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John Lewis Commemoration of 1963 March on Washington |
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John Lewis Leads Commemoration of March on Washington March participant speaks at 40th anniversary celebration at U.S. Capitol
Congressman John Lewis (Democrat-Georgia) says that while the nation has "made great progress" in its struggle for justice since the 1963 March on Washington, "we still have a distance to go."
"We did not just wake up and decide there would be a March on Washington. The March grew out of an increasing sense of discontent and frustration with the pace of progress on civil rights," Lewis said July 23 at the Capitol at ceremonies commemorating the 40th anniversary of the March.
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist joined Lewis on the podium.
Lewis, who was the youngest, at 23, to speak at the March on Washington, said, "On that glorious day in August 1963, I felt as if the spirit of history was guiding our steps. We had no choice -- we had to come to Washington, the seat of government, the capital of the most powerful nation on Earth. We came to petition our government for change. We came to demonstrate the sense of urgency. We wanted the federal government, including the President and Congress, to see, hear and feel the pain, struggle and determination of the indigenous people of the segregated South and ghettos of the North.
"From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, you saw a sea of humanity," Lewis said. "Some say it was only about 250,000 people, but I say it was the greatest undercount in the history of America. You saw Black and White; Protestant, Catholic and Jewish; old and young; rich and poor. Some of the young people climbed (up) in trees to get a better look. You saw black and white feet dipped in the reflecting pool. You could feel the great sense of community and family. The March on Washington represented America at her best.
"Because of the March, because of the involvement of hundreds and thousands of ordinary citizens, we experienced what I like to call a nonviolent revolution under the rule of law -- a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas. We have made much of Dr. [Martin Luther] King's dream come true.
"And while we have come a great distance -- while we have made great progress -- we still have a distance to go."
"As the leaders of our people -- as Members of Congress -- we must recall the passion, the vision, and the determination that made the United States the greatest nation on earth."
When we reach "a truly interracial community," said Lewis, "when we are one nation, one people, one house and one family -- we will come to the end of a March that our nation started some forty years ago."
John Lewis in 1963
Following is the text of Lewis' speech:
First, let me thank the leadership of the Congress and all of the Members for being here and participating in this observance. I want to thank the members of my staff, in particular my Chief of Staff, Michael Collins, and my communications director, Candice Tolliver, and others for working so hard to put this program together.
I also want to thank Rob Libitore and Daimler-Chrysler for their generous contributions to Faith and Politics over the years.
It is fitting, proper and necessary that we pause and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington.
Forty years ago, August 28, 1963, became a history-making day. The Civil Rights Movementheld its largest and perhaps most powerful demonstration. It was called the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom."
The March was organized by the leaders of the Movement, those called the "Big Six"-- A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, Roy Wilkinsand myself. We did not just wake up and decide there would be a March on Washington. The March grew out of an increasing sense of discontent and frustration with the pace of progress on civil rights.
In the spring and summer before the March on Washington, people were beaten, jailed and even killed while participating in nonviolent protest. While President Kennedyproclaimed that "the issue of civil rights, the issue of race, is a moral issue," -- millions of Americans could not register to vote because of the color of their skin. You could still see the signs that read "White Men," "Colored Men;" "White Women," "Colored Women;" "White Waiting," "Colored Waiting."
In Birmingham, the commissioner of police Eugene "Bull" Conner used attack dogs and fire hoses on innocent children and women as they tried to exercise their Constitutional right to engage in peaceful protest. Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Everswas assassinated. We had to do something to dramatize the sense of urgency. We had to say to the President of the United States and the Members of Congress that America must change.
In late June of 1963, during a meeting with President Kennedy, the "Big Six" leaders of the Civil Rights Movement informed the President that there would be a March on Washington. It was in that meeting that A. Philip Randolph, the dean of the black leadership, said to President Kennedy in his robust baritone voice, "Mr. President, the black masses are restless and we are going to march on Washington."
You could tell by the President's body language that he did not necessarily like the idea of a March on Washington. President Kennedy said in essence that if Negroes take to the streets, we might never get a civil rights bill through Congress. Mr. Randolph replied, "Mr. President, the Negro people are already in the streets and there will be a march on Washington." He spoke for all of us.
In the weeks leading to the March, we traveled the length and breadth of America telling the story of the Movement and mobilizing supporters. We held meetings at the Apollo Theater in New York, at churches, schools, labor and Masonic Halls around the country raising money for transportation to bring people to Washington.
On that glorious day in August 1963, I felt as if the spirit of history was guiding our steps. We had no choice -- we had to come to Washington, the seat of government, the capital of the most powerful nation on Earth. We came to petition our government for change. We came to demonstrate the sense of urgency. We wanted the federal government, including the President and Congress, to see, hear and feel the pain, struggle and determination of the indigenous people of the segregated South and ghettos of the North.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 23 years old. We were supposed to be leading the March across the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial, but the people were already marching. We linked arm and arm with the crowd. I recall thinking -- "there go my people, let me catch up with them."
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, you saw a sea of humanity. Some say it was only about 250,000 people, but I say it was the greatest undercount in the history of America. You saw Black and White; Protestant, Catholic and Jewish; old and young; rich and poor. Some of the young people climbed in trees to get a better look. You saw black and white feet dipped in the reflecting pool. You could feel the great sense of community and family. The March on Washington represented America at her best.
The most moving moment came when A. Philip Randolph presented Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to the crowd. He declared, "I now present to you the moral leader of America, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." I had heard Dr. King speak many times before, but on this day he spoke from the very depths of his heart and soul. He said, in essence, that he had a dream that was deeply rooted in the American Dream. He shared his vision with the American people and inspired the nation to embrace that vision.
The March on Washington injected something meaningful into the vein of American Politics. It inspired each and every one of us with the knowledge that we are all Americans endowed with the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It spoke of equality, justice and righteousness. It reminded us of all that America could accomplish -- of what WE could accomplish -- when we set our mind to it.
In 1963, I was on the outside protesting, looking in. I could not even register to vote in my native state of Alabama. Now, because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, because of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, I am on the inside making laws.
Forty years ago, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans came to Washington to demand justice of their leaders. The President -- the Congress -- heard their words -- caught their spirit -- and made our country a better place.
Because of the March, because of the involvement of hundreds and thousands of ordinary citizens, we experienced what I like to call a nonviolent revolution under the rule of law -- a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas. We have made much of Dr. King's dream come true. I wish Medgar Evers, President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedywere here today to see just how far we have come.
And while we have come a great distance -- while we have made great progress -- we still have a distance to go.
As the leaders of our people -- as Members of Congress -- we must recall the passion, the vision, and the determination that made the United States the greatest nation on earth.
Call it the spirit of our Founding Fathers. Call it the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt or FDR. Call it the spirit of the March on Washington. Call it the spirit of history.
We must recapture this spirit. As a nation and a people, we must take this spirit and make it part of our thoughts, our actions and our lives.
If we do this, we can make Dr. King's Dream come true. We can build what we liked to call the beloved community -- a truly interracial democracy -- a community at peace with itself.
And when we reach that Beloved Community -- when we are one nation, one people, one house and one family -- we will come to the end of a March that our nation started some forty years ago.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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