Lyndon Johnson gave his speech on the Voting Rights Act in 1965. In this time of division and hatred , it is good to be reminded of that speech. Here is a portion:
There is no constitutional issue here. The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong–deadly wrong–to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country. There is no issue of states’ rights or national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights....
This time, on this issue, there must be no delays or no hesitation or no compromise with our purpose....
But even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far large movement which reaches in every section and state of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life.
Their cause must be our cause too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.
And–we–shall–overcome.
I saw that speech on television with two fellow students in a rooming house at Penn State. We cheered. We had so much hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment