TODAY
TODAY YOU
TODAY YOU HAVE A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THIS GIANT
WHO RISKED HIS LIFE TO HELP SO
MANY.
MANY.
MANY. I
MANY. I PRAY HIS WORDS WILL INSPIRE
YOU TO BETTER YOUR COMMUNITY
AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE
WORLD.
.
. >>
. >> I'VE
. >> I'VE HEARD VERY LITTLE ABOUT
HIM.
HIM.
HIM. >>
HIM. >> THE STORIES OF THE STRUGGLE
WILL BE HELD AS SACRED AS A
FAMILY HEIRLOOM.
FAMILY HEIRLOOM. THAT'S WHY I SHARE THEM WITH
YOU NOW.
YOU NOW.
YOU NOW. >> I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS A
LONG TIME.
LONG TIME. >> SOMETIMES I THINK WE TAKE
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF
OLD FOR GRANTED.
BUT THIS JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN.
THE FUTURE HOLDS ENDLESS
POTENTIAL FOR EACH OF YOU
THANKS TO MEND LIKE CONGRESSMAN
LEWIS.
LEWIS.
LEWIS. DON'T EVER FORGET THE SHOULDERS
ON WHICH YOU STAND.
>> HOW ARE YOU DOING?
GOOD TO SEE YOU, GOOD TO MEET
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> ONE DAY MANY YEARS FROM NOW
YOU WILL SAY WITH PRIDE, I MET
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS, AND YOU
WOULD SAY IT THE SAME WAY YOU
WOULD SAY I MET THE PRESIDENT.
>> HI, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> I HOPE YOU NEVER FORGET THE
SACRIFICES MADE SO YOU DON'T
EXPERIENCE THE HATRED AND THE
RACISM THAT NEARLY CLAIMED HIS
LIFE AND THE LIVES OF SO MANY
OTHERS.
OTHERS.
OTHERS. >> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
TELL THE STORIES AND TO TELL
THE STORIES OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.
AGAIN.
AGAIN. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OUR
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. TO KNOW THE DISTANCE THAT
PROGRESS WAS MADE.
>> WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU
WHEN YOU WERE MY AGE.
I'M 16.
I'M 16.
I'M 16. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU GOING
THROUGH THE SEGREGATION?
>> I GREW UP IN RURAL ALABAMA.
WHEN I WAS 16, WHITE MEN,
COLORED MEN, WHITE WAITING,
COLORED WAITING.
COLORED WAITING. AS A CHILD, I WAS BUSSED A LONG
DISTANCE TO GET TO AN ALL BLACK
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. I
SCHOOL. I NEVER ATTENDED AN INTEGRATED
SCHOOL OR SEGREGATED SCHOOL.
IT WAS ALL BLACK.
I ASKED MY MOTHER, FATHER,
GRANDPARENTS, WHY SEGREGATION?
WHY RACIAL DISCRIMINATION?
AND THEY WERE ALMOST LIKE BOY,
DON'T BE ASKING QUESTIONS LIKE
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. DON'T YOU GET IN TROUBLE.
DON'T YOU GET IN THE WAY.
BUT DR. KING AND ROSA PARKS AND
OTHERS INSPIRED ME TO GET IN
TROUBLE.
TROUBLE.
TROUBLE. TO GET IN THE WAY.
AND I'VE BEEN GETTING IN THE
WAY AND GETTING INTO TROUBLE
EVER SINCE.
EVER SINCE. AT THE AGE OF 16, WITH SOME OF
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND
FIRST COUSINS, WE WENT DOWN TO
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN A LITTLE
TOWN OF TROY, ALABAMA, TRYING
TO GET LIBRARY CARDS, TRYING TO
CHECK OUT SOME BOOKS.
AND WE WERE TOLD BY THE
LIBRARIAN, THAT THE LIBRARY WAS
FOR WHITES ONLY AND NOT FOR
COLOREDS.
COLOREDS.
COLOREDS. >> TELL ME, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
THIS PICTURE, HOW DO YOU FEEL?
>> WHEN I LOOK AT THAT PICTURE,
I FEEL LIKE WE'RE STANDING AT A
POINT OF NO RETURN.
WE COULD NOT TURN BACK.
WE HAD BEEN PLANTED THERE BY
SOME FORCE.
SOME FORCE. MAYBE BY HISTORY ITSELF.
BUT WE COULDN'T TURN BACK.
WE HAD TO DO IT.
FOR PEOPLE IN SELMA, ALABAMA.
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE.
OTHER PARTS OF THE AMERICAN
SOUTH.
SOUTH.
SOUTH. TO
SOUTH. TO NOT REGISTER TO VOTE SIMPLY
BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR
SKIN.
SKIN.
SKIN. WE
SKIN. WE SAW ALABAMA STATE TROOPERS.
WE KEPT WALKING.
AND WE CAME NEAR THE STATE
TROOPERS.
TROOPERS.
TROOPERS. AND THE MAN SAID THIS IS AN
UNLAWFUL MARCH.
UNLAWFUL MARCH. >> YOU ARE ORDERED TO DISPERSE.
GO HOME OR GO TO YOUR CHURCH.
