Christopher Edley, Jr. Harvard Law Professor, Presidential Advisor - Interview

Civil Rights Journal, Fall, 1999

CRJ: How effective has President Clinton's One America initiative been and how can the Commission work along with the President on this initiative?

I believe the President's initiative has been far more effective than most people inside the beltway realize. We are still waiting for the President to complete his final report to the American people, which will be in the form of a book. But, around the country, there have been countless activities either started or given heightened prominence as a result of the President's initiative. There are newspapers that have done special series on race relations, programs at universities that did not exist before, State and local human rights commissions that have stated that the President's initiative has given them more room to be ambitious and active, and there are people of all ages and all walks of life who have started to rethink what kind of person they can be in working for racial and ethnic justice in America. My sense is that there are millions of people who want help in this area, but do not know what to do. The President's race initiative as it continues and the particular book he is writing can help provide some useful suggestions about what people can do. The contribution can be very substantial and a major part of his legacy. I don't think the Commission should try to work directly with the President or the White House because it is important for us to have some measure of institutional independence. While I work closely with the President and members of his Administration, I separate that from what the Commission should do institutionally. On the other hand, the existence of the President's initiative creates opportunities for the Commission's work to have greater visibility and opportunities for us to engage the leadership of public sectors and pay attention to the civil rights concerns that we identify. But we cannot be part of the public relations apparatus of the White House. We must be prepared to be critical when the White House and the Administration fall short of the high expectations we should all have.