End Racial Profiling

Floor Speech

Ms. WILSON of Florida. Twenty years ago, while serving as a school principal, I founded the 5,000 Role Models of Excellence project in Miami, Florida--a million dollar, nationally recognized and honored foundation that specifically addresses the trials and tribulations of young black boys and sends them to college. It serves almost 20,000 boys throughout Florida.

In spite of that, this sign stands outside the door of my congressional office, and I change the number every day. It speaks loudly. Trayvon Martin's murderer is still at large. Thirty-one days with no arrest. Trayvon died because of racial profiling 31 days ago.

If you walk into any inner city high school in the African American community, Mr. Speaker, and ask the students, ``Have you ever been racially profiled,'' trust me, every one of them will raise their hands, boys and girls. You might say to me, ``Congresswoman, what does that mean? Who is profiled? And who is doing the profiling?'' I will tell you:

Boys by police officers.

Boys by vigilante wannabe-police officers.

Boys who get into an elevator and then everyone else gets off.

Boys who walk down the sidewalk and everyone crosses the street.

Boys who watch people lock their car doors when they approach a car.

Boys who see women clutch their purse as they walk towards them.

Boys who will try to catch a cab but not one who will stop.

Boys who are followed around in stores while they shop.

Boys who wear hoodies.

Boys who wear dreads.

Boys who wear gold teeth.

Boys who sag their pants.

And boys who are walking while black, talking while black, shopping while black, eating while black, studying while black, and playing while black, and just being black.

How would you feel if you were treated with such disdain and such isolation? How do you think these little boys feel? It is a sociological problem that dates back to the days of slavery. These boys begin to see themselves not as real men, but as caricatures of real men whom people fear and despise.

Racial profiling for black boys is real, Mr. Speaker. It is not perceived. It is real, and it is happening as I speak all over America today. Boys and girls, whom some would call a menace to society, will one day grow up to be good men in society. Those very same boys cry themselves to sleep at night because they don't know how to deal with the pressures and with the pain. You have to walk in their shoes to understand.

I call upon this Congress today and upon this Nation today:

Don't profile them.

Don't fear them.

Don't despise them.

Don't fill our prisons with them.

And please don't hunt them down like dogs and kill them.

Love them and educate them. They could be your son. They are all somebody's son. And they, too, are God's children.

Thirty-one days and still no justice. Shame, shame, shame. And today, I again demand justice for Trayvon. I demand justice for all murdered children. Power to the people and power to the children.

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