GENTLEMAN FROM GEORGIA,
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS.
>> 50 MILES FROM MONTGOMERY I
STARTED AT A LITTLE PLACE CALLED
TROY.
MY FATHER WAS A SHARE CROPPER
AND FARMER.
BACK IN 1944 WHEN I WAS ONLY 4
YEARS OLD, MY FATHER HAD SAVED
$300.
WITH THE $300, HE BOUGHT 110
ACRES OF LAND.
MY FAMILY STILL OWNS THAT LAND
TODAY.
HOW MANY OF YOU REMEMBER WHEN
YOU WERE 4?
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF US?
IT WAS MANY, MANY YEARS AGO WHEN
WE WERE VISITING THE LITTLE TOWN
OF TROY, VISIT MONTGOMERY, VISIT
TUSKEGEE, VISIT BIRMINGHAM, I
SAW THOSE SIGNS THAT SAID WHITE
MEN, COLORED MEN, WHITE WOMEN,
COLORED WOMEN, WHITE WAITING,
COLORED WAITING.
I ASKED MY MOTHER, MY FATHER, MY
GRANDPARENTS, MY GREAT
GRANDPARENTS WHY.
THEY SAID THAT’S THE WAY IT IS.
DON’T GET IN THE WAY.
DON’T GET IN TROUBLE.
BUT ONE DAY IN 1955, 15 YEARS
OLD IN THE 10th GRADE, I HEARD
ABOUT ROSA PARKS. I HEARD THE WORDS OF MARTIN
I HEARD THE WORDS OF MARTIN
LUTHER KING JR. ON THE RADIO.
1957, I MET ROSA PARKS AT THE
AGE OF 17.
IN 1958 AT THE AGE OF 18, I MET
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND THESE
TWO INDIVIDUALS INSPIRED ME TO
GET IN THE WAY, TO GET IN
TROUBLE.
SO I COME HERE TO SAY TO YOU
THIS MORNING ON THIS BEAUTIFUL
CAMPUS WITH A GREAT EDUCATION,
YOU MUST FIND A WAY TO GET IN
THE WAY.
YOU MUST FIND A WAY TO GET IN TROUBLE, GOOD TROUBLE, NECESSARY
TROUBLE, GOOD TROUBLE, NECESSARY
TROUBLE.
USE YOUR EDUCATION.
YOU HAVE WONDERFUL TEACHERS,
WONDERFUL PROFESSORS.
RESEARCHERS.
USE WHAT YOU HAVE.
USE YOUR LEARNING, USE YOUR
TOOLS TO HELP MAKE OUR COUNTRY
AND MAKE OUR WORLD A BETTER
PLACE WHERE NO ONE WILL BE LEFT
OUT OR LEFT BEHIND.
YOU CAN DO IT AND YOU MUST DO IT.
IT IS YOUR TIME.
IN A FEW SHORT DAYS, WE WILL
COMMEMORATE WHAT WE CALL THE
MISSISSIPPI SUMMER PROJECT.
FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND
STUDENTS, FROM ALL OVER AMERICA,
MANY FROM ABROAD, MADE A TRIP TO
MISSISSIPPI TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE
TO REGISTER TO VOTE.
AND A SUMMER NIGHT OF JUNE 21st,
1964, THREE YOUNG MEN THAT I
KNOW, TWO WHITES AND ONE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN, NICHOLAS
WERNOR, WENT OUT TO INVESTIGATE
THE BURNING OF AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCH.
THESE THREE YOUNG MEN DETAINED
BY THE SHERIFF, TAKEN TO JAIL,
TAKEN OUT OF JAIL, TURNED OVER
TO THE KLAN WHERE THEY WERE BEAT
AND SHOT AND KILLED.
I TELL STUDENTS TODAY THESE
THREE YOUNG MEN DIDN’T DIE IN
VIETNAM.
THEY DIDN’T DIE IN THE MIDDLE
EAST.
OR EASTERN EUROPE.
THEY DIDN’T DIE IN AFRICA OR
CENTRAL OR SOUTH AMERICA.
THEY DIED RIGHT HERE IN OUR OWN
COUNTRY TRYING TO HELP ALL OF
OUR CITIZENS BECOME PARTICIPANTS
IN A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.
AS YOUNG PEOPLE, YOU MUST
UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE FORCES
THAT WANT TO TAKE US BACK TO
ANOTHER PERIOD.
BUT YOU MUST SAY WE ARE NOT
GOING.
WE’VE MADE TOO MUCH PROGRESS AND
WE ARE GOING FORWARD.
THERE MAY BE SOME SETBACKS, SOME
DELAYS, SOME DISAPPOINTMENTS,
BUT YOU MUST NEVER, EVER GIVE UP
OR GIVE IN.
YOU MUST KEEP THE FAITH AND KEEP
YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE.
THAT IS YOUR CALLING, THAT IS
YOUR MISSION, THAT IS YOUR MORAL
OBLIGATION, THAT IS YOUR
MANDATE. GET OUT THERE AND DO IT.
GET OUT THERE AND DO IT.
GET IN THE WAY.
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, WE ALL
MUST LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER AS
BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
WE ALL LIVE IN THE SAME HOUSE.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER WE ARE
BLACK OR WHITE, LATINO, ASIAN
AMERICAN OR NATIVE AMERICAN.
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER WE ARE
STRAIGHT OR GAY.
WE ARE ONE PEOPLE, WE ARE ONE
FAMILY, WE ALL LIVE IN THE SAME
HOUSE.
BE BOLD.
BE COURAGEOUS.
STAND UP, SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT,
AND FIND A WAY TO CREATE THE
BELOVED COMMUNITY.
THE BELOVED WORLD.
A WORLD OF PEACE.
A WORLD THAT RECOGNIZED THE
DIGNITY OF ALL HUMANKIND.
NEVER BECOME BITTER.
NEVER BECOME HOSTILE.
NEVER HATE.
LIVE IN PEACE.
WE ARE ONE. ONE PEOPLE AND ONE LOVE.
ONE PEOPLE AND ONE LOVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.