REMARKS BY AL GORE 
                       NAACP ANNUAL CONVENTION

                       It is truly a deep personal honor for me to come before
                       America's premier civil rights organization, to talk about a goal
                       we share -- closing the opportunity gap, so that every child in
                       America can share in the American dream. 

                       Thank you for what you do every day, and what you have done
                       for nearly 90 years. The NAACP has been one of the mightiest
                       forces for justice, righteousness, and human rights that our
                       nation has ever known. As Joe Madison has said, "if a black
                       person gets into trouble, he calls out two names -- Jesus and
                       the NAACP." Well, I believe all Americans need the NAACP --
                       now more than ever. 

                       It is true that this is a time of great prosperity for America.
                       Some farmers are suffering, but our economy is enjoying good
                       times -- and it is a prosperity that is shared by many. 

                       Since President Clinton and I took office 5 1/2 years ago, we
                       have seen a renewal of America's economy. Over 16 million
                       new jobs. The lowest unemployment in a generation -- and the
                       lowest African American and Hispanic unemployment on record.
                       Living standards are rising, and the gap between the rich and
                       the poor is closing. We are seeing progress: the highest home
                       ownership on record. More small businesses created than ever
                       before in our history. 

                       But for all our progress, we know that too many never get into
                       the winner's circle of this new economy. We need to do more.
                       As Kweisi Mfume has said on so many occasions, "we can do
                       better." I believe we must use today's prosperity to expand
                       that winner's circle -- by closing the opportunity gap in our
                       schools, by closing the opportunity gap in our workplaces; and
                       by building stronger families and communities all across the
                       United States of America -- to include everyone in the winner's
                       circle. 

                       Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and do better. As Julian
                       Bond has said, quoting his slave-born grandfather: "forward in
                       the struggle." 

                       Today, I want to talk about how we move forward in the
                       struggle -- with a clear understanding of our past, a frank
                       accounting of our present, and a bold and audacious vision for
                       the future. 

                       Let us start by confronting and understanding the past. Some
                       people like to believe that the past is completely gone, and
                       has no relevance in our present. They are wrong. I read a story
                       in National Geographic last year. This article told of a town
                       called Krakow, in Poland. Every day, to this day, in a church
                       tower, a lone trumpeter sounds an alarm every hour on the
                       hour -- to commemorate an invasion that happened seven
                       centuries ago, when Mongols were about to storm their walls.
                       The trumpeter ends his clarion mid-note -- evoking the
                       moment at which a Mongol arrow pierced his throat, and cut off
                       his trumpet mid-note. 

                       So when people say the time has come to silence our clarion
                       call for justice, I'm tempted to say: look around you. Look at
                       the dark shadows and lingering poisons of our own past. 

                       We hear voices now in America arguing that our nation's
                       historic struggle is over -- that we've already reached the
                       promised land -- that we have a color-blind society. These
                       people who now call for the end of policies to promote equal
                       opportunity say there's been so much progress that no more
                       such efforts are justified. What are they thinking? Don't they
                       recognize that the tap root of racism is hundreds of years
                       long? 

                       What was their reaction to Jasper, Texas? That it was a bolt
                       from the blue? That heinous crime wounded not only the Byrd
                       family and the Jasper community, it wounded the American
                       spirit. And God bless the Byrd family for leading us toward
                       healing and reconciliation. What courage and amazing grace. 

                       And even though Jasper was a lightning bolt, but it was not
                       the only one. 

                       Last year in Virginia, an African American man was doused with
                       gasoline, burned alive, and decapitated by two white men. 

                       This month in Lawrence, Massachusetts, an interracial couple
                       celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary was subjected to
                       racial slurs -- and when the husband protested, he was beaten
                       by men with baseball bats. 

                       And just twelve days ago, on America's Independence Day, a
                       richly diverse neighborhood in Virginia Beach was covered in
                       racist graffiti, swastikas, and slurs. 

                       Don't tell me that our persistent vulnerability to racism has
                       suddenly disappeared, and that we now live in a color-blind
                       society. We've left Egypt, but don't tell me we've arrived in
                       Canaan. 

                       We're not just talking about the past. Ask the watchmen in the
                       belltowers of America. All around us, there are arrows of
                       hatred still flying through the air -- still silencing dreams, and
                       cutting short hope like the lost notes of that trumpet, so many
                       centuries ago. 

                       We need a shield from those arrows -- and that means tough,
                       uncompromising measures to enforce our civil rights laws and
                       make certain that they are abided by. 

