Education is the cure for bias, Bush says in King day address

The governor says equality in education would help end the racism that remains in Florida today.

©Associated Press
January 21, 2003

Racial prejudice and injustice still exist in Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush said at Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremonies Monday. But he said honoring the slain civil rights leader's commitment to education would help overcome those evils.

"I know what he would be thinking today," Bush told about 700 people attending a prayer breakfast at the Worldwide Christian Center in a working class section of Pompano Beach. "He'd be thinking it is unconscionable, it is unacceptable, it is impossible to imagine a state or a country of equality unless we have equality of education."

"In my opinion, it is the next great civil rights struggle, to be sure that we do not have inequality as it relates to education."

In downtown Jacksonville, several thousand people lined the streets for a parade to honor the memory of King and gathered at the fairgrounds for speeches and music.

A parade viewer, Felicia Gonzalez, 35, said she was thrilled to see a large number of children along the route.

"These children, they need to know their heritage," she said. "I am proud of how far we have come. But we still have a way to go."

In Hallandale, a parade in King's honor had a change of grand marshal.

Broward County Mayor Diana Wasserman-Rubin was replaced by event officials because she supports removing embattled county Elections Supervisor Miriam Oliphant from office. Oliphant is black; Wasserman-Rubin is white.

"She is no longer in our corner," said event director Angie Glass, who asked Wasserman-Rubin on Sunday not to attend the event.

In Fort Lauderdale, tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams were presented awards for exemplifying King's dream of peace and nonviolence. The sisters were not at the ceremony; both were still playing in the singles draw at the Australian Open, the season's first Grand Slam event.

In remarks in Fort Lauderdale and St. Petersburg, state Attorney General Charlie Crist said he plans to file legislation aimed at expanding his ability to investigate and punish civil rights violations.

Under current law, the attorney general doesn't have the power to directly charge companies with discriminating against someone based on their race.

Instead, lawyers in the Attorney General's Office often rely on economic crimes statutes in such cases, essentially arguing that violators are engaging in unfair trade practices when they treat certain customers differently from others. In doing so, they are taking a chance that they may not be allowed to argue that in some courts, depending on the judge.

"This proposed legislation will give this office the same enforcement authority as that of the federal government, and ensure that any damages recovered through civil actions would be returned to those who were the victims of discrimination," Crist said.

The measure Crist is pushing would say the attorney general can seek damages of up to $10,000 per violation on behalf of anyone who is discriminated against and seek to force the violator to stop the practice.

Crist didn't say whether he had found someone to sponsor the measure for him in the Legislature convening March 4.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright