Remarks by the President at Nomination of General Joe Dunford as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and General Paul Selva as Vice Chairman

Rose Garden

*Please see below for a correction, marked with an asterisk.

11:57 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  As Americans, we are blessed with the strongest military the world has ever known.  Yes, our system of equipment and technology, our logistical capacity is unmatched.  But what makes us the best, the reason no other nation can do what we do, is our people -- patriotic men and women across our country who step forward, raise their hand and take an oath to defend our nation.  It’s our men and women in uniform -- and their leaders -- who make our armed forces the very best.

Among our military leaders, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the principal military advisor to me and my national security team -- including Vice President Biden; my National Security Advisor, Susan Rice; and our Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter. 

In recent years, I have been deeply grateful for the service of our Chairman, General Marty Dempsey, and our Vice Chairman, Admiral Sandy Winnefeld.  Marty and Sandy will complete their terms later this year.  I'll have a chance to say nice things about them later.  I can tell you that they have been outstanding, and I could not have asked for a better team.  But today, I’m proud to announce my nominee to be the next Chairman, General Joe Dunford, and the next Vice Chairman, General Paul Selva.

Again, I want to thank General Dempsey and Admiral Winnefeld for being here today.  Marty and Sandy, we are extraordinarily grateful for all that you’ve done.  And we'll have an opportunity to pay tribute to you in the months ahead.  I’ve relied on you both -- your advice, your counsel, your judgment -- as we’ve navigated the urgent challenges of recent years, from ending our combat mission in Afghanistan to leading the international coalition to destroy ISIL; conducting humanitarian operations from typhoon relief in the Philippines to fighting Ebola in West Africa; and strengthening our security alliances from Europe to Asia.  At every step, you have been critical to our processes, and I have valued not only your counsel but your friendships. 

At the same time, Marty and Sandy have helped to guide our forces through difficult fiscal times -- especially sequestration.  They’ve stayed focused on readiness, and training and modernization.  Today there are also more opportunities for women in our armed forces.  We’re tackling the outrage of sexual assault, which has no place in our ranks.  We’ve made progress in large part because leaders like Marty and Sandy have made sure we’re recruiting and training, and equipping and retaining the best fighting force on the planet.  I look forward to honoring Marty and Sandy and thanking them more fully for their extraordinary contributions to our nation.

There are other things we’re going to miss.  We’re going to miss Marty’s incomparable singing voice.  (Laughter.)  He will not be singing today.  But I’m going to put my request in early for a final number at your farewell.  But on behalf of myself, our entire national security team and our armed forces, thank you.  And to Deannie and to Mary, we are grateful for your families’ service.  (Applause.)   

My choice for the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Joe Dunford, is one of the most admired officers in our military. A native of Boston, Joe is the very definition of “Boston Strong.”  The son of a retired Boston police officer and Marine veteran of Korea, Joe followed in his father’s footsteps and has distinguished himself through nearly 40 years of military service.  He’s commanded Marines in the field, from the platoon level to a Marine Expeditionary Force.  During the invasion of Iraq, he led Marines in the charge to Baghdad.

Given his combat experience, I was proud to nominate Joe as the Commander of American and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.  I’ve had a chance to work with him.  I have been extraordinarily impressed by Joe -- from the Situation Room, where he helped to shape our enduring commitment to Afghanistan, to my visit last year to Bagram, where I saw his leadership firsthand. 

I know Joe.  I trust him.  He’s already proven his ability to give me his unvarnished military advice based on his experience on the ground.  Under his steady hand, we’ve achieved key milestones, including the transition to Afghan responsibility for security, historic Afghan elections, and the drawdown of U.S. forces -- setting the stage for our combat mission there.
 
So Joe is a proven leader of our joint force, including our troops in Afghanistan, who he served Christmas dinner to.  He’s one of our military’s most highly regarded strategic thinkers.  He’s known and respected by our allies, by members of Congress -- on both sides of the aisle -- and by colleagues across our government.  He’s also tireless.  His staff has been known to carry around a voice recorder to keep up with his commands and new ideas. 

He just began his service as Commandant of his beloved Marine Corps.  So, Joe, I appreciate your willingness to take on this new assignment.  I think the only downside in my book is, as a White Sox fan, there is yet another Red Sox fan who I'm going to have to be dealing with.  (Laughter.)  And I want to thank you and your wife, Ellyn, for your continued service.

In General Paul Selva, we have a Vice Chairman with 35 years of military service -- as both a pilot and a commander.  As leader of Air Mobility Command, he earned a reputation as a force for change and innovation.  I understand that when it was time to deliver the final C-17 to the Air Force, Paul went to the cockpit and helped fly it himself.  As head of Transportation Command, he’s been committed to the partnerships that are a core principle of our national security strategy, whether it’s supplying our joint force around the world, in operations large and small, to supporting and keeping safe our diplomats and embassy personnel overseas.

Paul also served as Secretary of State Clinton’s military advisor for the first years of my presidency, so he grasps the strategic environment in which our forces operate.  He understands that our military, as powerful as it is, is one tool that must be used in concert with all the elements of our national power. 

I should note that, as a graduate of the Air Force Academy, Paul is especially grateful to the Academy because it’s there that he met his wife, Ricki, who also served in the Air Force.  And, Paul and Ricki, thank you both for taking on this next chapter of your service together.

Joe, Paul -- we continue to call on our armed forces to meet a range of challenges.  We have to keep training Afghan forces and remain relentless against al Qaeda.  We have to push back against ISIL and strengthen forces in *Syria [Iraq], and build moderate opposition in Syria.  We have to stand united with our allies in Europe and keep rebalancing our posture as a Pacific power.  We have to keep investing in new capabilities to meet growing threats, including cyber-attacks. 