                       This January, from Dr. King's pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church
                       here in Atlanta, I was proud to announce, as part of the
                       President's Initiative on Race, the largest single increase in
                       the enforcement of our civil rights laws in nearly two decades.
                       And I want to say to all who would discriminate in
                       employment, discriminate in education, discriminate in
                       housing, discriminate in health care: we will catch you, we will
                       enforce the law, and we will punish you. 

                       And let me say a special word to America's black farmers: it is
                       time to redress the decades of discrimination you faced. You
                       deserved far better from your government. And President
                       Clinton and I pledge to you: this is a problem we will solve,
                       not bury. 

                       We need to do more. We need strong measures to ensure
                       equal opportunity. 

                       I've heard the critics of affirmative action. I've heard those
                       who say we have a color-blind society. They use their color
                       blind the way duck hunters use a duck blind -- they hide
                       behind it and hope the ducks won't notice. And consider this:
                       they're in favor of affirmative action if you can dunk the
                       basketball or sink a three-point shot. But they're not in favor
                       of it if you merely have the potential to be a leader of your
                       community and bring people together, to teach people who are
                       hungry for knowledge, to heal families who need medical care.
                       Don't tell me we have a color-blind society. I have a different
                       view: I believe that America still needs affirmative action. 

                       So let's understand the influence the past has on the present.
                       It is with us, and it has shaped us. And it is not sufficient to
                       heal the wounds of our past. Before we can plan for the future,
                       we must take stock; we must understand: what is the state of
                       opportunity in America's present? 

                       We have cut in half the gap between black earnings and white
                       earnings over the past 30 years. But the wealth of black and
                       Hispanic households still averages less than one-tenth that of
                       white households. I say: we can do better. Forward in the
                       struggle. 

                       Today, more and more, people of all races and ethnicities are
                       learning from one another, listening to each other's music,
                       reading each other's books, living and working together. But
                       still, too much of our culture is dangerous and destructive --
                       with gangs, guns, and drugs tearing apart families and
                       communities -- with too many broken homes, too many absent
                       fathers who fail to accept responsibility for their children. We
                       can do better. Forward in the struggle. 

                       In 5 1/2 years, President Clinton and I have appointed more
                       African Americans, more Hispanics, more Asian Americans,
                       more Native Americans to Cabinet positions and judgeships
                       and other high posts than ever before in American history. We
                       have named African Americans as Secretary of Energy;
                       Secretary of Agriculture; Secretary of Commerce; Secretary of
                       Veterans Affairs; Secretary of Transportation; Secretary of
                       Labor; Surgeon-General; Budget Director; Drug Czar; Chair of
                       the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Chairman of the FCC;
                       Deputy Attorney General; Deputy Secretary of State; Secretary
                       of the Army; Director of the National Parks Service; Director of
                       Presidential Personnel; White House Director of Cabinet
                       Affairs; and White House Director of Public Liaison. 

                       My friends, the most diverse administration in history is also
                       one of the most successful in history. And -- that's not in spite
                       of our diversity; it's because of it! 

                       But in so many places and professions, the glass ceiling still
                       has not been shattered. We can do better. We know we can do
                       better. Forward in the struggle. 

                       We are expanding health coverage to up to five million
                       uninsured children. And I'm proud that we are now targeting
                       nearly 60% of our HIV prevention funds, and more than half of
                       our funds for AIDS services, to people of color. 

                       But there are still crushing racial disparities in health care -- in
                       infant mortality, in cancer, in stroke and heart disease. And
                       HIV and AIDS are growing fastest among African Americans --
                       accounting for 57 percent of all new infections, and 70 percent
                       of new infections among young women. That is why we
                       proposed a ten-year, $400 million crusade to end disparities in
                       American health care. And that is why we must all fight to
                       meet the crushing burden of AIDS in the African American
                       community. We should be proud of President Mfume's
                       leadership in this effort. He knows we can do better. Forward
                       in the struggle. 

                       Friends, we have work to do. It can't all be done from the
                       White House. And let's face it: it won't be done by this
                       Congress. I've seen the NAACP's civil rights scorecard for this
                       Congress: for the House, 21 out of 100. For the Senate, 36 out
                       of 100. No wonder they're trying to cut education. With test
                       scores like those, they're the first people we'd keep after
                       class. 

                       Closing the opportunity gap is a mission not just for
                       government, but for all of us. Today, the NAACP is in the
                       vanguard of our most critical battles -- not just for justice in
                       our courts, but to reduce drop-out rates through your
                       Back-to-School/Stay-in-School program. To fight for quality
                       health care, and for economic advancement. And I applaud
                       your brand new initiative to combat recidivism and prevent
                       crime. You are preparing and inspiring tomorrow's leaders
                       today -- and must help us achieve our vision for the future. 

