Speech for the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington in Lexington, Ky.
When I received the invitation to speak at Lexington's observance of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, I was honored, I was thrilled, and I immediately accepted. Then I thought, what in the world would I say? So I went back to Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech. Now, I have listened to that speech many times before, however this time there was something he said that stayed with me and I just couldn’t let it go.
Don’t get me wrong- many things he said were powerful, relevant, and true, especially when he talked about the urgency of NOW! The promises of democracy must be made real NOW!
Yet the statement that struck a nerve within me was when he said "Those who hoped the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual." And here we are today, still holding up signs that say some of the same things as the signs did in 1963: "Jobs," "Equal Rights," "No Justice, No Peace," To me, not only has the nation gone back to business as usual, there seem to be those who want to undo a lot of the progress that has been made by the civil rights movement. I actually had a woman tell me to my face that she "wanted to take her country back!" Back where? I asked, as she stormed off.
You know, Dr. King's messages were right_they were fair and they were all- inclusive. I believe Dr. King wanted the best for everyone. Besides, that's what life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are all about, right? Then why is it that in 2013 there are still men, women, and children being judged by the color of their skin and not by the content of their character? I would like each and everyone out here to take a minute and really think about that. It truly saddens me just how institutionalized racism and prejudices are in every area of American life. They strongly exist in banking, education, career opportunities, sports, politics, voting rights, the penal system, and on and on. You name it, racism is there, whether some want to admit it or not. What I wish for is that everyone stops making speeches that sound great but have no power behind them. We can no longer afford to keep the "status quo."
The theme for today's observance is- "Can we celebrate, are we free?" Absolutely we can celebrate, both individually and collectively. Since the March on Washington there have been many "firsts" for black people, such as in 1967 when Thurgood Marshall was appointed by President Johnson as the first black Supreme Court justice. In 1975 Barbara Johnson was the first black woman to be named as Time Magazine's person of the year. In 1983 Vanessa Williams was voted the first black woman to be crowned Miss America. And one of my personal favorites was in 2008, when Barack Obama became the first black man to be elected president of the United States.
So you bet we have many reasons to celebrate, and be thankful to God for. However, the fact that I'm standing here in 2013 knowing there are still millions of events, positions, and opportunities that haven't been experienced or obtained by persons of color tells me yes, we can celebrate, but we are all still not there yet. We cannot think the work is over just because of who we have in the Oval Office at this time. Right now economic disparity is plaguing communities, and there are individuals who are trying to strip away voting rights from many groups of people as I speak.
Today, let us not give a lot of eloquent speeches. Instead let's actively renew our commitment to the pursuit of the full realization of making King's vision for America a reality.
Speech by Monica M. Hall given to a vast crowd in Lexington, KY. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington (8/27/13)