So, as Commander-in-Chief, I’ll be looking to you for your honest military advice as we meet these challenges.  As we do, we’re also going to keep working with Congress on a more responsible approach to defense spending, including reforms in the department so we can preserve the readiness of our all-volunteer force, keep faith with our troops and our military families, and care for our wounded warriors.  This is work we have to do together, as a nation.

Again, to Joe, to Paul, to your families, on behalf of the American people, thank you for your continued service to our nation.  I urge our friends in the Senate -- and I know I won’t have a problem with Jack Reed, who’s sitting right here -- to confirm these remarkable leaders without delay so we can stay focused on the work that unites us all as Americans -- keeping our military strong, our nation secure, our citizens safe.

Thank you very much.  (Applause.)
   
END
12:07 P.M. EDT

Remarks by the President at Launch of the My Brother's Keeper Alliance

Lehman College
West Bronx, New York

2:56 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, New York!  (Applause.)  Give Darinel a big round of applause for that introduction.  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Thank you.  Everybody, please have a seat.  We are so proud of Darinel.  We want to thank him for being such a great role model for other students here in New York and around the country. 

I want to give a shout-out to a friend of mine who happens to be your Assemblyman -- Michael Blake.  (Applause.)  Where’s Michael?  He is around here somewhere.  There he is.  You got to stand up, Michael.  (Laughter.)  We're still teaching him about politics.  (Applause.)  When the President introduces you, you got to stand up.  (Laughter.)  Get some TV time.  (Laughter.) 

So Mike grew up in tough circumstances, as well.  He worked hard, went to a good college.  He joined my campaign, worked in the White House.  Now he’s in public office to make sure that other young people like him have every chance in the world.  So we couldn't be prouder of him.  It's great to see.  (Applause.) 

So I'm getting practice for Malia and Sasha leaving home.  I’ve got all these incredible young people who worked on the White House staff who are now doing all kinds of great things.

I want to thank all the members of Congress and elected officials who are in the house.  You’ve got a couple of proud Lehman graduates -- Eliot Engel -- where’s Eliot?  (Applause.)  There he is.  And Jose Serrano.  (Applause.)  And we've got some more folks -- we've got three other folks from the New York delegation -- Gregory Meeks -- (applause) -- the always dapper Charlie Rangel -- (applause) -- the outstanding Yvette Clarke.  (Applause.)  And visiting from Florida -- Frederica Wilson.  (Applause.)  But they all share the same passion that I do, and that is making sure every young person in this country has opportunity.

That’s why we’re all here today.  Because we believe in the idea that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter where you came from, no matter what your circumstances were, if you work hard, if you take responsibility, then America is a place where you can make something of your lives. 

And I want to thank Lehman for hosting us here today.  And our community college system -- the CUNY system -- our public education institutions, they are all pathways for success.  And we're very proud of what they do. 

Everything that we’ve done since I've been President, the past six and a half years -- from rescuing the economy to giving more Americans access to affordable health care, to reforming our schools for all of our kids -- it’s been in pursuit of that one goal:  creating opportunity for everybody.  We can’t guarantee everybody’s success.  But we do strive to guarantee an equal shot for everybody who’s willing to work for it. 

But what we’ve also understood for too long is that some communities have consistently had the odds stacked against them; that there’s a tragic history in this country that has made it tougher for some.  And folks living in those communities, and especially young people living in those communities, could use some help to change those odds. 

It’s true of some rural communities where there’s chronic poverty.  It’s true of some manufacturing communities that have suffered after factories they depended on closed their doors.  It’s true for young people of color, especially boys and young men. 

You all know the numbers.  By almost every measure, the life chances of the average young man of color is worse than his peers.  Those opportunity gaps begin early -- often at birth -- and they compound over time, becoming harder and harder to bridge, making too many young men and women feel like no matter how hard they try, they may never achieve their dreams.

And that sense of unfairness and of powerlessness, of people not hearing their voices, that’s helped fuel some of the protests that we’ve seen in places like Baltimore, and Ferguson, and right here in New York.  The catalyst of those protests were the tragic deaths of young men and a feeling that law is not always applied evenly in this country.  In too many places in this country, black boys and black men, Latino boys, Latino men, they experience being treated differently by law enforcement -- in stops and in arrests, and in charges and incarcerations.  The statistics are clear, up and down the criminal justice system; there’s no dispute.  

That’s why one of the many things we did to address these issues was to put together a task force on community policing.  And this task force was made up of law enforcement and of community activists, including some who had led protests in Ferguson, some who had led protests here in New York -- young people whose voices needed to be heard.  And what was remarkable was law enforcement and police chiefs and sheriffs and county officials working with these young people, they came up with concrete proposals that, if implemented, would rebuild trust and help law enforcement officers do their jobs even better, and keep them and their communities even safer. 

And what was clear from this task force was the recognition that the overwhelming majority of police officers are good and honest and fair, and care deeply about their communities.  And they put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.  And their loved ones wait and worry until they come through that door at the end of their shift. 

As many of you know, New York’s finest lost one of its own today -- Officer Brian Moore, who was shot in the line of duty on Saturday night, passed away earlier today.  He came from a family of police officers.  And the family of fellow officers he joined in the NYPD and across the country deserve our gratitude and our prayers not just today but every day.  They’ve got a tough job.  (Applause.)

Which is why, in addressing the issues in Baltimore or Ferguson or New York, the point I made was that if we’re just looking at policing, we’re looking at it too narrowly.  If we ask the police to simply contain and control problems that we ourselves have been unwilling to invest and solve, that’s not fair to the communities, it’s not fair to the police.  What we gathered here to talk about today is something that goes deeper than policing.  It speaks to who we are as a nation, and what we’re willing to do to make sure that equality of opportunity is not an empty word. 

