platter of catfish with his best friend,
Ralph Abernathy, eating from the same plate. He joked with his cotnpanions and had a little pillow fight before going out on the balcony.
From the courtyard Jesse Jackson introduced him to Ben Branch, the
musician for that night's rally. "Ben, be sure and sing 'Precious Lord,
Take My Hand,"" King said. "Sing it real pretty."
How do you measure whether a death is redemptive?
In his last words to his Atlanta congregation. King almost sang forth
his own test; " I f I can do my duty as a Christian ought, if I can bring
salvation to a world once wrought, if I can spread the message as the.
master taught, then my living will not be in vain." His master, he pointed'
234
out, was an
public opini
called him :
civil disobec
his enemiesstands as the
In his o
as much as
Presidents a
his death an
white Amer:
Stokely Can
if she had k
killed Dr. Ki
as apple pie.
Martin Lutl
dead philosc
For a t
and abetted
to make the
know how ]
lence, too, \
it at least e
meaning of
of the politii
progress.
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O. Key, con
version of t
people vote
staggering fc
task was aim
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an public 1
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together of 1
^ j o r roles
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in
dignity."
No one e l s e s a i d t h a t , b u t Ron Brown. He c o u l d see
where we had t o go. He knew i t was t h e r i g h t t h i n g t o do. But he
had enough p e r i p h e r a l v i s i o n t o know how o t h e r people were b e i n g
affected.
The l a s t t h i n g I ' d l i k e t o say about h i s remarkable
p u b l i c l i f e i s t h a t w h i l e he was o f t e n determined t o be f i r s t , he was
e q u a l l y determined t h a t he would never be the l a s t . And so he
e x e r t e d more e x t r a o r d i n a r y e f f o r t t h a n v i r t u a l l y anybody I've ever
known t o develop t h e t a l e n t s o f o t h e r people, t o reach o u t t o t h e
young, t o g i v e them a chance t o serve. How much o f t h e weeping we
have done t h i s l a s t week because t h e r e were so many b r i l l i a n t , young
people on t h a t plane w i t h him from d i f f e r e n t backgrounds and
d i f f e r e n t r a c i a l groups. Why? Because Ron Brown c o u l d see i n them
the promise o f a new tomorrow, and he knew t h e y needed someone t o
reach down and g i v e them t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o serve.
And I hope t h a t i s something t h a t none o f us w i l l ever
f o r g e t . For h i s l e g a c y burns b r i g h t l y , n o t o n l y i n t h e l i v e s o f h i s
w i f e and c h i l d r e n and o t h e r f a m i l y members, b u t a l s o a l l o f those
b r i l l i a n t young men and women, many o f whom are w i t h us today, who
walk t h r o u g h t h e doors t h a t he opened and crossed over t h e b r i d g e s
t h a t he b u i l t .
I r e c e i v e d a l o t o f l e t t e r s and c a l l s , l i k e many o f you
have, s i n c e Ron d i e d . I g o t t h i s l e t t e r from M i c h a e l Armstrong, t h e
chairman o f Hughes E l e c t r o n i c s , who was one o f t h e people Ron worked
w i t h . And I wanted t o read t h i s t o you, because so o f t e n we t h i n k
government o p e r a t e s i n a vacuum. L i s t e n t o t h i s :
"While t h e demands o f b u s i n e s s , t h e p r e s s u r e s o f t h e
Commerce Department, and t h e p o l i t i c s o f Washington can o f t e n mask
the s p i r i t and c h a r a c t e r o f t h e d e d i c a t e d people who t r y so h a r d t o
make a d i f f e r e n c e f o r America, t h e business a t hand, t h e p r e s s u r e s on
the Department, and t h e p o l i t i c s o f t h e moment never dimmed t h e
s m i l e , t h e energy, t h e commitment, and t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f t h e man who
made such a b i g d i f f e r e n c e i n the d i r e c t i o n and d e s t i n y o f our
c o u n t r y . He l e d h i s p a r t y t o t h e p r e s i d e n c y . He l e d t h e Commerce
Department w i t h i m a g i n a t i o n and d i s t i n c t i o n .
He l e d American
business t o new g l o b a l o p p o r t u n i t y . He l e d h i s race as an
unassuming, b u t f o r c e f u l r o l e model. He l e d us a l l i n b e i n g what he
b e l i e v e d i n . He was t r u l y a l e a d e r . "
Ron Brown - - a t r a i l b l a z e r , a b u i l d e r , a p a t r i o t .
husband, a f a t h e r , a w o n d e r f u l f r i e n d , and a g r e a t American.
A
Let us remember these t h i n g s about Ron.
L e t us always
have our j o y i n t h e morning.
Let us be determined t o c a r r y on h i s
legacy. L e t us always be v i g i l a n t , as he was, i n f i g h t i n g a g a i n s t
any shred o f r a c i s m and p r e j u d i c e . L e t us always be v i g i l a n t , as he
was, i n remembering t h a t we cannot l i f t o u r s e l v e s up by t e a r i n g o t h e r
people down, t h a t we have t o go f o r w a r d t o g e t h e r . L e t us always
remember, as he d i d , t h a t A l e x i s de T o c q u e v i l l e was r i g h t when he
s a i d so many years ago, America i s g r e a t because America i s good. He
knew we had t o keep w o r k i n g and s t r i v i n g t o be b e t t e r .
