[Marc Morial] Every generation has a responsibility and a mission to improve things. For me
visiting University campuses is always
exciting because it's always a chance to
certainly share a message with young
people about the relevance of this
historic figure, Dr. Martin Luther King,
and the historic times in which he lived.
When we had these dynamic young people playing leadership roles in the nation.
[student question] What advice do you have for connecting to those people who don't see or say that
politics don't affect them?
[Marc Morial] Everyone will not choose being an activist but many people who may not want to
be an activist can play a supportive role
and anyone with good sense, passion and
desire can contribute and be a leader
and bring about change. We had any number
of young people who were involved in
Civil Rights and the Vietnam protest and
as young people they challenged
establishment thinking. They challenged
convention and norms and they changed the trajectory of the nation. Martin Luther
King. It's common to think of this great man as simply this powerful orator, this
inspirational figure and he is, and let
us never take away from him all of that,
but Ladies and Gentlemen he was so much more. So Martin Luther King, in addition
to being an orator, in addition to being
a strategist, Martin Luther King was an
irritant. He was a generational irritant. He
was a young man pushing against the
conventions of the time. I think college
students should recognize that fighting
for, working for, sometimes being
activists and protesters for change
is a time-honored American
tradition. You see originally the 1964
Civil Rights Act had a section or a
provision in it which would have given
voting rights and voting rights
protections to African-Americans. Johnson
in his ability to bring a recalcitrant
congress along with the Civil Rights Act
of '64 agreed with the deletion of the
voting rights provisions, the Selma
Confrontation of the Edmund Pettus
Bridge, flashed across the screens of
American's television sets. Johnson
resistant to the idea saying to King
"Wait, wait, wait,"
relented and the 1965 Voting Rights Act
was passed.
[student question] What are ways that we can help our communities?
[Marc Morial] I think the most important thing is you better never forget where you came from. I think it's important
that this generation understand that its voice and its issues are going to define the future of the country. I think Dr.
King would, would also lift up the primacy
of a generation's responsibility to not
only work for the betterment of their
generation but to work for
the betterment of their children. If America re-embraces the vision of an America where
children from any race and any
background and any creed will and can
join together with children of any
other race, background and creed to transform
this nation into a 21st century citadel
of freedom and justice for all
then we will have fulfilled his work and
completed his vision.
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