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Debra Lee: Thank you very much. And thank you so much
for that kind introduction, Deborah. I really, truly appreciate it and I'm so honored to
be here today. And let me just say first of all, I'm just so honored by this photo. [laughs]
To have my photo up there with the great women that you honor today is really quite heartwarming
for me, so thank you very much. I also first want to thank Serena Davis and everyone from
the office of Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the Department of Health and Human Services
for inviting me today.
And I also, I haven't told many people this, but it dawned on me when I walked into this
lobby today, is, I used to be an employee of Health and Human Services. I worked in
this building in the summer of '79, I think it was. I was in law school and I had also
entered a program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. And it was my dream to be assistant
secretary of something. I didn't know --
[laughter]
I didn't know what it was going to be, which agency, but Health and Human Services was
high on the list. And that was my career goal at the time. I had decided that I didn't like
law school, and so I went to the Kennedy School to get my Master's in Public Policy, and came
back to Washington in 1980 to clerk for a judge, Barrington Parker, Senior. And what
cut my political career short is Ronald Reagan won that year, and --
Audience Member: Oh.
[laughter]
Debra Lee: Unfortunately, I did not want to go into a
Republican administration at that point in my life, so I went to hide out in a law firm
until the Democrats came back.
[laughter]
But some of you may remember that it took 12 years for the Democrats to come back. Republicans
had a nice, long run in the '80s, and so by that time, other things had happened in my
life. So I've never gotten to have that government career. But I remember the joy of walking
in this building every day during my summer internship here. So it's really quite special
for me to come back and be able to speak to you today.
First of all, I want to say, the past 24 hours have been a bit of a whirlwind. The passing
of Don Cornelius yesterday shocked us all, and when you think of unsung heroes in the
media business, Don stands very tall. He broadened the world view of black culture and music
at a time when no one else would give us a voice on television. He was a pioneer in business
and a friend and supporter of artists. "Soul Train" was such a staple in the music and
entertainment business that when Michael Jackson hurt his foot so much that he could barely
walk, he sang, "Remember the Time" from a throne-like chair on "Soul Train" because
he wouldn't cancel on Don.
Without his vision and courage, there wouldn't be a BET or a "106 & Park." As I said yesterday
when I was interviewed on CNN, I used to do my chores quickly on Saturday morning.
[laughter]
Everybody with me?
[applause]
[laughs] So I could be in front of the television at 12:30 --
[laughter]
-- to learn the latest dance steps --
[laughter]
-- see the latest fashions, and see my favorite artist. It was one hour a week that belonged
to us, and I wouldn't miss it. And I had very clean bathrooms at my house growing up --
[laughter]
-- because of that, on Saturday morning.
So we at BET are so proud to continue his legacy on BET and Centric through the annual
"Soul Train Awards," and I hope you celebrate his life and accomplishments with us on BET
and Centric with our special lineup of programming paying tribute to him this weekend.
So, before I got started today, I just had to take a moment to recognize one unsung hero,
Don Cornelius.
[applause]
And someone asked me yesterday what I would remember most about him, and I said it would
be that voice, that smooth voice, and that perfect afro.
[laughter]
He was my role model. He was smooth and anyone who stood next to him, even Elton John or
David Bowie, he would embrace artists and he would make them cool also. So rest in peace,
and we're a better world for what he contributed to us.
So last week, an article in The Washington Post covered a study by the Kaiser Family
Foundation, I'm sure many of you saw it, that looked at the myths around African American
women's images. It was one of their most in-depth reports in decades. The article discussed
the media coverage, books and movies that tell us that love and marriage is often hopeless
for black women, to the messages of despair we face in raising our children in failing
education systems. In fact, one expert quoted said, "Black women haven't really defined
themselves," and that we are always defined by others as workhorses, strong, we carry
the burdens, we carry the family, but we don't need and we don't want.
Well, I think that might be the perception, but we are so much more than that.
[applause]
And I want to talk a little bit about that today. As I was thinking about the theme of
today's program, the unsung hero, or the unsung heroine, I should say, I think of the countless
women around the country, young and old, rich and poor, educated and not, that are constantly
working hard to make a better life for their families and a better future for themselves.
Those women, like many of us in this room, want and need to empower our communities and
our young people for a better tomorrow. That's the reason I took the path that I did. The
unsung heroes in my life encourage me to chase my dreams, to be bold, to strive for excellence,
and to give back to others.
To give you a bit of background on me, I grew up mostly in Greensboro, North Carolina.
[applause]
Oh, all right. [laughs] Some North Carolinians in the house.