THIS MARCH WILL NOT CONTINUE.
FOR
.
. >>
. >> AND
. >> AND JOSE SAID, MAJOR, GIVE
US A MOMENT TO KNEEL AND PRAY.
AND THE MAJOR SAID, TROOPERS
ADVANCE.
ADVANCE.
ADVANCE. THEY STARTED PUSHING US AND
BEATING US.
BEATING US. I WAS HIT IN THE HEAD BY A
STATE TROOPER WITH A NIGHT
STICK.
STICK.
STICK. I
STICK. I WAS KNOCKED DOWN AND LEFT
UNCONSCIOUS.
UNCONSCIOUS. ALL THESE YEARS LATER, I DON'T
RECALL.
RECALL.
RECALL. I
RECALL. I MADE IT BACK ACROSS THAT
BRIDGE THROUGH THE STREETS OF
SELMA BACK TO THAT LITTLE
CHURCH.
CHURCH.
CHURCH. BUT I DO RECALL BEING BACK AT
THE CHURCH.
THE CHURCH. I THINK SOMEONE LITERALLY
CARRIED ME BACK TO THE CHURCH.
AND THEY ASKED ME TO SAY
SOMETHING TO THE AUDIENCE.
THERE WERE MORE THAN 2,000
PEOPLE ON OUR SIDE TRYING TO
GET IN.
GET IN.
GET IN. THE CHURCH WAS FULL.
AND I STOOD UP AND SAID
SOMETHING LIKE I DON'T
UNDERSTAND IT.
UNDERSTAND IT. HOW PRESIDENT JOHNSON CAN SEND
TROOPS TO VIETNAM.
BUT CANNOT SEND TROOPS TO
SELMA, ALABAMA, TO PROTECT
PEOPLE WHO ONLY DESIRE TO
REGISTER TO VOTE.
THE NEXT THING I KNEW, I HAD
BEEN ADMITTED TO A LOCAL
HOSPITAL IN SELMA.
>> WERE YOU EVER AFRAID OF WHAT
WAS AHEAD?
WAS AHEAD? >> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. I
>> NO. I WAS NEVER AFRAID.
BECAUSE WE'RE TRAINED TO NOT BE
AFRAID AND TO MOVE ON INSPITE
OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO ANY ONE
OF US.
OF US.
OF US. I
OF US. I KNEW WHEN I WAS SITTING IN OR
GOING ON A FREEDOM RIDE THAT I
COULD BE BEATEN.
I COULD BE KILLED.
BUT I FELT, AND I THINK WE ALL
FELT THAT OUR CAUSE WAS SO
RIGHT AND SO NECESSARY THAT WE
HAVE TO MOVE ON INSPITE OF IT
ALL.
ALL.
ALL. >>
ALL. >> HOW HARD WAS IT FOR YOU GUYS
TO HOLD THAT NON-VIOLENCE.
BECAUSE ME PERSONALLY, I
PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN
INTO THAT NON-VIOLENCE THING.
HOW HARD WAS THAT?
>> IF YOU HAD STUDIED THE
PHILOSOPHY AND THE DISCIPLINE
OF NON-VIOLENCE.
OF NON-VIOLENCE. WE HAD ROLE-PLAYING AND SOCIAL
DRAMA.
DRAMA.
DRAMA. WE
DRAMA. WE STUDIED.
WE STUDIED. WE PREPARED OURSELVES BEFORE
GOING ON A SIT-IN.
BEFORE PARTICIPATING IN A
MARCH.
MARCH.
MARCH. WE
MARCH. WE BECAME DISCIPLINED.
WE BECAME BELIEVERS IN THE
PHILOSOPHY OF NON-VIOLENCE.
AND IF SOMEONE WOULD SPIT ON US
OR PUT HOT WATER, HOT COFFEE,
HOT CHOCOLATE ON US OR TRY TO
PUT A CIGARETTE OUT IN OUR HAIR
OR ON OUR BACKS, WE TRIED TO
TAKE IT.
TAKE IT.
TAKE IT. AND WE DIDN'T STRIKE BACK.
THAT'S WHAT GANDHI TAUGHT US.
WE STUDIED GANDHI.
WE STUDIED WHAT HE ATTEMPTED TO
DO IN SOUTH AFRICA.
WHAT HE ACCOMPLISHED IN INDIA.
WE STUDIED WHAT DR. KING WAS
DOING IN MONTGOMERY.
MANY OF US GREW TO ACCEPT NON-
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE. NOT SIMPLY AS A TECHNIQUE OR A
TACTIC BUT A WAY OF LIFE.
AS A WAY OF LIVING.
>> WERE YOU BRAVE?
>> I'M NOT SURE IF I WAS BRAVE
OR NOT.
OR NOT.
OR NOT. I
OR NOT. I TRIED TO DO WHAT I FELT WAS
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. AND TRY TO BE PART OF AN
EFFORT TO MAKE OUR COUNTRY
DIFFERENT AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE
FOR ALL CITIZENS TO BECOME
REGISTERED VOTERS.
REGISTERED VOTERS. >> MAY I HAVE A HUG?
>> YES.