                       We must start with education opportunity, above all else. In a
                       typical year, Dr. King traveled 780,000 miles, and made more
                       than 200 speeches. And on nearly every stop, he made a point
                       of going to a schoolhouse door, or a library, or a college
                       campus. He preached simultaneously integration and education
                       because he knew that even if we are judged by the content of
                       our character, it is education that will truly move us from
                       separate to equal. 

                       Incidentally, I have the high honor of formally announcing that
                       today at this moment in the Oval Office in your White House,
                       President Clinton is signing a new measure that will authorize
                       the creation of a national monument to Dr. King -- right on the
                       national Mall from which he led and moved our nation. It's
                       about time. 

                       As we honor him, let us remember that Dr. King was not alone
                       in the fight for education. When the NAACP led the charge for
                       opportunity in our nation's courts, the desegregation of our
                       schools became the first and most important battleground of
                       the second reconstruction. Let us recognize the towering
                       genius of the NAACP's chief counsel during those years,
                       Thurgood Marshall. And let me acknowledge his son, Thurgood
                       Marshall, Jr., who works with President Clinton and me every
                       day in the White House as Secretary of Cabinet Affairs. 

                       We have more to do. Today, more than four decades after
                       Brown v. Board of Education, two-thirds of minority students
                       still attend schools that are predominantly minority. On
                       average, in these schools, class sizes are larger, curricula and
                       teaching materials are lower in quality, and teachers have less
                       training in the fields they teach. And they are 16 times more
                       likely to be overwhelmingly poor. 

                       I believe we must hold ourselves and our children to a higher
                       standard. I believe that if we give them the opportunity, all
                       children can learn. And I believe it's time to stop pointing
                       fingers and start joining hands to fix our schools. We don't
                       have a child to waste. 

                       I see an America where there are well-trained teachers in
                       every classroom -- and every school has the resources to reach
                       high standards of excellence. I see an America with tough
                       standards for safety, discipline, and character in our schools.
                       We can turn these dreams into reality. 

                       Today, I challenge every state and school district to work to
                       cut in half the achievement gap between rich and poor, and
                       between racial and ethnic groups, in the next decade. We must
                       close these gaps if we are to have One America. 

                       At a time when our nation is becoming more diverse, I
                       challenge every state and school district to recommit to the
                       goal of integration -- to use voluntary tools such as charter
                       schools, magnet schools, and public school choice to seek
                       more diversity, not less, in our schools. Schools are our best
                       hope to break the chains of racial isolation in our nation. 

                       And there is a lot we can do right now, in this Congress. Let's
                       pass President Clinton's plan to hire 100,000 highly trained
                       teachers to reduce class size in the early grades from an
                       average of 22 to 18. 

                       We're working with Senator Carol Moseley-Braun to pass our
                       $22 billion plan to rebuild and modernize our schools --
                       because we can't lift our children up in schools that are falling
                       down. 

                       We're working with Congressman Chaka Fattah to pass our
                       High Hopes program -- to tell children as early as elementary
                       school: if you work hard and stay in school, we'll give you
                       mentoring and tutoring, and we'll guarantee you the help you
                       need to pay for college. 

                       And in this new economy and Information Age, let us close the
                       digital divide that throws up new barriers to opportunity, and
                       to the high-paying jobs of the future. Think about it: if we put
                       computers and the Internet in every classroom and school
                       library in America, along with teachers who are trained to use
                       them, all of our children, from the poorest inner-city schools to
                       the most remote rural school districts, will have access to the
                       same vast store of knowledge. 

                       Now we need the E-Rate -- a special rate to make Internet
                       connections greatly discounted for 30,000 schools, and almost
                       free for the poorest schools. Some in Congress are now trying
                       to block the E-Rate. I believe it is wrong to unplug our
                       children's education. 

                       We are fighting for economic opportunity. Just yesterday, I
                       hosted our fourth annual White House Conference on
                       Community Empowerment, to show how we are lighting up our
                       central cities with the spark of private investment. 

                       Our goal is to make our communities not just better off, but
                       better. Better places to raise a family, with community gardens
                       and green spaces instead of contaminated waste dumps.
                       Better places to live and work, with thriving businesses and
                       community police making the streets safe again. Through
                       community empowerment, we're helping communities recapture
                       that sense of Main Street community that has been lost for too
                       long. 

