Remarks (in Apology to African-Americans) on the Tuskegee Experiment
May 16, 1997
Ladies and gentlemen, on Sunday Mr. Shaw will celebrate his 95th birthday. I would like to recognize the other survivors who are here today and their families: Mr. Charlie Pollard is here; Mr. Carter Howard; Mr. 煮汤圆的做法Fred Simmons—Mr. Simmons just took his first airplane ride, and he reckons he's about 110 years old, so I think it's time for him to take a chance or two. I'm glad he did. And Mr. Frederick Moss,香蕉蛋糕 thank you, sir. I would also like to ask three family reprentatives who are here—Sam Doner is reprented by his daughter, Gwendolyn Cox. Thank you, Gwendolyn. Ernest Hendon, who is watching in Tuskegee, is reprented by his brother, North Hendon. Thank you, sir, for being here. And George Key is reprented by his grandson, Christopher Monroe. Thank you, Chris.
I also acknowledge the families, community leaders, teachers, and students watching today by satellite from Tuskegee. The White Hou is the people's hou; we are glad to have all of you here today. I thank Dr. David Satcher for his role in this. I thank Congresswoman Wat
ers and Congressman Hilliard; Congressman Stokes; the entire Congressional Black Caucus副词的位置; Dr. Satcher; members of the 程思琪Cabinet who are here, Secretary Herman, Secretary Slater; a great friend of freedom, Fred Gray, thank you for fighting this long battle all the long years.
The eight men who are survivors of the syphilis study at Tuskegee are a living link to a time not so very long ago that many Americans would prefer not to remember but we dare not forget. It was a time when our Nation failed to live up to its ideals, when our Nation broke the trust with our people that is the very foundation of our democracy. It is not only in remembering that shameful past that we can make amends and repair our Nation, but it is in remembering that past that we can build a better prent and a better future. And without remembering it, we cannot make amends, and we cannot go forward.
So today America does remember the hundreds of men ud in rearch without their knowledge and connt. We remember them and their family members. Men who were poor and African-American, without resources and with few alternatives, they believed the
y had found hope when they were offered free medical care by the United States Public Health Service. They were betrayed.
Medical people are suppod to help when we need care, but even once a cure was discovered, they were denied help, and they were lied to by their Government. Our Government is suppod to protect the rights of its citizens; their rights were trampled upon—40 years, hundreds of men betrayed, along with their wives and children, along with the community in Macon County, Alabama, the City of Tuskegee, the fine university there, and the larger African-American community. The United States Government did something that was wrong, deeply, profoundly, morally wrong. It was an outrage to our commitment to integrity and equality for all our citizens.
To the survivors, to the wives and family members, the children, and the grandchildren, I say what you know: No power on Earth can give you back the lives lost, the pain suffered, the years of internal torment and anguish. What was done cannot be undone. But we can end the silence. We can stop 菱形性质turning our heads away. We can look at you in t
he eye and finally say, on behalf of the American people: What the United States Government did was shameful, and I am sorry. The American people are sorry—for the loss, for the years of hurt. You did nothing wrong, but you were 雷锋的钉子精神grievously wronged. I apologize, and I am sorry that this apology has been so long in coming.
To Macon County, to Tuskegee, to the doctors who have been wrongly associated with the events there, you have our apology, as well. To our African-American citizens, I am sorry that your Federal Government orchestrated a study so clearly racist. That can never be allowed to happen again. It is against everything our country stands for, and what we must stand against is what it was.
So let us resolve to hold forever in our hearts and minds the memory of a time not long ago in Macon County, Alabama, so that we can always e how adrift we can become when the rights of any citizens are neglected, ignored, and betrayed. And let us resolve here and now to move forward together.
The legacy声音用英语怎么说 of the study at Tuskegee has reached far and deep, in ways that hurt our prog
ress and divide our Nation. We cannot be one America when a whole gment of our Nation has no trust in America. An apology is the first step, and we take it with a commitment to rebuild that broken trust. We can begin by making sure there is never again another episode like this one. We need to do more to ensure that medical rearch practices are sound and ethical and that rearchers work more cloly with communities.