Across the country and in parts of New York, in parts of New Jersey, in parts of my hometown in Chicago, there are communities that don’t have enough jobs, don’t have enough investment, don’t have enough opportunity.  You’ve got communities with 30, or 40, or 50 percent unemployment.  They’ve been struggling long before the economic crisis in 2007, 2008.  Communities without enough role models.  Communities where too many men who could otherwise be leaders, who could provide guidance for young people, who could be good fathers and good neighbors and good fellow citizens, are languishing in prison over minor, nonviolent drug offenses. 

Now, there’s no shortage of people telling you who and what is to blame for the plight of these communities.  But I’m not interested in blame.  I’m interested in responsibility and I’m interested in results.  (Applause.) 

That’s why we’ve partnered with cities to get more kids access to quality early childhood education -- no matter who they are or where they’re born.  It’s why we’ve partnered with cities to create Promise Zones, to give a booster shot to opportunity.  That’s why we’ve invested in ideas from support for new moms to summer jobs for young people, to helping more young people afford a college education. 

And that’s why, over a year ago, we launched something we call My Brother’s Keeper -- an initiative to address those persistent opportunity gaps and ensure that all of our young people, but particularly young men of color, have a chance to go as far as their dreams will take them.  It’s an idea that we pursued in the wake of Trayvon Martin’s death because we wanted the message sent from the White House in a sustained way that his life mattered, that the lives of the young men who are here today matter, that we care about your future -- not just sometimes, but all the time. 

In every community in America, there are young people with incredible drive and talent, and they just don't have the same kinds of chances that somebody like me had.  They're just as talented as me, just as smart.  They don't get a chance.  And because everyone has a part to play in this process, we brought everybody together.  We brought business leaders and faith leaders, mayors, philanthropists, educators, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, actors -- all united around the simple idea of giving all our young people the tools they need to achieve their full potential. 

And we were determined not to just do a feel-good exercise, to write a report that nobody would read, to do some announcement, and then once the TV cameras had gone away and there weren’t protests or riots, then somehow we went back to business as usual.  We wanted something sustained.  And for more than a year, we’ve been working with experts to identify some of the key milestones that matter most in every young person’s life -- from whether they enter school ready to learn, to whether they graduate ready for a career.  Are they getting suspended in school?  Can we intervene there?  Are they in danger of falling into the criminal justice system?  Can we catch them before they do?  Key indicators that we know will make a difference.  If a child is reading by the third grade at grade level, we know they’ve got a chance of doing better.  If they aren’t involved with the criminal justice system and aren’t suspended while they're in school, we know they’ve got a chance of doing better. So there are certain things that we knew would make a difference.

And we’ve looked at which programs and policies actually work in intervening at those key periods.  Early childhood education works.  Job apprenticeship programs work.  Certain mentoring programs work.  And we’ve identified which strategies make a difference in the lives of young people, like mentoring, or violence prevention and intervention.

And because we knew this couldn’t be the work of just the federal government, we challenged every community in the country -- big cities, small towns, rural counties, tribal nations -- to publicly commit to implementing strategies to help all young people succeed.  And as a result, we’ve already got more than 200 communities across the country who are focused on this issue.  They're on board and they're doing great work.  They're sharing best practices.  They're sharing ideas.

All of this has happened just in the last year.  And the response we’ve gotten in such a short amount of time, the enthusiasm and the passion we’ve seen from folks all around the country proves how much people care about this.  Sometimes politics may be cynical, the debate in Washington may be cynical, but when you get on the ground, and you talk to folks, folks care about this.  They know that how well we do as a nation depends on whether our young people are succeeding.  That's our future workforce. 

They know that if you've got African American or Latino men here in New York who, instead of going to jail, are going to college, those are going to be taxpayers.  They're going to help build our communities.  They will make our communities safer.  They aren’t part of the problem, they're potentially part of the solution -- if we treat them as such. 

So we’ve made enormous progress over the last year.  But today, after months of great work on the part of a whole lot of people, we’re taking another step forward, with people from the private sector coming together in a big way.  We’re here for the launch of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, which is a new nonprofit organization of private sector organizations and companies that have committed themselves to continue the work of opening doors for young people -- all our young people -- long after I’ve left office.  (Applause.)  It’s a big deal.

I want to thank the former CEO of Deloitte, Joe Echevarria, who’s been involved for a long time.  He has taken the lead on this alliance.  Joe, stand up.  You've done an incredible job.  (Applause.)  Just like the My Brother’s Keeper overall effort that we launched last year, Joe and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance -- they're all about getting results.  They’ve set clear goals to hold themselves accountable for getting those results:  Doubling the percentage of boys and young men of color who read at grade level by the third grade.  Increasing their high school graduation rates by 20 percent.  (Applause.)  Getting 50,000 more of those young men into post-secondary education or training. 

They’ve already announced $80 million in commitments to make this happen, and that is just the beginning.  And they’ve got a great team of young people who helped to work on this, a lot of them from Deloitte.  We appreciate them so much.  We’re very proud of the great work that they did. 

But here’s what the business leaders who are here today -- and Joe certainly subscribes to this -- will tell you, they’re not doing this out of charity.  The organizations that are represented here, ranging -- as varied as from Sprint to BET -- they’re not doing it just to assuage society’s guilt.  They’re doing this because they know that making sure all of our young people have the opportunity to succeed is an economic imperative.

These young men, all our youth, are part of our workforce.  If we don’t make sure that our young people are safe and healthy and educated, and prepared for the jobs of tomorrow, our businesses won’t have the workers they need to compete in the 21st century global economy.  Our society will lose in terms of productivity and potential.  America won’t be operating at full capacity.  And that hurts all of us. 

So they know that there’s an economic rationale for making this investment.  But, frankly, this is also about more than just economics; it’s about values.  It’s about who we are as a people.

Joe grew up about a mile from here, in the Bronx.  And as he and I were sitting there, listening to some incredible young men in a roundtable discussion, many of them from this community, their stories were our stories.  So, for Joe and I, this is personal, because in these young men we see ourselves.

