Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas: "It is truly our responsibility to stand with you"

[Editor's note: For the sake of accuracy, we must point out that the persecution of Falun Gong does not reflect the will of the Chinese people as a whole, or even the will of the entire Chinese government, as many high ranking officials are opposed to the persecution. Jiang Zemin and a few of his political henchmen are totally responsible for this attempt to eliminate a group of people based on their spiritual beliefs.]

I may hail all the way from Texas, but I realize one thing about this world. We are in fact one human family. One. When one of us is brutalized because we believe in love and kindness, because we want to give to people an ability to enhance their dignity, then that means that all of us find ourselves oppressed.

I come to you with advocacy and compassion and love, and also with hard work. For late last night we joined our colleagues on the floor, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who co-chairs the Congressional Children's Caucus along with myself and many others, to support the resolution that would instruct our government to stand up against the violations and the abuse of the Falun Gong in China. We want the American foreign policy to include respect for human rights, no matter what nation is violating them. I'd like to thank my constituents from Texas and also the bravery of which they have exhibited by appearing before the Chinese Consulate offices in Houston, in my district on a regular basis, protesting, and as well pleading for justice. I don't want their voices and their protests to go silenced and to go unheard.

So I come here today to simply add my voice and my support to the freedom for Falun Gong. The freedom for Falun Gong! The oppression of religious beliefs was the basis upon which this nation was founded. There were those who left their nations, had to run from their nations, because of such repression, oppression, and persecution. It is founded in our own values, that we believe in religious freedom. The Chinese government has not presented to the world any documentation that Falun Gong is not a religion, that it is a [term used by Jiang to slander Falun Gong omitted]. There is no world opinion that would advocate for the treatment that has been given to the Falun Gong. And so I believe that it is truly our responsibility to stand with you, for as I started, we are one human family. One.

And I will fight to the end to stand alongside of you, not judgmentally, but in a war of words and love and spirit, to demand that the Chinese government and the people of China stand up to their obligations and responsibilities that they want on the world arena to be respected. I want them to respect you and to demand for you the same dignity and respect for all other people of the great nation of China. And so for that reason I leave you simply with my final voice, of the words of Martin King.

He taught us that there was in fact a Promised Land as he went to the mountaintop. He looked out and he saw that there was a Promised Land. Our understanding of that Promised Land was where all of us would be created equal, and that we would be treated equal. And so my challenge to you is to climb with me the mountaintop and look out into the Promised Land. And truly believe that if you keep up the fight, and if you keep up the call for justice and freedom, we as a people, this world, this human family, will get to the Promised Land someday. America will stand with you. Thank you very much for having me.

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