[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[December 9, 1997]
[Pages 1728-1729]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the 40th Anniversary of the Department of Justice Civil 
Rights Division
December 9, 1997

    I congratulate the Civil Rights Division of the Department of 
Justice on its 40th anniversary. For 40 years, the Civil Rights Division 
has protected the American dream for all our people. By diligently and 
faithfully enforcing our civil rights laws, the lawyers and members of 
this division have helped all of us live closer to the ideals that lie 
at the heart of that dream--freedom and equality of opportunity to work, 
to learn, to live, and to raise our children in communities where they 
can thrive and grow.
    Today, the task of fulfilling the promise of our civil rights laws, 
of keeping the American dream alive for all citizens is far from over.

[[Page 1729]]

That is why I have nominated an eminently qualified person to lead this 
division into the 21st century. Bill Lann Lee has lived the American 
dream, and he has dedicated his life to making the dream come alive for 
all Americans. Bill Lann Lee deserves to be America's next Assistant 
Attorney General for Civil Rights.