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
Black men and women were not allowed to register to vote. My own mother, my own father, my grandfather and my uncles and aunts could not register to vote because each time they attempted to register to vote, they were told they could not pass the literacy test.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the systemic barriers faced by Black individuals in exercising their right to vote due to discriminatory practices.
John Lewis's quote underscores the historical injustices and obstacles that Black Americans encountered in their struggle for civil rights, particularly the deliberate use of literacy tests to disenfranchise them. It reflects the broader fight against racism and the importance of voting as a fundamental right, emphasizing the sacrifices made by his family and many others in pursuit of equality and justice.
Themes
VotingDisenfranchisementCivil RightsRacismLiteracy Tests
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about voting rights at a civil rights rally.
More from John Lewis
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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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