Speeches of Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch

Thank you, mayor [Catherine] Pugh. I want to thank you for welcoming me to Baltimore today, and I want to thank you and commissioner [Kevin] Davis for your cooperation, dedication and commitment to reform. I also want to thank Vanita Gupta, the outstanding leader of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and her team for their tremendous work in bringing about today’s agreement.

Thank you, Dean [Ron] Weich, for that kind introduction, and for welcoming me to the University of Baltimore Law School this afternoon.  As many of you know, Ron led the Justice Department’s Office of Legislative Affairs from 2009 until 2012, and it is great to be with him today.  I also want to thank University of Baltimore President [Kurt] Schmoke for his hospitality today.   I want to thank Mayor [Catherine] Pugh for her outstanding partnership and leadership.  I want to acknowledge U.S. Attorney [Rod] Rosenstein for his work in the District of Maryland.  And finally, I want to thank all of you: the many students, professors, law enforcement officers, civic leaders and advocates who have taken the time to be here.  I know that you are each making a difference in Baltimore in your own way, and I am grateful that you are choosing to be a part of our work to build stronger and more united communities for every American.

Thank you, Sally [Yates], for your kind words, for your friendship, and for your invaluable partnership. You are an extraordinary leader, a groundbreaking pioneer, and one of the most talented lawyers I have ever encountered. You have served our nation with incredible grace and dedication throughout your career. And from the Deputy Attorney General’s chair, you have been an incredible champion for justice. You have made our criminal justice system more effective and more fair, and you have been a vital partner to President Obama in the Clemency Initiative. Your personal involvement, and that of your team, has been extraordinary. You have sent the clarion message that individuals must take accountability for the reckless conduct of their corporations. And you have been tireless in reforming our prison system to improve the conditions of incarceration and to ensure that inmates receive a meaningful second chance at life outside of prison. There are literally thousands of people whose lives have been changed for the better because of you. I could not have asked for a better Deputy Attorney General to be by my side.

Thank you, Vanita [Gupta], for your warm introduction and for your extraordinary partnership as head of the Civil Rights Division, the conscience of our department. Thank you to Director [Richard] Toscano, Assistant Director [Granette] Tren, and their colleagues in the JMD Equal Opportunity Staff for organizing this important event. And my thanks to the McKinley Technology High School JRTOC Color Guard for their beautiful presentation of the colors today and to Grace [Asonye] for her wonderful rendition of the National Anthem. Thank you, Thomas [Wright], for the touching invocation. And Miss [Zoree] Jones, I have heard about your gift with words and I am glad to have the good fortune to speak before you, not after.

Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for being here.  I am joined today by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates; Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Leslie Caldwell; Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division John Cruden; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Ben Mizer; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade; FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy; EPA Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles; Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Deputy Secretary Russell Deyo; Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Deputy Commissioner Kevin McAleenan; and David Gelios, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Division. 

Thank you. Thank you so much for that kind introduction.  Thank you to all of you for being here today and for that warm welcome.  Principal Daphne also you gave me a tour of the school earlier and I want to thank you for showing me the highlights of the school and for taking me into some of the classes, and letting me see the kids at work, but also the energy that’s here at Harvey Milk because it’s really a very special place as all of you know who work here and attend here.

Thank you, Imam [Mohamed] Magid, for your kind words; for your hospitality in welcoming me today; and for your outstanding leadership of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center, especially during what I know has been a difficult time for many Muslim Americans. I am proud to stand beside you today. I also want to thank all of the inspiring faith leaders that we just heard from for their moving words. And I want to thank all of you – faith leaders and community leaders; activists and advocates – for all that you do, each and every day, to strengthen, empower and unite our communities.