[Extensions of Remarks]
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From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E573]]
AMANDA SAPIR'S VISION FOR AMERICA

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HON. GERRY E. STUDDS

of massachusetts

in the house of representatives

Friday, March 10, 1995
Mr. STUDDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding young
woman from my congressional district, Amanda Sapir of Kingston, MA.
This week she won the national Voice of Democracy Award from the
Veterans of Foreign Wars for an essay she wrote and recorded on her
vision for America.
Amanda, an 18-year-old senior at Silver Lake Regional High School, is
the first Massachusetts student to win the award in the 48-year history
of the Voice of Democracy Program. She prevailed over 125,000 other
students from across the country to win the $20,000 T.C. Selman
Memorial Scholarship Award, sponsored by the VFW and its ladies
auxiliary. I was informed of the award by proud local veterans who
visited with me this week.
But more important than Amanda's winning a contest, or even the
scholarship, is the vision she conveyed: that diversity is America's
greatest strength and that our Nation's long journey toward justice and
equality for all citizens is not complete.
Amanda's words are so eloquent, her message so timely, that I wanted
to include them in the Record as a reminder of how far we've come and
how far we have to go.
My Vision for America

(By Amanda Sapir)

The air was thick and sweet smelling. Traffic was bumper-
to-bumper as usual. It seemed like there were people
everywhere; people walking up and down the sidewalks,
shoppers peering hopefully into store windows, tourists
searching aimlessly for the nearest landmark, and the
homeless sitting in the warmth of a typical hustle and bustle
summer in Washington, D.C. It was just another day when I was
among the eternally lost sightseers and Helen among the
homeless.
``Where's Wisconsin Ave.?'' I asked a gentleman who
responded, ``Isn't that near O street?'' ``Hmm, where's O
Street?'' ``Beats me. Do you know where Pennsylvania Ave.
is?'' By the end of the conversation we were both, if you can
believe it, even more confused than when we started. This is
when I spotted another homeless looking woman sitting on the
sidewalk clasping her most precious belongings. On one of her
bags was a sticker that read, ``Helen.'' I figured she would
know her way around this maze they call Washington.
``Excuse me, ma'am, do you know where Wisconsin Avenue
is?'' She was looking straight ahead with an empty gaze, not
acknowledging me for quite a few seconds. After waiting
patiently, I was startled when she jerked her head towards me
and staring with intensely fierce brown eyes asked, ``What do
you see?'' as she pointed to a perfectly maintained
photograph. Surprised, yet curious by her question, I
answered, ``Well, there's an average looking older Asian
woman, a middle-aged rather dirty looking white man, and a
young well-dressed black woman all standing side by side.''
Apparently displeased by my answer, she yelled, ``No, no,
no!'' Wondering where I went wrong, I asked, ``Why what do
you see?'' She looked at me with those eyes and without
hesitation said, ``Three people. Keep walking up this street
and you'll find Wisconsin Avenue.''
I was stunned by her response, but learned that in Helen's
answer was a translucently clear message that now typifies my
vision for America, a nation where its citizens continue to
make great strides toward demolishing discrimination by
understanding that it is our differences which makes us
similar. Although we may wear different clothes, earn
different amounts of money, walk or talk differently, we are
all just people with fears and hopes, struggles and joys. I
feel that with this ideal in mind we as a nation can knock on
the door to the next century with confidence, knowing that we
will handle all changes and all challenges that will arise.
However, this confidence is only achievable if all Americans
feel included and worthy, without fearing discrimination.
As I continued on my walk, I learned how this could
actually happen. Looking at museums, the White House, the
Supreme Court and the Mall, I saw why the United States is
the only global Superpower remaining. We rely on creative
solutions, which are the result of educating and acting. My
vision for a unified America necessitates effort. In order
for compassion to prevail over discrimination, the nation
must first call on our educators to teach about different
places and different cultures. We need our nation's youth to
further understand that we are all different, but that
diversity is our greatest strength not only in problem
solving but in fighting ignorance. Knowledge has a funny way
of operating minds, and in the future, bright open minds will
be quintessential in fighting prejudice. This knowledge is
only useful if put into practice. My vision relies on
Americans to act with the same moral impetus it took for
civil rights to speak up and for American soldiers to leave
their families to fight for our nation, we must also speak up
and fight for equal treatment for everyone. As a country, we
have already made leaping bounds in the name of equality, but
there is more struggling to do, whether we are employees
helping a co-worker cope with discrimination or an employer
concentrating on having qualified diverse employees. We must
act until minorities, disabled and abled are all viewed as
people.
America is only as strong as its weakest link, and those
links are tested by the way in which we treat people, be they
friends or strangers. As this country enters a new millennia,
progress will present many opportunities as well as
obstacles. My vision is that on December 31, when the clock
ticks the past century away, Americans, no matter what
ethnicity or sociopolitical or economic status, together will
unlock this potential of the 21st century with optimism and a
renewed sincere commitment to educating and acting against
discrimination and for open-mindedness and unity, so that
when any American is asked, ``What do you see?'' the answer
will be without hesitation, ``People.''

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