The March on Washington was a March for Jobs and Freedom. There are still too many people who are unemployed or underemployed in America - they're black, white, Latino, Native American and Asian American.
John LewisRead
When I was 15 years old in the tenth grade, I heard Martin Luther King, Jr. Three years later, when I was 18, I met Dr. King and we became friends. Two years after that I became very involved in the civil rights movement. I was in college at the time. As I got more and more involved, I saw politics as a means of bringing about change
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the journey of becoming socially active and recognizing the power of political engagement to effect change.
John Lewis's quote highlights his transformation from a young student who was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. to an active participant in the civil rights movement. It emphasizes the importance of political involvement as a tool for creating social change, illustrating how personal experiences and relationships can ignite a dedication to justice and activism.
Themes
ChangePoliticsActivismCivil RightsInspiration
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about civic engagement, one could use this quote to inspire youth to take action.
More from John Lewis
All quotes →The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society.
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Customs, traditions, laws should be flexible, within good reason, if that is what it takes to make our democracy work.
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I say to people today, 'You must be prepared if you believe in something. If you believe in something, you have to go for it. As individuals, we may not live to see the end.'
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We need someone who is going to stand up, speak up, and speak out for the people who need help, for the people who have been discriminated against.
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If it hadn't been for that march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, there would be no Barack Obama as President of the United States of America.
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