I n h i s l a s t sermon from the p u l p i t , M a r t i n L u t h e r King
asked God t o g r a n t us a l l a chance t o be p a r t i c i p a n t s i n t h e newness
and m a g n i f i c e n t development o f America.
That i s t h e cause f o r which
Ron Brown gave h i s l i f e , and t h e cause f o r which he gave up h i s l i f e .
not
4 of 5
I n h i s l e t t e r t o t h e G a l a t i a n s , St. Paul s a i d , "Let us
grow weary i n d o i n g good. For i n due season we s h a l l reap i f we
4/3/2000 6:40 PN
�Draft 4/4/00 10:45am
Lowell Weiss
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
REMARKS ON DIGITAL DIVIDE
THE WHITE HOUSE
April 4,2000
Acknowledge: introducer Julian Lacey; Sec. Herman; Sec. Glickman; Harris Wofford;
Gene Sperling; Sens. Mikulski, Breaux, Bingaman, Dorgan, Levin, Specter; Reps. John Conyers,
Brian Baird, Carlos Romero-Barcelo, Xavier Becerra, Corrine Brown, Elijah Cummings, Harold
Ford Jr., Ruben Hinojosa, William Jefferson, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Sheila
Jackson-Lee, John Larson; Gov. Angus King, who is working to create an endowment fund in
Maine to provide portable computers and Internet access for all seventh-graders.
I am grateful to all of you for coming here to help us set the stage for our Administration's
third New Markets Tour, which we will take beginning the week of April 16th. I can't imagine a
better place to kick things off than here in the East Room. Nearly two centuries ago, Thomas
Jefferson and his personal aide Meriwether Lewis laid maps upon the floor and charted the Lewis
and Clark expedition. Today, we are here again to chart a course and to open new frontiers of
possibility for our nation. The new frontier we are exploring is the digital frontier. And our
mission is to open that frontier to all Americans - regardless of income, education, geography,
disability, or race.
We are truly fortunate to be alive at this moment in history - a time of stunning advances in
human knowledge and of unparalleled prosperity. Our economy is the strongest it has ever been with nearly 21 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the lowest AfricanAmerican and Hispanic unemployment on record.
What are we to do with this momentum? Well, I say there is no better use than helping all
of our communities reap the rewards of this remarkable age. If we don't do it now, when will we
ever get around to doing it?
Over the past year, I have traveled all over the country to see communities that represent
America's new markets - from hard-pressed rural areas in Appalachia and the Mississippi Delta, to
the inner cities of Newark and Watts, to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Each place I have gone,
I have seen how we can team up with the private sector and community organizations to build new
business, create new jobs, and make a real difference in people's lives.
On this upcoming New Markets tour, we will focus specifically on how we can pool our
resources to help communities get access to, and take best advantage of, the tools of the Information
Age. We will visit East Palo Alto - a community where 20 percent of the residents live below the
poverty line - to show that even in the heart of Silicon Valley there is still a substantial digital
divide. We will visit Shiprock, New Mexico, a small town in the Navajo Nation, to demonstrate the
unique challenges faced by remote Indian Reservations. I will speak at the influential Comdex
conference in Chicago, where I will address representatives of every major computer and Internet
company in America and challenge them to join this cause. And then, the following week, I will
travel to North Carolina, where we will discuss the importance of connecting rural America to the
same high-speed, broadband networks that are now proliferating in metropolitan areas.
1
�On all these stops, I will make the case that new technologies can be incredible tools of
empowerment in schools, homes, businesses, community centers, and in every other part of civic
life. I will argue that if we work together to close the digital divide, technology can be the greatest
equalizing force our society - or any other - has ever known. Just imagine if computers and
Internet connections were as common in every community as telephones are today ... if all teachers
had the skills to open students' eyes and minds to the possibilities of this new world of technology
... if every small business in every rural town could join worldwide markets once reserved for the
most powerful corporations. Just imagine what America could be.
But as we imagine this future, we must remember the lessons of the past. History teaches us
that even as new technologies create new opportunity, they can heighten economic inequalities and
sharpen social divisions - as we saw in the Industrial Revolution. Today we have a chance to avoid
these mistakes. We can reap the growth that comes from new technologies - and at the same time
use these technologies to eliminate, not widen, the disparities that exist.
We can do it if we all work together: governments, businesses, educators, librarians, civilrights and religious leaders, labor unions, community-based organizations, foundations, and
volunteers - the entire rich mosaic of America's civil society. That is why I am challenging all of
these groups to answer a National Call to Action for Digital Opportunity and to help us achieve two
vitally important goals.
st
The first goal is to bring 21 century learning tools into every school. That means finishing
the job of connecting every classroom to the Internet, ensuring that all students have access to
multi-media computers, creating more high-quality educational software, and helping all teachers
leam how to make the best use of these new tools. The second goal is to expand our efforts far
beyond our schools - by working to give every citizen has Internet access at home, by bringing
technology centers and high-speed networks to every community, by helping adults gain the skills
to compete for IT jobs, and inspiring more people to appreciate the great value of getting online.
