I’m pretty sure we aired all the issues at that time and got everything straightened out. It was in all the papers, don’t know how Obama could have missed it.
ENGAGING AMERICANS IN A BROAD AND CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE
Presidential Dialogues. On July 9, 1998, the President joined Jim Lehrer for a nationally televised conversation on race on PBS. This round-table style conversation included four regular contributors to The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and four other Americans in a stimulating discussion on issues of race. On April 14, 1998, the President held his second national conversation on Race in Houston, Texas. The town hall session, focusing on race and sports, was broadcast by ESPN. President Clinton’s first national dialogue on race relations took place on December 3, 1997 in Akron, Ohio, and was broadcast nationally by C-Span. Advisory Board members, Cabinet members and senior Administration officials hosted more than ninety “watch parties,” which were organized around the nation to observe the Akron Town Meeting. On Capitol Hill, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA) sponsored a mini-Town-Hall for the D.C. area.
Advisory Board. The Advisory Board to the President’s Initiative on Race was actively involved in public outreach efforts to engage Americans across the nation in this historic effort. The Advisory Board held eight public meetings in five states and the District of Columbia. The meetings covered topics ranging from education and housing to employment and the administration of justice. Board members also attended meetings held by federal agencies on topics including health and immigration. Board members individually participated in a total of approximately 300 meetings with a wide cross-section of communities and constituencies.
Studying Race. In May 1998, the President’s Initiative on Race announced that the National Research Council (NRC), the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences, will coordinate studies by prominent researchers on a range of topics related to race, including demographic trends. The work will include findings on whites, blacks, American Indians, Hispanics and Asian Pacific Americans. The project will culminate with a major research conference in October in Washington D.C.
Presidential Meeting With Conservative Writers and Academics. When President Clinton launched his Race Initiative, he called for a national dialogue that includes views from a wide array of people. On December 19, 1998, President Clinton brought together a group of conservatives—including Ward Connerly, Abigail and Stephen Thernstrom, Linda Chavez and Elaine Chao—to continue the dialogue and listen to their opinions on race relations in America.
Sparking Dialogue. The Race Initiative has prompted innumerable conversations about race around the country, highlighted by an April “Month of Dialogue.” During April 1998, 600 colleges and universities were engaged in a campus week of dialogue, organizing hundreds of race-related events across the nation. On April 30, 41 governors, 22 mayors and more than 100 local YWCAs engaged in dialogues on race during a statewide day of dialogue.
Conversations That Bring Us Together. As part of the Initiative, the Administration launched a program that enlists Administration appointees, Advisory Board members, Cabinet members and Race Initiative staff to host conversations in cities throughout the nation. Thousands have taken part in these “One America Conversations” in cities across the country.
Super Bowl XXXII PSA. In a unique partnership, the White House and the National Football League teamed up to create a public service announcement for President Clinton’s Initiative on Race. The PSA aired before an estimated audience of 140 million people prior to the 1998 Superbowl kick-off. The spot highlighted examples of players from different racial and ethnic backgrounds coming together for a common goal. President Clinton reminded all Americans that we are on the same team and that, through working together, we can build one America.
Informing The Nation. For the first time in history, the President’s Economic Report to Congress included an entire chapter devoted to reviewing trends in racial and ethnic economic inequality.