The stakes are clear.  And these stakes are high:  At the end of the day, what kind of society do we want to have?  What kind of country do we want to be?  It’s not enough to celebrate the ideals that we’re built on -- liberty for all, and justice for all and equality for all.  Those can’t just be words on paper.  The work of every generation is to make those ideals mean something concrete in the lives of our children -- all of our children. 

And we won’t get there as long as kids in Baltimore or Ferguson or New York or Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta or the Pine Ridge Reservation believe that their lives are somehow worth less. 

We won’t get there when we have impoverished communities that have been stripped away of opportunity, and where, in the richest nation on Earth, children are born into abject poverty. 

We won’t be living up to our ideals when their parents are struggling with substance abuse, or are in prison, or unemployed, and when fathers are absent, and schools are substandard, and jobs are scarce and drugs are plentiful.  We won’t get there when there are communities where a young man is less likely to end up in college than jail, or dead -- and feels like his country expects nothing else of him. 

America’s future depends on us caring about this.  If we don’t, then we will just keep on going through the same cycles of periodic conflict.  When we ask police to go into communities where there’s no hope, eventually something happens because of the tensions between societies and these communities -- and the police are just on the front lines of that. 

And people tweet outrage.  And the TV cameras come.  And they focus more on somebody setting fire to something or turning over a car than the peaceful protests and the thoughtful discussions that are taking place.  And then some will argue, well, all these social programs don’t make a difference.  And we cast blame.  And politicians talk about poverty and inequality, and then gut policies that help alleviate poverty or reverse inequality.  (Applause.) 

And then we wait for the next outbreak or problem to flare up.  And we go through the same pattern all over again.  So that, in effect, we do nothing. 

There are consequences to inaction.  There are consequences to indifference.  And they reverberate far beyond the walls of the projects, or the borders of the barrio, or the roads of the reservation.  They sap us of our strength as a nation.  It means we’re not as good as we could be.  And over time, it wears us out.  Over time, it weakens our nation as a whole.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be this way.  We can have the courage to change.  We can make a difference.  We can remember that these kids are our kids.  “For these are all our children,” James Baldwin once wrote.  “We will all profit by, or pay for, whatever they become.” 

And that’s what My Brother’s Keeper is about, that’s what this alliance is about.  And we are in this for the long haul.  We’re going to keep doing our work at the White House on these issues.  Sometimes it won’t be a lot of fanfare.  I notice we don’t always get a lot of reporting on this issue when there’s not a crisis in some neighborhood.  But we’re just going to keep on plugging away.  And this will remain a mission for me and for Michelle not just for the rest of my presidency, but for the rest of my life.  (Applause.)

  And the reason is simple.  Like I said before -- I know it’s true for Joe; it’s true for John Legend, who was part of our roundtable; it’s true for Alonzo Mourning who is here, part of our board -- we see ourselves in these young men. 

I grew up without a dad.  I grew up lost sometimes and adrift, not having a sense of a clear path.  And the only difference between me and a lot of other young men in this neighborhood and all across the country is that I grew up in an environment that was a little more forgiving.  And at some critical points, I had some people who cared enough about me to give me a second chance, or a third chance, or give me a little guidance when I needed it, or to open up a door that might otherwise been closed.  I was lucky. 

Alex Santos is lucky, too.  Where’s Alex?  Alex is here.  Stand up, Alex.  (Applause.)  So Alex was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in Brooklyn and the Bronx, in some tough neighborhoods.  When he was 11, he saw his mom’s best friend, a man he respected and looked up to, shot and killed.  His older brothers dropped out of school, got caught up in drugs and violence.  So Alex didn’t see a whole lot of options for himself, couldn’t envision a path to a better future.  He then dropped out of school. 

But then his mom went back to school and got her GED.  She set an example.  That inspired Alex to go back and get his GED.  Actually, it’s more like she stayed on him until he went back.  (Laughter.)  And I know, because just like I was lucky, I also had a mom who used to get on my case about my studies.  So I could relate.  But this is what Alex says about his mom:  “She made me realize that no matter what, there’s a second chance in life.” 

So, today, Alex is getting his GED.  He’s developed a passion for sports.  His dream is to one day work with kids as a coach and set an example for them.  He says he never thought he could go to college; now he believes he can.  All Alex wants to be is a good role model for his younger brothers, Carlos and John, who are bright and hardworking and doing well in school.  And he says, “They matter so much to my life, and I matter to theirs.”

So, Alex, and his brothers, and all the young people here, all the young ones who are out there struggling -- the simple point to make is:  You matter.  You matter to us.

It was interesting during the roundtable, we asked these young men -- incredible gifted young men, like Darinel -- asked them, what advice would you give us?  And they talked about mentor programs and they talked about counseling programs and guidance programs in schools.  But one young man -- Malachi -- he just talked about, we should talk about love.  (Applause.)  Because Malachi and I shared the fact that our dad wasn’t around, and that sometimes we wondered why he wasn’t around and what had happened.

But really that's what this comes down to is, do we love these kids?  (Applause.)  See if we feel like because they don't look like us, or they don't talk like us, or they don't live in the same neighborhood as us that they're different, that they can't learn, or they don't deserve better, or it’s okay if their schools are rundown, or it’s okay if the police are given a mission just to contain them rather than to encourage them, then it’s not surprising that we're going to lose a lot of them.

But that's not the kind of country I want to live in.  That's not what America is about.  So my message to Alex and Malachi and Darinel, and to all the young men out there and young boys who aren’t in this room, haven’t yet gotten that helping hand, haven’t yet gotten that guidance -- I want you to know you matter.  You matter to us.  You matter to each other.  There’s nothing, not a single thing, that’s more important to the future of America than whether or not you and young people all across this country can achieve their dreams. 

And we are one people, and we need each other.  We should love every single one of our kids.  And then we should show that love -- not just give lip-service to it, not just talk about it in church and then ignore it, not just have a seminar about it and not deliver.