                       Today, I am pleased to make a brand new announcement,
                       pending the approval of the NAACP Board of Directors, that will
                       provide greater access to capital in our communities. Today,
                       we are signing a letter of intent between the NAACP and our
                       Small Business Administration that will enable us to
                       significantly increase lending to African American businesses.
                       The NAACP, in partnership with us, will now be able to provide
                       crucial technical assistance, and also direct loans through your
                       eight Community Development Resource Centers. Starting
                       here, starting now -- for minority businesses across America --
                       let us open the doors to this new economy wider than ever
                       before. 

                       Let us open untapped markets abroad as well as at home. I
                       am proud of President Clinton's historic trip to Africa, to help
                       integrate Africa into the global economy. I am proud that my
                       own binational commission with South Africa's Deputy
                       President Mbeki has helped to strengthen the ties between our
                       nations. We will meet again for the fifth time just next month.
                       Now it is high time for us to take action to deepen trade and
                       partnership between Africa and America -- because a stable,
                       prosperous Africa is good for the United States of America, and
                       good for the whole world. I say to Congress: pass the African
                       Growth and Opportunity Act. 

                       In this global economy, we also have an obligation to lead the
                       world. I believe that God's hand has touched the United States
                       of America -- on purpose, not by accident. He has given us not
                       just a chance, but a mission to prove to men and women
                       throughout this world that people of different racial and ethnic
                       backgrounds, of all faiths and creeds, can not only work and
                       live together, but can enrich and ennoble both themselves and
                       our common purpose. 

                       We learned in school about the "lowest common denominator;"
                       America is about the highest common denominator. 

                       That is why, every time the Republicans tried to roll back
                       affirmative action -- three times so far this year -- we fought
                       back. And hear me well: if they try again, we'll fight them
                       again. And if they try again, we'll fight them again. And if they
                       try again, we'll fight them again, and again, and again. 

                       That is not the only fight we face in this Congress. We are
                       fighting for $1.5 billion to turn around failing schools, expand
                       public school choice, and reform our poorest schools. The
                       Congressional majority has refused to fund this initiative. They
                       said no to opportunity. But we are fighting back. Our eyes are
                       on the future. 

                       We are fighting for quality after-school care -- to engage our
                       children during those crucial hours after the school bell rings,
                       but before the work whistle blows. The Congressional majority
                       passed a budget that would squeeze down on after-school
                       care. They said no to opportunity. But we are fighting back.
                       Our eyes are on the future. 

                       We are fighting for summer jobs for America's children. The
                       Congressional majority voted to shut down the entire summer
                       jobs program. They said no to opportunity. But we are fighting
                       back. Our eyes are on the future. 

                       We are fighting to clear the backlog of civil rights cases before
                       the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and do more
                       to prevent and punish crimes of bias. The Congressional
                       majority voted to cut the historic increase in civil rights
                       enforcement we requested. I thought there was bipartisan
                       agreement to fight at least the most basic forms of
                       discrimination. Amazingly, they said no to opportunity. But we
                       are fighting back. Our eyes are on the future. 

                       The Republicans know theirs is the wrong agenda for African
                       Americans. They don't even want to count you in the Census!
                       They'd probably look out at this crowd, and tell us there were
                       about 300 people here. 

                       We believe America needs a full and accurate Census -- and
                       we need each and every one of you to help us achieve it. This
                       nation cannot work for all Americans if we cannot even count
                       all Americans. 

                       And by the way, there is one more place you must stand up
                       and be counted -- and that is the ballot box this November! 

                       I believe in my heart that we can close the opportunity gap in
                       America, that we can finish the unfinished work of the first and
                       second reconstructions -- if we are willing to see and
                       understand the past, to understand the influence of the past
                       on the present, and to use the present to move boldly into the
                       future. 

                       But we will also need all of you. You are the grassroots
                       activists of today, and the leaders of tomorrow. My friend and
                       fellow Tennessean Ben Hooks has said, "there will always be a
                       need for the NAACP." And so, today -- and for all time -- I ask
                       you to work with me, to reform our schools and lift up all our
                       children. Stand with me, for the economic empowerment that
                       is the next great civil rights frontier. Lead with me, toward an
                       America that fulfills its God-given mission and destiny, and
                       proves to the world that our diversity is a great strength. 

                       And as it is written in the scripture: "Rejoice with them that do
                       rejoice, and weep with them that weep; be of the same mind
                       one toward another." And "the crooked places shall be made
                       straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord
                       shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." Thank
                       you.