[laughter]
During the Civil Rights movement. And that experience has shaped my perspective and helped
me overcome barriers and obstacles that I have faced on my journey. I went to an all-black
high school. We even had "Save the Black School" protest when they were trying to integrate
our school because we were so proud of the history of our school and the students that
had graduated. We knew we didn't have the resources of the other white -- three white
high schools in Greensboro, but we worked harder, our teachers told us we could be anything
we wanted to be, and we took pride in our history and what we were going to contribute.
I would say most important, though, to my upbringing, were the values instilled in me
at home by my parents, Richard and Thelma [spelled phonetically]. My father, a Tuskegee
Airman, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, provided the example that a black
man could be a leader in what many referred to as a white man's army. I hope you all have
seen "Red Tails," it's a great depiction --
[applause]
-- of what those times were like. It is from him that I learned that you persevere in the
face of adversity you always do your best and give your best. There was no substitute
for hard work. Most importantly, I never heard him complain about the barriers of race. He
simply did not accept barriers. While -- where others saw barriers, he saw opportunities
for success. I had excellent black teachers that taught us we could be anything, anything
we wanted to be in life. I was exposed to women that taught me skills and confidence,
even in the face of serious racism and sexism.
And even though the town was segregated, my community wanted for nothing. We had our own
doctors, we had our own lawyers, our own churches, our own black business, black banks, and black
insurance companies. So even though we were living through a segregated period, we did
not feel that we were disadvantaged in any way.
So when I think about my unsung heroes, I think of the women in the Civil Rights movement
that have paved the way for all of us in this room to be whatever we want to be. You see,
those women weren't celebrities, they didn't have million of followers on Twitter, they
weren't mega movie stars, they didn't have a legacy of incredible fortunes. They were
our mothers, our sisters, and our aunts. They knew we had better days ahead, and they knew
they had to be involved to make it happen. Let's take a quick look.
[clip playing]
[applause]
Debra Lee: Thank you so much. Those are my unsung heroes,
my heroines, and I personally, and I think a lot of us in this room, owe everything to
them.
That is a tape we produced at BET Networks for the Women's Luncheon the weekend that
the Martin Luther King Memorial was dedicated, and it received great response then, so I'm
really honored to be able to share it with you today.
What those women taught us, and taught me, is to forget what the outside world tells
us, because we must define our own future. And I must just say that Shirley Chisholm
was the first person I voted for for president, in 1972. [laughs]
[applause]
I thought about that a lot in 2008 when we elected our first African American president.
But these were the women that were my role models growing up. So while we still have
so much work to do in our communities, we are making strides every day. We live in a
time when one-third of black women working are in management or professional jobs. That's
terrific. And we have a record number of black women that are attending and graduating college.
In fact, the number of businesses owned by black women has nearly doubled in the past
decade. Our young people are seeing more options for themselves than ever before. They can
run a cable network, lead a Fortune 500 company, write bestselling books, become secretary
of state, and even become president of the United States.
[applause]
All of this is possible because of our unsung heroes. For us, giving a voice to these champions
of our community is at the heart of what we do at BET. People like Beverly Kearney, whose
passion and gift for coaching and mentoring has inspired some of the finest athletes to
achieve their greatest successes. She is one of the winningest coaches in the history of
track and field, and is a living example that greatness is still possible despite extreme
obstacles.
In 2002, Beverly survived a near-fatal car accident that left her in a wheelchair, with
doctors telling her that she would never walk again. Beverly persisted with the spirit of
a lioness in pursuit. She continued to coach from a wheelchair, and then from a walker,
and now on a cane, ultimately adding two more national championships to her record.
[applause]
It's about giving a voice to young Maya Angelou, who experienced the racial discrimination
of a segregated south, and though she faced those hardships, she stayed true to her deep
religious faith and belief in traditional African American life. Today, Maya Angelou
credits her grandmother and all of the unsung heroes in her extended family with instilling
in her the values that inform inspirational life and incredible career. In fact, we recently
sat down with Maya Angelou to discuss her life and her journey, and I hope you tune
into BET News on Sunday, February 12th at 11:00 a.m. to watch the inspiring conversation
between her and Common.
We also honored her at this year's BET Honors special, along with the amazing life works
of Beverly Kearney, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Spike Lee, and the heroic Tuskegee
Airmen. I hope you tune into BET on Monday, February 13th at 9:00 p.m. to watch us celebrate
these extraordinary individuals.
I want to thank the Department of Health and Human Services for inviting me here today,
deputy secretary for being here, the chief of staff, who was here early. And thank you
all for coming out.
Before I leave, in honor of Black History Month and the incredible Maya Angelou, I want
to read a portion of my favorite poem, "Still I Rise."
"You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I got oil wells Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides,
Just like hope springing high, Still I rise.
You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I'll rise.
Out of the huts of history's shame I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise I rise
I rise."
[applause]
Thank you so much for having me here today. Thank you.
[applause]