It’s hard.  We’ve got an accumulation of not just decades but, in some cases, centuries of trauma that we're having to overcome.  But if Alex is able to overcome what he’s been through, then we as a society should be able to overcome what we’ve been through.  If Alex can put the past behind him and look towards the future, we should be able to do the same.

I’m going to keep on fighting, and everybody here is going to keep on fighting to make sure that all of our kids have the opportunity to make of their lives what they will.  Today is just the beginning.  We’re going to keep at this for you, the young people of America, for your generation and for all the generations to come.

So, thank you.  God bless you.  God bless all of you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)

END
3:27 P.M. EDT

Remarks by Dr. Jill Biden at the 28th Annual Human Rights Campaign Atlanta Gala Dinner

Atlanta, Georgia

May 2, 2015

Thank you, Chad, for that great introduction.  Hello, Atlanta!  I am so proud to be here with all of you tonight. 

I’d like to start by saying I think Chad is doing a phenomenal job leading HRC.  But, as a mother myself, I think we owe Chad’s parents – Betty and Butch Hightower – a round applause for doing such a great job of raising Chad.  

I’d also like to acknowledge Congressman John Lewis is here tonight.  He is an embodiment of courage, foresight, and lasting commitment.

It was so nice to meet Jim Obergefell, who’s here tonight as well, the lead plaintiff from the historic Supreme Court case argued earlier this week.  We’re with you, Jim. Keep up the fight!

It’s an honor to be here because I truly believe in the work that you do – that all of us do together – to advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.  As my husband Joe often says, this is the civil rights cause of our lifetime.

Joe and I came of age during a time when there was no Human Rights Campaign to proudly wave its flag of equality, yellow over blue, at rallies and in marches across the country.  Back then, a gathering like this would not just have been unthinkable; in many places, it would have been illegal.  Look how far we’ve come.

Last year, when Joe and I spoke at the HRC dinner in Los Angeles, he told a story from his youth about how his father drove him to the city courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware and while they were parked outside, Joe saw two men kissing each other goodbye.  Joe didn’t know what to think, but his father turned to him and explained: “they love each other. That’s the end.”

Because “love is love,” today – 50 years later – two men or two women can walk into the courthouse in that same city of Wilmington and get a marriage license.  And we won’t rest until that freedom to marry is available to any loving, committed couple in this country.  Look how far we’ve come.

I am proud to be here on behalf of an Administration that has done more to secure equality and justice for the LGBT community than any past Administration – combined.  Working with you, we: Repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; ended the HIV travel ban; passed a hate crimes law bearing Matthew Shepard’s and James Byrd’s names; established a National HIV/AIDS Strategy; supported Gay Straight Alliances and aggressively pursued justice for LGBT students; stood up for the rights of LGBT people around the world; prohibited discrimination in federally funded programs; and, argued for the freedom to marry before the Supreme Court. These are your victories.

Now, I’m not a politician but I’ve been around politics long enough to recognize that nothing compares to the kind of sweeping change we have seen on LGBT issues in the last six years.  But ultimately, this isn’t about changing laws – it’s about changing lives.

Change is young people who are comfortable in their own skin and proud of who they are, because they know it gets better.  As an educator, I know the kind of bullying and harassment that some of my students face in the classroom, and the rejection they encounter at home.  I’ve read it in their journals, and I’ve even chastised an entire class for mistreating one my LGBT students.

Change is serving the country you love regardless of who you love.  As a military mom, I care deeply for our service members and their families.  I saw the burden that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and DOMA placed on so many of our military families – families who serve this nation with just as much courage and patriotism and sacrifice as any other military family. Today, because those discriminatory laws are no longer on the books, their lives are so much better, and they can worry about the things every family, every military family worries about: Deployment and return; raising their kids; and transitioning from service to civilian life. 

And, speaking of family, change is having a family that fully respects and affirms who you are.  Earlier in the program, you heard from a smart, talented, beautiful young woman from Delaware named Sarah McBride.  Can we give her another round of applause?  Now, Delaware isn’t a big state, so perhaps it comes as no surprise to all of you that Joe and I have known Sarah McBride and her family for many years.  The McBride’s are a giving family—who are always ready to step up and help out when you’re in need.  Sarah’s older brother went to high school with our daughter Ashley, and Sarah worked on our son Beau’s campaigns for Attorney General in 2006 and 2010. 

So I know a little more about her story – and I know that when she came out, her parents didn’t hesitate one moment.  They embraced the child that they love – the daughter they have, unequivocally.  Because they know what you know: treating people differently because of who they are is no different than the cruel laws John Lewis bravely fought against for years.  As Joe says, “I don’t care how you dress it up or how you justify it—prejudice is prejudice is prejudice.” And so, Sarah’s parents didn’t just stand with her at home; they stood with her before the Delaware legislature to fight for transgender equality and to demand dignity and fairness for their daughter.  Their embrace never yielded, from the morning she came out to them, to the afternoon her father walked her down the aisle, to the evening she lost her husband.  Isn’t that what parents are supposed to do?  Parents celebrate, support, and they comfort – because they see, and love, their child for who they truly are.

Now, Sarah will be the first to admit: she’s one of the lucky ones.  Because for every Sarah McBride there are – tragically – too many stories like Leelah Alcorn’s.  Instead of being accepted, Leelah was rejected. Instead of being supported, she was isolated. Instead of beginning her transition, she was forced into conversion therapy.  Leelah’s story is all too common in America today.  We know that 1 in 3 LGBT youth experiences some form of conversion therapy, and that this has devastating effects, including depression, substance abuse, and suicide.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  It can’t be this way.  That’s why I was so proud when our Administration recently stood up for children like Leelah—to condemn conversion therapy in all its forms, and issued a call for action.  Because we believe young people should be valued for who they are, no matter what they look like, where they’re from, the gender with which they identify, or who they love.

