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
Selma helped make it possible for hundreds and thousands of people in the South to become registered voters and encouraged people all across America to become participants in a democratic process.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the impact of Selma in empowering individuals to register to vote and participate in democracy.
John Lewis emphasizes the significant role that the Selma marches played in the civil rights movement, illustrating how these events not only enabled countless citizens in the South to register as voters but also inspired a nationwide commitment to democratic participation. The quote serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for voting rights and the importance of civic engagement.
Themes
SelmaVotingDemocracyCivil RightsParticipation
In practice
Example use cases
During a community meeting about voter registration, one could quote this to inspire action.
More from John Lewis
All quotes →The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society.
John LewisRead
Customs, traditions, laws should be flexible, within good reason, if that is what it takes to make our democracy work.
John LewisRead
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.'
John LewisRead
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.
John LewisRead
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.
John LewisRead
Similar quotes
The valiant never taste of death but once.
William ShakespeareRead
Let me alone: I have yet my legs and one arm. Tell the surgeon to make haste and his instruments. I know I must lose my right arm, so the sooner it's off the better.
Horatio NelsonRead
The interaction between human rights campaigners from Pakistan and India was a big taboo in the 1980s. When we started traveling to India to increase people-to-people contact between the two nations, we knew that we would face serious repercussions back home.
Asma JahangirRead
I'm always captivated by stories of women who find a way to be daring - misbehaving women.
Sue Monk KiddRead
I had no money, no training facilities, no snow, no ski jumps, no trainer, but I still managed to ski jump for my country - and getting there was my gold medal.
Eddie The EagleRead
With the inevitability of a tongue returning to probe a painful tooth, we come back and back and back again to our fears, sitting to talk them over with the eagerness of a hungry man before a full and steaming plate.
Clive BarkerRead