As Congressman Jim Clyburn said the other day, "There may be a lot of Dylann Roofs in theworld, but there are a lot of Debbie Dills too. She didn't remain silent."
Well, neither can we. We all have a role to play in building a more tolerant, inclusive society,what I once called "a village," where there is a place for everyone.
You know, we Americans may differ and bicker and stumble and fall, but we are at our bestwhen we pick each other up, when we have each other's back.
Like any family, our American family is strongest when we cherish what we have in common,and fight back against those who would drive us apart.
Mayors are on the front lines in so many ways. We look to you for leadership in time of crisis.We look to you every day to bring people together to build stronger communities.
Many mayors are part of the U.S. Coalition of Cities against Racism and Discrimination,launched by this conference in 2013. I know you're making reforms in your own communities,promoting tolerance in schools, smoothing the integration of immigrants, creating economicopportunities.
Mayors across the country also are doing all they can to prevent gun violence and keep ourstreets and neighborhoods safe.
And that's not all. Across our country, there is so much that is working. It's easy to forget thatwhen you watch or read the news. In cities and towns from coast to coast, we are seeingincredible innovation. Mayors are delivering results with what Franklin Roosevelt called boldand persistent experimentation.
Here in San Francisco, Mayor Lee is expanding a workforce training program for residents ofpublic housing, helping people find jobs who might have spent time in prison or lost theirdriver's license or fallen behind in child support payments.
South of here in Los Angeles and north in Seattle, city governments are raising the minimumwage so more people who work hard can get ahead and support their families.
In Philadelphia, Mayor Nutter is pioneering a new approach to community policing to rebuildtrust and respect between law enforcement and communities of color.
In Houston, Louisville and Chicago, the mayors are finding new ways to help workers train andcompete for jobs in advanced industries.
Cities like Cleveland and Lexington are linking up their universities and their factories to spur arevival of manufacturing.
In Denver and Detroit, city leaders are getting creative about how they raise funds forbuilding and repairing mass transit.
Providence is helping parents learn how to become their children's first teachers, and spendmore time reading, talking, and singing to their babies at critical stages of early braindevelopment.
Kevin Johnson, who has led both Sacramento and this conference so ably, calls thisrenaissance of urban innovation "Cities 3.0," and talks about "open-source leadership" andmayors as pragmatic problem-solvers.
That's what we need more of in America.
And Kevin is right, we need to reimagine the relationship between the federal government andour metropolitan areas. Top-down, one-size-fits-all solutions rarely work.
We need what I'll call a new Flexible Federalism that empowers and connects communities,leverages their unique advantages, adapts to changing circumstances. And I look forward toworking with all of you to turn this vision into a reality.
I've put Four Fights at the center of my campaign:
First, to build an economy for tomorrow not yesterday;
Second, to strengthen America's families, the foundation of everything we are;
Third, to harness all of our power, our smarts, and our values to continue to lead the world;
And fourth, to revitalize our democracy back here at home.
Mayors are vital for all four of these efforts. You know what it takes to make governmentactually work, and you know it can make a real difference in people's lives.