As an educator, as a military mom, and as a mother and grandmother, I know and have seen firsthand the importance of family in a time of need.  When our son Beau was deployed to Iraq in 2009 for a year, it wasn’t easy for our family but we supported one another.  A few years ago, I wrote a children’s book to share our family experience—of what life was like for our grandchildren, Natalie and Hunter, when their father was away at war.  I bring this up because children’s books have this amazing power to explain the simple truths in life.  Think about it: they teach us how to overcome adversity; how to live by the golden rule; and my favorite, that sharing is caring.

Twenty five years ago, another children’s book was published that describes how all families are not the same, but also not all that different.  I would like to read you quote from Heather Has Two Mommies: “It doesn’t matter how many mommies or how many daddies your family has.  It doesn’t matter if your family has sisters or brothers or cousins or grandmas or grandpas or uncles and aunts… The most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other.”

What was once controversial is now commonplace.  At its core, Heather Has Two Mommies was about the importance of family.  And, it seems only fitting that 25 years later the Supreme Court of the United States could issue a historic decision for the freedom to marry.

This happened because of all of you—because you came out and marched; because of heartbreaking stories of loss and rejection; and inspiring stories of love and acceptance.  We should celebrate moments like these that remind us that the moral arc of the universe may be long but it does bend towards justice.

We know that the work doesn’t end with a Supreme Court victory.  If we’ve learned anything from the story of civil rights and equality in America, it’s that real, lasting change requires long-term commitment.  Just ask John Lewis.  It means staying engaged and vigilant, and not taking progress for granted because, if you’re not careful, it can be taken away.  So do it for our kids and our families; for our service members and Heather’s two mommies; for Sarah McBride and Leelah Alcorn.  And know that Barack, Michelle, Joe and I will be with you every step of the way.

Thank you again for having me here.  God bless.

National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice
Remarks at the Donald M. Payne Sr. Global Foundation Lecture Series
Seton Hall University
Thursday, April 30, 2015
As Prepared

Hello, Seton Hall!  It’s always a pleasure to get out of Washington, but today is special.  Today, I’m deeply honored to celebrate the life and legacy of a man who I was blessed to work alongside and to call my friend—one of Seton Hall’s finest—Congressman Donald Payne, Sr. 

Let me start by thanking all the members of the Payne family who are here—his brother, Bill, who was such a valued partner to Congressman Payne throughout his life, and who is keeping his passion for global causes alive through this Foundation. And, of course, Junior.  Thank you, Congressman, not only for your kind introduction, but for carrying on your father’s work.  It feels right that there’s still a Donald Payne fighting for the people of New Jersey. 

I also want to thank everyone at Seton Hall, especially Dean Bartoli and his staff at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, for hosting this lecture series and for keeping Congressman Payne’s papers so that future generations can continue to learn from his extraordinary example of service.  Since there are a lot of students here today, I also want to put in a plug for the Donald Payne fellowship program to help young people from diverse backgrounds earn their graduate degree and then pursue a career with USAID’s Foreign Service.  What a wonderful testament to the Congressman’s legacy.    

He prided himself on being a role model—to make sure young people knew that nothing was off limits for them, no matter where they grew up or what their background.  That was true for his own children—who he raised as a single father, and to whom he was devoted.  It was true for the kids he met on the streets of Newark—Congressman Payne wanted them to look at him and see that “there are no barriers to achievement.”  And, it was true for the children he met throughout Africa, in camps for refugees and displaced people, and whom he worked tirelessly to help. 

I first met Congressman Payne working on Africa issues—when I was on the National Security Council staff during the Clinton Administration, and later when I was Assistant Secretary of State.  He was Mr. Africa.  He taught me so much, and he always kept me straight.  He knew the issues, he asked the hard questions, and he cared so very deeply about making life better for people. 

Congressman Payne was instrumental in changing the way the United States engages with Africa.  In the 1990s, he was one of the few voices in Congress who insisted that Africa be given the same weight in our foreign policy as every other region of the world.  In a town too often stymied by politics, Congressman Payne built a bipartisan consensus to get important things done for Africa—from passing the African Growth and Opportunity Act to launching PEPFAR, President George W. Bush’s initiative to fight HIV/AIDS.  In 1998, Congressman Payne and I traveled with President Clinton on his six-country trip to Africa—the first visit by an American president to Africa in 20 years. 

Donald Payne made sure Africa was treated with the seriousness it deserves, not as an afterthought.  To my mind, that’s one of his great legacies.  He would have been proud that, this coming summer, President Obama will make his fourth trip to sub-Saharan Africa.  And that last year, we welcomed almost every African head of state to Washington for the historic U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit.  Over three days, we held intensive and substantive discussions exploring opportunities for the United States and Africa to do more business together, to strengthen democratic progress across the continent, and to deepen our security cooperation.  Congressman Payne would have been right in the thick of it. 

He was probably as well known in some parts of Africa as he was in Newark.  There are Donald Payne libraries and medical clinics across the continent.  At his funeral, a group of Liberian immigrants who had lived through the horrors of that terrible civil war stood outside the church singing songs praising the Congressman.  They didn’t know him, but they knew what he stood for and what he did.  And, not just for Africa—he went to bat for people in the Caribbean, and he worked for peace in Northern Ireland.  Wherever people were in distress, Donald Payne reached out a hand. 

I miss Congressman Payne.  Thinking about his quiet passion and the tenacity he brought to every challenge, we could sure use him with us.  Around the world, we’re countering a more diffuse terrorist threat, and political upheavals and violence are destabilizing the Middle East.  Together with our European partners, we’re imposing costs for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in defiance of long-standing international norms.  As more and more countries around the world assert their leadership, particularly in the Asia Pacific, we’re navigating shifting global power dynamics and taking on challenges that will impact our shared future, from climate change to cyber security. 