Today represents the opening bugle blast for this National Call to Action. Yet more than
400 organizations have already signed on to the pledge. And this is just the beginning. For the rest
of this year, we will be working to inspire hundreds, if not thousands, more to sign up. Of course,
we'll also be working with the Congress, across party lines, to build support for budget and
legislative initiatives to meet these goals.
During our New Markets tour, we will have an opportunity to announce many public- and
private-sector commitments tied to this National Call to Action. Today, in advance of the tour, I'd
like to announce four such commitments - all of which are vivid illustrations of the kind of
visionary partnerships and barn-raising spirit that we are working to foster.
First, AmeriCorps will make an enormous contribution to closing the digital divide by
marshaling the power of active citizens. Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Mikulski, who is at the
forefront of this issue, and Harris Wofford, who so ably heads our Corporation for National Service,
AmeriCorps is committing $10 million to recruit 750 new members to serve in a brand-new ECorps. This E-Corps will be a large battalion of volunteers trained and devoted exclusively to
projects like providing technical support to school systems and teaching computer-literacy to adults
and children. The Corporation for National Service will also unleash the power of students helping
students by providing funds to allow 90,000 high school students get involved in digital divide
projects as part of their educational curriculum. Most young people I know can run circles around
�me when it comes to computers and the Internet. AmeriCorps is going to help them put those skills
to work in service to their communities.
Second, to help get AmeriCorps' E-Corps off to a running start, the Internet company
Yahoo! will donate a remarkable $1 million in Internet advertising to attract potential E-Corps
members with high-tech skills. Third, in partnership with the YWCA, 3Com is launching an
innovative initiative called NetPrep GYRLS [girls]. Currently, less than 30 percent of U.S.
computer scientists and programmers are women. NetPrep GYRLS will help to right this
imbalance, by offering free computer-network training and certification to hundreds of high-school
girls across the country. Fourth, the American Library Association has pledged to greatly expand
the information- literacy programs of its members in at least 250 communities. I thank all of these
groups for their commitments.
As my friend Harris Wofford likes to say, the effort to make sure that all young Americans
share in the opportunity and promise of America is the unfinished business of the Civil Rights
movement. So it is especially appropriate to note that it was exactly 32 years ago today that Dr.
King was assassinated and his dream put on hold. Although it takes a certain temerity to even
speculate, I believe that if Dr. King were still with us on this Earth he would view closing the digital
divide as a deeply righteous cause.
In the very last Sunday sermon of his life, Dr. King ended with this prayer: "God grant us
[all a chance to] be participants in the newness and magnificent development" of America. My
friends, that is the prayer we help to fulfill when we open the eyes of an inner-city child to the
wonders of the Internet, as Julian is doing ... when we help seniors in rural America get medical
advice over the computer from doctors hundreds of miles away ... when we create tools that allow
people with disabilities to open new doors of possibility. When we do these things, we give our
neighbors a chance to participate - and we make this righteous cause our own. Thank you and God
bless you.
###
�Document No.
W H I T E HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
Date:
Hf'&J O O
ACTION / CONCURRENCE / COMMENT DUE BY:
^QOft^ ^ / a
Subject:
ACTION
/
ACTION
FYI
FYI
•
LOCKHART
PODESTA
•
LEWIS
•
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ECHAVESTE
•
MARSHALL
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VICE PRESIDENT
RICCHETTI
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MOORE
•
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LEW
•
•
NASH
•
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BAILY
•
•
NOLAN
•
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BERGER
•
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REED
•
BLUMENTHAL
•
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SPERLING
•
BRAIN
•
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STREETT
BURSON
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TRAMONTANO
•
CAHILL
•
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UCELLI
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VERVEER
EDMONDS
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FRAMPTON
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IBARRA
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JOHNSON, B.
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JOHNSON, J .
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LANE
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REMARKS:
RESPONSE:
Staffing Form 3/3/00
Office of the Staff Secretary
Ext. 62702
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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Lowell Weiss
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Lowell Weiss
Office of Speechwriting
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1997-2001
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<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36408">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7431951">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
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2006-0470-F
Description
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This collection consists of the speechwriting files of Lowell Weiss. Lowell Weiss worked as a Special Assistant to the President, Presidential Speechwriter from June 1997 - August 2000. Weiss traveled and wrote speeches for President Clinton on domestic issues. His speeches cover a broad array of topics. Major issues he wrote on concern the environment, education, the economy, and race relations. He wrote weekly radio addresses; commencement speeches; and remarks for bill signings, events, and conferences. The records consist of speeches, drafts, memoranda, correspondence, schedules, event and travel arrangements, notes, articles, and printed email.
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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464 folders in 36 boxes
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Remarks on Digital Divide 4/4/00 [1]
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Office of Speechwriting
Lowell Weiss
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2006-0470-F
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Box 30
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36408">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/20761160">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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20761160
42-t-7431951-20060470-F-030-002-2015