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Hello everyone.
I'm Victor Mendez, Acting Deputy Secretary
for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Thank you for participating
in our 2014 Civil Rights Virtual Symposium.
DOT is proud to have sponsored this three-day event
which gave representatives from across the government
and transportation community an opportunity to come together
and discuss civil rights topics.
I want to thank all of the presenters who took the time
out of their very busy schedules to share their expertise.
While DOT focuses on incorporating access,
equal opportunity, and environmental justice
into our daily operations, there is much that we can learn
from each other and the diversity of our experiences.
I also want to thank the DOT Departmental Office
of Civil Rights, the DOT civil rights community,
and other supporting DOT offices,
whose diligent work made this successful event possible.
I would also like to recognize them for their daily efforts
in monitoring and enforcing civil rights laws
at the Department.
Finally thank you to everyone who tuned in and took part
in this virtual summit.
I really do hope it was a very enjoyable
and informative experience for you.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary
of the Civil Rights Act and the 20th Anniversary
of the Executive Order on environmental justice,
there's no question that we've made substantial progress
on these very important issues.
But it's not enough to just look back
and admire how far we've come.
We must look forward and address the changes
that must still be made to ensure that our communities
and workplaces are as diverse, inclusive,
and accessible as possible.
That's why whether you work in transportation
or just simply use transportation services,
I hope that each of you will take the ideas
and best practices discussed
at the symposium back to your communities.
We're counting on you to be our agents of change,
whether that means promoting inclusiveness
at your own workplace, using a wider variety of data sources
and project planning and management,
ensuring grant distributions actually comply
with civil rights law
or encouraging the transportation community
to consider equity and justice at every level
of their decision making processes.
With your help we'll answer President's Obama's call
to make this year a year of action.
We'll ensure that our workplaces benefit
from the widest variety of perspectives.
And we'll make sure that our transportation systems connect
Americans with the ladders of opportunity that they need
to succeed in the twenty-first century.
Thank you all very much.