One America in the 21st Century: The President's Initiative on Race , or the One America Initiative, was established by U.S. President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
in 1997 with . The main thrust of the effort was convening and encouraging community dialogue throughout the country. The Advisory Board's principal legacy was the collection and publication of "best practices" for racial reconciliation and dialogue guidelines designed to help communities discuss how to address racial and ethnic divisions in mutually productive ways.
Commencement Speech, University of California San Diego
![President Clinton's Initiative on Race](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/President_Clinton%27s_Initiative_on_Race.jpg)
President Clinton introduced the initiative during his commencement speech to the graduating class of the university. In the speech, he discussed his own experience growing up in the segregated south and its profound effect on him. He addressed the continuing problems surrounding race in America and the need to find ways to solve them. Clinton envisioned an
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
based on equal opportunity, fairness, and respect for all as well as shared responsibility and a greater sense of civility. Clinton viewed
race relations
Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...
as something that too often divided and weakened the nation even as America was rapidly becoming the world's first truly-
multiracial democracy Multiracial democracy is a democratic political system that is multiracial. It is cited as aspiration in South Africa after apartheid and as existing for the United States.
See also
* Cultural mosaic
* Ethnopluralism
* Intercultural relations
* ...
. The Advisory Board, chaired by pre-eminent historian Dr. John Hope Franklin, was introduced to the audience as well.
Clinton identified three imperatives for the initiative to focus: expanding opportunity, demanding responsibility, and creating one American community based on respect and shared values.
I want this panel to help educate Americans about the facts surrounding issues of race, to promote a dialogue in every community of the land to confront and work through these issues, to recruit and encourage leadership at all levels to help breach racial divides, and to find, develop and recommend how to implement concrete solutions to our problems -- solutions that will involve all of us in government, business, communities, and as individual citizens.
Judith A. Winston served as Executive Director of the One America Initiative. Several other senior civil rights Presidential appointees and leaders in the national civil rights community served as senior staff for the Initiative.
Among models of diversity in schools, One America Initiative on Race focused on Fairfax County, Virginia, one of the most-culturally, linguistically-diverse school districts in the country. The President's Advisory Board on Race commissioned a Case Study on a local Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia and their Report "America in the 21st Century: Forging a New Future Report"
quotes
Linda Chavez-Thompson
Linda Chavez-Thompson (born August 3, 1944)Franklin, "Labor's Message Heard in Clear New Voice," ''Chicago Tribune,'' October 30, 1995. is a second-generation Mexican-AmericanKarsko, "Success of Unions, Middle Class Are Linked, Labor Advocate Says ...
, about her visit to
Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences in December 1997 in her capacity as member of the Advisory Board on Race
Advisory board
File:John Hope Franklin.png, John Hope Franklin
John Hope Franklin (January 2, 1915 – March 25, 2009) was an American historian of the United States and former president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Southern Histo ...
File:Linda Chavez-Thompson.png, Linda Chavez-Thompson
Linda Chavez-Thompson (born August 3, 1944)Franklin, "Labor's Message Heard in Clear New Voice," ''Chicago Tribune,'' October 30, 1995. is a second-generation Mexican-AmericanKarsko, "Success of Unions, Middle Class Are Linked, Labor Advocate Says ...
File:Suzan D. Johnson Cook.png, Suzan D. Johnson Cook
File:Thomas H. Kean.png, Thomas H. Kean
File:Angela E. Oh.png, Angela E. Oh
Angela Eunjin Oh (born September 8, 1955) is an American attorney, teacher, and public lecturer best known for her role as spokesperson for the Korean American community after the 1992 Los Angeles riots and her position on U.S. President, Preside ...
File:Robert J. Thomas.png, Robert J. Thomas
File:William F. Winter.png, William F. Winter
William Forrest Winter (February 21, 1923 – December 18, 2020) was an American attorney and politician who served as Governor of Mississippi from 1980 to 1984. A member of the Democratic Party, he also served as Lieutenant Governor, State Treas ...
Reports
File:One America.pn
One America in the 21st Century: Forging a New Future
File:Changing America.pn
File:Promising Practices.pn
File:dialogue guide.pn
See also
*
Race relations
Race relations is a sociological concept that emerged in Chicago in connection with the work of sociologist Robert E. Park and the Chicago race riot of 1919. Race relations designates a paradigm or field in sociology and a legal concept in the ...
References
External links
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*''This article incorporates public domain material from''
{{Bill Clinton
1997 introductions
Clinton administration initiatives
1997 in American law
United States Presidential Commissions