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Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan (D-Tex.), who on Tuesday was appointed by President Clinton to chair the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, spoke at the Huntington Library in San Marino
in conjunction with a special exhibit, “The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America.” From her remarks: On Equality “Abraham Lincoln was an important President of
this country and we can safely say the nation would not be what it is now, were it not for Abraham Lincoln. “When I presented the keynote address to the 1976 Democratic National Convention
. . . I concluded my speech with a quote from Lincoln--a Republican President--with his definition of democracy: ‘As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. That expresses my
idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, the extent of the difference is no democracy.’ “That is a very bold statement for a man who was President of the United States to make. If you
would not be master or slave, then all of you have to be in this thing together and that was the message he was delivering to his fellow countrymen. “Today we struggle with the concept of
equality. We are still uncomfortable with the concept of equality. It is an ancient truth that persons who have been devoted, great democratic advocates, have had problems with equality.
“Thomas Jefferson, for one. I know you have great reverence for the third President of the United States, just as you have for the 16th, Abraham Lincoln. Thomas Jefferson, however, with all
of his democratic leanings, was ambivalent about the notion of black people and white people getting together. . . . That was his outstanding and deep dilemma. “This country is not supposed
to be, the United States of America is not supposed to be as it was conceived. Can you imagine? Here we have a polyglot nation. A nation of immigrants. People came here from everywhere and
said they were going to create a government in which all people are created equal. _ All _ people are created equal. “The reason why we have so much difficulty with equality is because we
are too fearful of each other. We are too reticent toward each other. We do not really trust the emotion of caring and love and devotion. “The Greek philosopher Aristotle gave us a formula.
. . . ‘It is when equals are given unequal shares--and those who are unequal, equal shares--it is then that problems break out and problems develop.’ Or, in other words, that’s when all hell
breaks out.” On the Values of a Democratic Society “When we feel that someone is getting more than they are deservedly entitled to, we don’t like it. We feel that actions like preferential
treatment are unfair. Because there are certain basic, agreed-upon virtues and values which we feel should underpin every policy which is enunciated by the country. “The problem is, we have
got to have some degree of unanimity in the virtues and values which underpin policies. In looking at the virtues and values which are going to undergird the policies of this nation, what do
you look for? “You look for people who will have respect for individual integrity. Persons who will look at an individual and not see what color they are or what kind of hair they have or
what kind of language they use, but who will look for that innermost expression of an individual of value, individual integrity. That is one of those virtues and values which you look for.
“What else do you look for? You want someone who is credible, honest. Who will tell the truth. Nobody respects or trusts a liar. Nobody. “You want, as you look at this person with whom you
are going to relate, individual autonomy, integrity and truth-telling. “Another virtue you are going to look for is fairness. Fairness is an across-the-board requirement for all our
interactions with each other. No one wants to feel that he or she is being taken advantage of. . . . “I don’t want you to get more than your share just because you have a certain bank
account, or because you live in a certain neighborhood, or because you have a certain historical stature. Fairness treats everybody the same. “Abraham Lincoln believed that if this country
was going to move forward, then everybody must be able to move forward unshackled by extraneous burdens. “Abraham Lincoln was not a great abolitionist . . . but he was a very smart, very
bright and very thoughtful man. He knew that if each individual had a fair chance, they would be able to succeed in this country. He believed that, and that you couldn’t be shackled by
ownership and make a contribution to the growth and development of the country. “It’s not fair for some people to just automatically have more than others. There is nothing fair about
someone having more, just because of some accident of birth. Fairness. An absolute, indispensable value and virtue, underpinning policy. “What else? The real bottom line is community. The
community. We are all in this little village called America together. . . . This nation cannot exist with the topper crust--those who make more--having all of the advantages, and those at
the bottom having none of the advantages. It can’t work that way. “So we need to put into our stable of virtues love. Love. That really is the most powerful emotion. It is the most powerful
strategy. It is the most powerful bugle call of the future. Love. The only way that you can love me and that I can love you is that we reach out to each other in trust. “So, my message to
you is, rededicate yourselves to a sense of viable community and caring. And sharing. And if you can find it somewhere in the depths of your heart to love me, I’ll bet I can find the
resources to love you.” MORE TO READ