Leaders of Congressional Black Caucus and civil rights groups demand inclusion of public option [View All]

[Better Believe It]

But on Capitol Hill, leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus and of nearly a dozen African American civil rights groups gathered to declare their unwavering support Wednesday morning for the inclusion of a public option in health-care reform.

"We are strong on that -- 41 strong," said Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.).

"We are in a movement, a modern-day civil rights movement," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.). "Without a robust public plan, there is no guarantee of change."

Caucus members said they want any reform legislation to preserve measures that would bolster preventive medicine and reduce health disparities.

"As the health-care debate continues to heat up, African American leaders need to be more vocal about why health-care reform is needed in this country," said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League. "We challenge the lies and distortions and myths that have been utilized to try to defeat health care."

NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said his group is focusing on Blue Dog Democrats, several of whom represent districts in which African Americans make up more than 20 percent of the population. "We are there," he said. "We are watching you, and we expect you to do right. This issue could not be more serious in this recession."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/09/AR2009090901771_4.html?hpid=topnews