50 Years Ago Today…

August 28, 2013 - byGary Pearce
Two Southern Governors were mentioned in speeches at the March on Washington.
 
In his speech just prior to MLK’s, Roy Wilkins said, in part, “My friends, we are here today because we want the Congress of the United States to hear from us in person what many of us have been telling our public officials back home. That is, we want freedom now. We came here to petition our law makers to be as brave as our citizens and our marchers. To be as daring as James Meredith. To be as unafraid as the nine children of Little Rock. To be as forthright as the governor of North Carolina.”
 
That was Terry Sanford.
 
King said: “I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification,’ one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!”
 
Those dripping lips were, of course, George Wallace’s.
 
One wonders: What would be said today about North Carolina’s governor?
 
(My thanks to Harrison Hickman for the historical reminder.)
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50 Years Ago Today…

August 28, 2013/Gary Pearce
Two Southern Governors were mentioned in speeches at the March on Washington.
 
In his speech just prior to MLK’s, Roy Wilkins said, in part, “My friends, we are here today because we want the Congress of the United States to hear from us in person what many of us have been telling our public officials back home. That is, we want freedom now. We came here to petition our law makers to be as brave as our citizens and our marchers. To be as daring as James Meredith. To be as unafraid as the nine children of Little Rock. To be as forthright as the governor of North Carolina.”
 
That was Terry Sanford.
 
King said: “I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of ‘interposition’ and ‘nullification,’ one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!”
 
Those dripping lips were, of course, George Wallace’s.
 
One wonders: What would be said today about North Carolina’s governor?
 
(My thanks to Harrison Hickman for the historical reminder.)
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Gary Pearce

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