For millions of Americans, affirmative action knocked down the barriers of the past that prevented so many of us from attending college, working in our country's leading companies, or starting a small business.

I believe in affirmative action that opens the doors of opportunity, but not in quotas to guarantee results. I joined in the Michigan affirmative action cases, arguing that diversity in higher education is a vital national interest. The benefits of diversity for our country are real — not only for all students in higher education but also in our military and in our workplaces. As President, I will continue to make America live up to its ideals. I will support strong and sensible affirmative action. I will call upon corporate America to be as diverse as the customers it serves. I will reverse the staffing cuts to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and strengthen the employment section of the Civil Rights Division. And I will build an administration that not only looks like America, but truly reflects America's diverse backgrounds and values.

The Supreme Court's recent decision holding that our cities are not allowed to take voluntary reasonable steps to build diverse student bodies in public schools was a betrayal of the spirit of Brown v. Board of Education. I will direct my Justice Department to help local school districts pursue voluntary integration and racial equality in their schools.

I support affirmative action. When there is strong evidence of prolonged and systemic discrimination by organizations, affirmative action may be the only meaningful remedy available. Affirmative action programs, when properly structured, can open up opportunities otherwise closed to qualified minorities without having an adverse impact on the opportunities for whites. Given the dearth of black and Latino Ph.D. candidates in mathematics and the sciences, for example, a scholarship program for minorities interested in getting advanced degrees in these fields won't keep white students out of such programs, but can broaden the pool of talent that we need to prosper in the new economy. We shouldn't ignore that race continues to matter: To suggest that our racial attitudes play no part in the socio-economic disparities that we often observe turns a blind eye to both our history and our experience – and relieves us of the responsibility to make things right.

The Bush administration has made challenging affirmative action and scholarship programs one of the core missions of the Department of Justice. As president, I will rid the Department of ideologues and political cronies, and for the first time in eight years, the Civil Rights Division will actually be staffed with civil rights lawyers who prosecute civil rights violations, and employment discrimination, and hate crimes.

And while I support affirmative action for minorities, I also support efforts to increase opportunities for qualified students from low-income backgrounds to attend colleges and universities – regardless of their race.

FEDERAL COMMISSION ON THE EFFECTS OF THE INHUMANITY OF SLAVERY ON AMERICANS OF AFRICAN DESCENT

Many Americans understand that before there can be redemption, there first must be repentance. We must acknowledge the evils of slavery. The amazing grace that we seek has helped to redeem America and to speed our nation's journey from its original sin to its founding ideals.

But, still, we need to complete our journey towards justice, and build an America where everyone who is willing to work can contribute to this country to the fullest of their God-given potential. We still need the capacity to look at injustice, to say, "This is wrong," and to assume our responsibility to put things right.
My husband knew that race would remain a central challenge of the 21
century when he convened his Initiative on Race, which included great Americans like John Hope Franklin. As President, I will start a new dialogue. And through policy, I will address the inequities and disparities that have been invisible to this President.

The legacy and stain of slavery are immeasurable; nothing, including reparations, can fully compensate. And though the country has made tremendous progress, we still have so much more to do.

I have a lot of respect for Congressman John Conyers and I'm glad the NAACP gave him its highest honor this year. While I know where his heart is at, I fear that reparations would be an excuse for some to say "we've paid our debt" and to avoid the much harder work of enforcing our anti-discrimination laws in employment and housing; the much harder work of making sure that our schools are not separate and unequal; the much harder work of providing job training programs and rehabilitating young men coming out of prison every year; and the much harder work of lifting 37 million Americans of all races out of poverty.
These challenges will not go away with reparations. So while I applaud and agree with the underlying sentiment of recognizing the continued legacy of slavery, I would prefer to focus on the issues that will directly address these problems – and building a consensus to do just that.

If elected President, would you pursue initiatives that allow federal dollars to be used to support programs in which individuals are discriminated against based on their religion?

Freedom of conscience and religious tolerance are vital principles that lie at the heart of our democracy and our Constitution. If religious freedom is to thrive in the 21st century in our country and around the world, the United States must be a leader in that effort. Therefore, when I am President, federal dollars will not be used to discriminate against individuals on the basis their religious beliefs or refusal to participate in a religious practice. No one should be denied access to a federally funded program on the ground that they are religious, not religious, or practice a particular religion.

I support the funding of faith-based programs that promote the common good –feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, bringing hope to those who hurt – and are consistent with our principles. Our tax dollars come from a great and diverse nation and we have a sacred trust in how to morally use those funds. Faith-based programs are essential. However, we can not use tax dollars to promote one religion over another or discriminate in any way.

I support government efforts to partner with faith-based organizations. I have said repeatedly that these
organizations can be important partners in delivering social services, whether it's helping with prisoner re-entry programs or providing job training skills. However, my administration will not pursue initiatives that permit taxpayer dollars to be used to support programs that practice discrimination in hiring.

ELECTION REFORM
 

If elected President, which initiatives would you pursue to ensure that every eligible American is allowed to cast a free and unfettered vote, and to be assured that their vote was counted?

Thousands of American heroes marched and died or were beaten and jailed while struggling to bring the right to vote to all Americans. Their struggle must be redeemed today.
I have proposed the Count Every Vote Act, and introduced it with my colleagues Senator Boxer and
Representatives Stephanie Tubbs Jones and John Lewis on the 42nd anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march from Selma, Alabama. This legislation redeems the voting rights of minority voters by calling for a voter-verified paper ballot; guaranteeing equal access to polling stations — and equal distribution of voting machines — for all Americans, and requiring states to work to reduce wait times for voters; creating a new federal crime for deceptive voter suppression tactics, such as sending flyers into minority neighborhoods telling voters the wrong voting date; mandating "no-excuse absentee balloting," as well as fair and uniform registration and identification rules, including same-day registration; authorizing ex-offenders who have paid their debt to society to vote in federal elections; creating and enforcing standards for purging voters to prevent voter disenfranchisement; and making Election Day a federal holiday so that voters do not have to take time off from work. This bill has been called the "gold standard" of federal election bills.
 

As president, I will sign into law my Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, a bill that cracks down on insidious misinformation campaigns
designed to keep voters — usually racial minorities, the poor, the elderly, and the disabled — from exercising their right to vote. We must also do everything we can to regain the trust and confidence in our electoral system that has been lost in recent years, and voter-verification should be a top priority in that effort. I think we should require the use of accessible paper trail systems at every polling place that uses electronic voting machines. I also believe that a paper trail requirement will be most effective if we combine it with a system of reasonable manual audits. I am cosponsor of legislation in the Senate that would implement these systems within the next few years.
 

VOTER REENFRANCHISEMENT OF EX-FELONY OFFENDERS

If elected President what, if anything, would you do to help restore the voting rights of ex-felony offenders?

 CONGRESSIONAL VOTING RIGHTS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

If elected President, what would you do to promote the rights of the citizens of the District of Columbia?

FAIR AND IMPARTIAL FEDERAL JUDGESHIPS

If elected President, what criteria would you use in determining who to nominate for positions in the federal judiciary?

IMMIGRATION REFORM

If elected President, what basic elements would you include in any proposal to reform our Nations immigration laws?