We’re facing complex global challenges, and today it’s worth remembering how Donald Payne approached the world.  So, I want to highlight three ways the United States is focusing on issues that may not always make the headlines, but that are so vital to our shared security and common humanity.

First, we’re dealing with multiple, large-scale humanitarian crises around the world.  Time and again—no matter what challenges—when disaster strikes, the United States shows up.  We respond to an average of 70 crises every year.  We resettle more refugees than any other nation, and we grant asylum to tens of thousands of people each year, many of whom have suffered through unspeakable war crimes and atrocities. 

The United States is the only nation with Disaster Assistance Response Teams, or DARTs—teams of humanitarian experts and technical advisors who can deploy within hours of an emergency.  We were among the first on the ground after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in Japan, and when the biggest typhoon in history hit the Philippines.  We have emergency responders on the ground in Nepal right now, including specialized urban search and rescue personnel, to help in the aftermath of Saturday’s terrible earthquake.  The Department of Defense is providing logistics support—we’ve sent a team from our base at Okinawa to make sure Nepal’s airport can handle the high quantity of air traffic and cargo.  Within hours, we made funding available to support local and international NGOs responding on the ground.  And, as President Obama told Prime Minister Koirala yesterday, the United States will continue to offer whatever support and assistance we can to help the people of Nepal. 

Around the world, our humanitarian efforts are consistently the most generous, the most comprehensive, and the most effective.  That’s America.  That’s what we do.  Perhaps the most dramatic example of this is our response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.  Last September, with hundreds of people dying each day, infections spreading like wildfire, and health systems pushed past the breaking point, the United States rallied the world to action.  We ramped up our civilian capacity to treat patients and curb transmission rates.  We helped bring together more than 60 counties who contributed more than $2 billion as well as manpower and resources.  At the high-point, there were more than 10,000 civilians on the ground in West Africa.  American personnel trained 1,500 healthcare workers to treat Ebola patients, and we deployed 3,000 American service members to galvanize the global response. 

Tragically, more than 10,000 lives have been lost to this disease, but thanks to American leadership, we averted scenarios that predicted upwards of 500,000 infections.  In recent months, the number of new cases has declined drastically—fewer than 35 last week—and we’re not stopping until we get to zero.  And, for those countries in West Africa whose communities and health systems and economies have been decimated by Ebola, we’re going to remain strong partners as they rebuild their health systems and their economies.   

Around the world, conflicts have displaced more than 50 million people—innocent civilians, including mothers and children—more than at any point since World War II.  Nowhere is the scale of human tragedy more dramatic than in Syria.  After more than four years of war, fully half of Syria’s population has been displaced, including more than 7 million children.  Of those still living in Syria, more than 12 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance—3 million more than last year.  In the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, 18,000 people are trapped between a regime that drops barrel bombs on its own people and the barbarism of ISIL.

This crisis has also long-since spilled over to cause serious hardships for Syria’s neighbors.  Syrian refugees make up one-fourth of the population of Lebanon.  In Jordan, more than 100 schools are now splitting the day, teaching Jordanian children for half and Syrian refugee children for the other.   

The people of Syria—both in Syria and scattered across the region—desperately need our help.  So, even as we seek a permanent political resolution, President Obama has made sure that the United States is leading the global response to what is now the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.  To date, we have committed more than $3.5 billion in humanitarian funding to the Syrian people—more than any other country.  We provide emergency supplies to feed 7 million Syrians each month.  We’ve helped more than 2 million people receive needed medical care.  And, we deliver critical supplies—flour for bakeries, fuel to help families through the winter, tools and parts needed to repair water systems—to help the millions who need immediate relief. 

Even as we respond to pressing humanitarian crises, we’re also addressing the root causes of conflict and instability in our world.  In Syria and in so many other cases, humanitarian crises often stem from outbreaks of violence.  Always, it’s ordinary citizens who pay the heaviest price.  So, the second point I want to make today, as Congressman Payne always reminded us, is that we can never stop working for peace—no matter how difficult it may be.        

The Congressman would no doubt still be deeply involved in our efforts to resolve the conflicts in Sudan and South Sudan.  He was the first American leader to call the horrifying slaughter in Darfur by its rightful name: genocide.  And, he played a central role in ending a decades-long civil war so that the people of South Sudan could chart their own future.  I had the great privilege to share with him one of the most joyful days I’ve ever experienced, when the people of South Sudan finally realized their dream of independence.  And I’ll never forget the image, from that day in Juba, of world leaders coming up to thank Congressman Payne for standing with the people of the world’s newest nation.  

Had he lived, it would have broken his heart to see South Sudan descend into conflict, as it has mine.  The violence and human rights abuses he worked so hard to end have resumed.  Rather than working together to build a peaceful, prosperous future, South Sudan’s leaders have torn the country apart.  Thousands of innocent lives have been lost—men, women, and children killed for no reason other than being from the other side, a different ethnic group.  

While the South Sudanese people face a collapsing economy and the threat of man-made famine, the parties in South Sudan continue to choose violence over a negotiated political settlement.  Since the senseless conflict in South Sudan began, our Special Envoy has been shuttling between capitals in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda to try to broker peace and support negotiations.  At the same time, we’ve built a sanctions framework at the United Nations so that those who abuse human rights and stoke violence will pay a price.  But ultimately, South Sudan’s leaders must remember the hard work it took to gain independence.  They must choose to prioritize the future of their country, or get out of the way.     

In Darfur, the situation remains dire.  The atrocities that Congressman Payne shined a light on have not ceased.  Aerial bombings continue.  Women and girls are assaulted; mass rape continues.  Millions are still displaced in camps across Darfur.  And, far too little progress has been made in bringing the perpetrators to justice. 

