And we cannot afford to have an America segregated by class, by race, or by aspiration. America must close the gap of hope between communities of prosperity and communities of poverty. Men and women once victimized by Jim Crow have risen to leadership in the halls of Congress. Professionals and entrepreneurs have built a successful and growing and ever stronger African-American middle class. And this begins by enforcing the civil rights laws.
Discrimination is still a reality, even when it takes different forms.
Instead of Jim Crow, there's racial redlining and profiling. Instead of separate but equal, there is separate and forgotten. Strong civil rights enforcement will be a cornerstone of my administration. Several months ago I visited Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, where African-Americans confronted injustice and white Americans confronted their conscience. In 43 years, we have come so far in opening the doors of our schools.