National Council of Negro Women Remarks at a White House Reception.

I'm sure none of you have husbands whose wives come in late. [Laughter]

It's a wonderful opportunity for me and Rosalynn to have you here in the White House. This is an exciting time for us. I know from experience that you have been part of the tremendous improvements that have been' made in American life.

All the Presidents have lived in this house except George Washington, who was the first one.

And nothing could be accomplished in our Nation, through government, if it weren't for dedicated and courageous people who know how to work together for the improvement of the lives of those who are not quite so fortunate as the leaders, like yourselves.

One of my favorite women has said that without volunteers, America would not have a soul. And when Rosalynn said that, I listened very carefully. [Laughter] And I would say that without the 27 organizations represented here this afternoon, America would not have a major part of its soul.

Your president and I have a lot in common. Dorothy's from the South; so am I. She left the South; so did I. I'm intending to go back; I don't know about her. Her mother and my mother were nurses. She and I spent a lot of time, have been a lot of times to Baptist churches. [Laughter] She and I both have had a long day. Right, Dorothy? And we have one more thing in common. She's been your president, and she's been reelected, and I'm looking forward to next year to" [laughter] .-

The most important thing about all of you in the National Council of Negro Women is that where your hearts are and where your hands are are where the people live who need help and a better life. Your founder, Mary McCloud Bethune, had two things in mind—jobs and education. And that's been the root of the changes that have benefited the lives of those in our country who have felt the burden of discrimination.

You have felt discrimination because of two things—one, because you're women; one, because you're black. We've made great progress in both areas, but we've got a long way to go. And I hope that all of you will help not only with the racial discrimination that still exists in some areas of our life but also will help to get the equal rights amendment passed for this country.

The thing that I appreciate about you is that you're not just confining your influence to a few things. You look around you, close by, to make families stronger. You look down at the little ones around you and say, "I want these children to have a better education than I had a chance to have." You look up and remember that our inspiration comes from God and that there are some things in this world that never change, and they're the most precious things of all. And you look outside of your own homes to make better communities and a better nation. And you help with things like the elderly, things like jobs, better transportation, better housing. Whenever there's a need, your minds and your hearts and your hands have been dedicated to meeting that need. And you're also dedicated to peace.

We've got to have a SALT agreement completed this year, because as you well know, if a nation goes to war, the poor and the black have always been the first ones to go. And I believe that one of the most important things that all of you could do is to induce the Members of the Senate of the United States to ratify the SALT agreement, because we do not want to have a hundred million American citizens killed by nuclear weapons. And that's an important task for us all.

I appreciate your going to the Hill today. When you speak, the Congress listens. And you have talked to them today about a very important consideration for matters overseas.

Before I came in this house as President, we had very. little interest or involvement in the affairs of Africa. We have changed that.

I pointed out earlier that you're not afraid to speak out, and as you know, I chose an Ambassador to the United Nations that was not afraid to speak out. Andrew Young spelled out the policy not only for our country, but his voice was heard, and his advice was followed, and his policies were adopted by many other nations on Earth.

And now we have a growing commitment to Africa to guarantee that racial discrimination is wiped out, that majority rule exists, and that we never again in the future have to face the burdens of apartheid, which is a disgrace for the human race. We are now making progress in Namibia. Meetings are going on this week that give us some hope for the independence and the autonomy of that country. And in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, as you know, we are also seeing good progress.

When I came into office, we had the so-called Byrd amendment, which forced us to trade with an unacceptable government in what was then known as Rhodesia. The Congress eliminated the Byrd amendment, and sanctions were imposed by us, by Great Britain, and by other countries. We've seen the benefits of it, because the pressure of those sanctions have caused the reluctant parties to come by now and negotiate what we hope will be a time of freedom for the new nation of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.

Some of the Members of the Congress want the sanctions to be lifted, but I think we ought not to lift those sanctions until we have a British Governor-General in Zimbabwe-Rhodesia and we have the electoral process well underway. And if you'll help me, we're going to hold those sanctions off until we get those two things done.

The last thing I want to say is this. We've had some accomplishments in our country in the last 34 months and in the last 34 years, but there are many areas where black voices and black women's voices are not yet 'heard adequately. Eleanor Holmes Norton is doing a good job in the equal employment area, and government is trying to eliminate the legal bases for discrimination. But still the judiciary, the Federal judiciary, has a lot to say about it.

I've tried to seek your advice, and others like you all over the country, and start appointing black judges, because they don't serve for 4 years, they don't serve for 8 years, they serve for a lifetime. And again, we've got a long way to go. But I'm very proud to say that I have already appointed more black judges in this country than all other Presidents who're lived in this house put together—because Dorothy would never let me forget about it. [Laughter]

And so, I'm very grateful to you, as President, for being my partner. This is the greatest nation on Earth. And if we have disappointments and if we have differences sometimes, if we have debates and divisions and if we have times when we have temporary inconveniences and delays in realizing the full desires of our lives, we ought to recognize that, underneath, our country is the strongest and the best and the freest country on Earth.

We've got a lot to be thankful for. God's blessed us. And if we work together, as you have done so well, then we'll make the greatest nation on Earth even greater in the future.

Thank you very much. God bless you for all being here.