On Thursday, October 14, 1999, the White House Office on the President's Initiative for One America, will join a bi-partisan coalition of U.S. Congresspersons including Reps. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.), co-sponsors of "Celebrating One America" (H Con Res 141), and a number of interested groups, to celebrate the theme of One America and diverse communities and organizations working together.

Congressman Rangel and Gilman are seeking House approval of H Con Res 141 on Columbus Day, October 12, 1999. The resolution states "that all people in the U.S. should reach out across our differences in ethnicity, race, and religion to respect each other and to celebrate, in friendship and unity, one America."

"On the eve of a new century, our country is more free and equal than ever before, but we have to keep going until Americans of every background have a chance to live out their dreams and make the most of their God-given capacities...until every American has a chance at a good job, a decent house on a safe street...until every American has a chance to reap the full rewards of citizenship, in dignity and respect. That is what the President's vision of one America looks like," said Ben Johnson, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office on the President's Initiative for One America. "We want to applaud Reps. Gilman and Rangel for their leadership and the National Italian American Foundation for leading the effort to organize this event to celebrate One America."

In addition to the Office on the President's Initiative for One America, several organizations will participate in the event, including: National Italian American Foundation; American Jewish Committee; Arab American Institute; National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs; National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium; Portuguese American Leadership Council; B'nai Brith International; Emerald Isle Immigration Center; Hellenic American Women's Council; National Urban League; National Federation of Filipino American Associations; and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

The White House Office on the President's Initiative for One America is charged with ensuring that the Clinton-Gore Administration has a coordinated and focused strategy to advance the policies that will close the opportunity gaps that exist for minorities and the underserved in this country, and build the One America we want for all of our nation's children. The office promotes the President's goals of educating the American public about race, encourages racial reconciliation through national dialogue on race, identifies policies that can expand opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities, and coordinates the work of the White House and federal agencies to carry out the President's vision of One America.