The conflicts in Sudan—in Darfur, in Southern Kordofan, in Blue Nile—all stem from one root:  the way the ruling party in Khartoum treats its own people.  So, with the African Union and other international partners, we’re supporting a nation-wide approach to peace.  As we work to strengthen opposition parties and help them develop political platforms, we’re building a framework for a national dialogue that will engage all the Sudanese people and, we hope, fundamentally improve the way Sudan is governed.  We’ve developed a regional strategy to engage Sudan’s neighbors and build international pressure to end the crisis.  And, we’re working to cut off the funding to government-affiliated militias by disrupting the illicit trade of diamonds and ivory coming into Darfur.  

Beyond Sudan, the decision by Burundi’s ruling party to disregard the term-limit provisions of the Arusha Accords and name President Nkurunziza as its candidate for a third term has launched the country into crisis.  This decision jeopardizes an historic opportunity for Burundi to affirm its commitment to democracy and peace.  During the past year, the Burundian government has taken alarming steps to restrict the activities of the media, disrupt public gatherings, and arrest members of the opposition and civil society.  There have also been disturbing reports that groups of youth militia connected to Burundi’s ruling party may have been armed. 

Now, the violence the international community warned about has broken out in the streets of Bujumbura.  We call on the Government to respect the rights of all Burundians to assemble peacefully and express their opinions freely, and we call for an end to the violence.  After so many years of civil war, the people of Burundi deserve the chance to build a peaceful, democratic future for their country.  And, the United States will take targeted measures, such as denying U.S. visas where appropriate, to impose consequences on those who foment violence or harm civilians.        

When conflict breaks out, robust international action can make a difference.  We’ve seen it.  When political violence recently sparked sectarian conflict in the Central African Republic, thousands were killed.  More than a million people had to flee their homes, and half of CAR’s population needed humanitarian assistance.  Drawing on the lessons of the past, the United States acted quickly.  Together with partners from Africa, Europe, and the U.N., we mobilized hundreds of millions of dollars to support African peacekeepers and humanitarian assistance. 

We appointed a Special Representative to elevate our engagement and levied sanctions to make it clear that there will be no impunity for those who commit atrocities.  Today, while still troubled and quite fragile, the security situation in CAR has improved, and we will continue to support CAR as it recovers and rebuilds. 

We respond to crises.  We work for peace when conflicts arise.  And, as a third key way to enhance global stability, we are focused on prevention.  President Obama has determined that “preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States.”  So, we developed a comprehensive strategy to prevent mass violence before it is in full flame and established the first-ever Atrocities Prevention Board to watch for warning signs of impending atrocities.  We focus on countries we know to be at serious risk, look for triggers of mass violence, and use all the tools of our power to try to mitigate the chance of widespread conflict. 

We’re also strengthening accountability around the world when atrocities do occur.  We’ve supported commissions of inquiry and other mechanisms that help discover the truth about atrocity-related crimes—in Kyrgyzstan and Libya, Sri Lanka and Cote d’Ivoire, and most recently, North Korea.  President Obama also signed legislation to expand the State Department’s authority to offer cash rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of individuals accused of atrocities by any international tribunal.  We are committed to working with our partners to bring to justice those who are responsible for such unconscionable crimes.     

Of course, there are no silver bullets.  In a world where Syrians live under siege, facing starvation and bombings by their government, the challenge of protecting civilians remains formidable.  We obviously have a great deal of work to do—as a nation, and as an international community—in pursuit of this mission. 

The challenges I’ve described today—responding to humanitarian crises, ending conflicts, preventing atrocities—are not easy.  In fact, they are some of the hardest, most complex issues we face.  But, if there’s one final lesson from Congressman Payne’s life and work, it’s this:  Success isn’t always defined by victory—sometimes it’s about the fight. 

Donald Payne said that he was going to be the first black Congressman from New Jersey almost 15 years before he was elected.  He ran, and lost, twice before taking his seat in Congress.  But, he never gave up because, as he said, “once in a while the marcher and the drumbeat are in exactly the same cadence, and then, finally, good things happen.”  That’s the optimism and determination he brought to Congress, whether he was fighting for New Jersey’s working families, or working to lower the burden of loans for college students, or championing the human rights and dignity of every person on this earth.  Donald Payne marched on and on until the drumbeat of progress caught up with him. 

Donald Payne didn’t grandstand or seek credit.  He didn’t feel the need to yell to be heard.  Instead, Congressman Payne’s genuine warmth and humility drew people to him.  He could speak hard truths to Presidents and world leaders, then turn around and play with children in refugee camps or listen for hours to the stories of the victims of war.  To Congressman Payne, the only important thing was standing up for what’s right, even if you’re the only one standing.  He took that enduring motto of his alma mater to heart—Hazard Zet Forward—even when, on occasion, the hazard was militants in Somalia firing at his plane.  He never shied away from taking a bold or controversial position, if he was following his own moral compass.   

In many ways, Congressman Payne helped pave the way for me, and for so many others who still strive to fill his shoes.  Today, President Obama nominated one of those people who so admired Donald Payne to be the next Administrator of USAID: Gayle Smith. Gayle, like Congressman Payne was, is a fighter, a humanitarian, an expert in development with deep and long experience in Africa.  Gayle and I were able to visit Congressman Payne together in the hospital just a few days before he passed away, and I’m grateful that I got to tell him just how much he meant to me—as a role model and a comrade-in-arms and friend.  I got to say thank you.  I treasure that.  But of course, if Congressman Payne were still with us, he wouldn’t want a thank you.  He’d urge us to get back to work on behalf of those who have too few champions in this world.

So today, I hope that each of you leaves here with that same spark of compassion and commitment lit within you.  We need more people who look at the world and see, not the enormity of the challenges ahead, but the possibility for a better world that lies beyond them.  We need more people who ask not “What’s in it for me?” but “What can I give so that others may have more?”  When it comes right down to it, we need more leaders like Donald Payne. 

Thank you so much. 

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