That is something i have been working on and committed to for decades. We saw similar problems back in the 1980s, when i served on a workforce Training Commission organized by the Wt Grant Foundation and the National Center for the economy. The problems have grown more complex as the economy has changed. Nearly 6 million young people are out of school and out of work. That is almost one in every six. For young people of color, things are even harder. If you do not have a College Degree or did not graduate from high school, most stores are not open, no matter how hard you not. Think about what that means. It is not just about missing a paycheck or going without benefits, like health care, when young people cannot find work, they miss out on a crucial period of personal and professional growth that reverberates for decades in lower wages and lost opportunities. Those first jobs i certainly remember my first job that is where you learn skills, even if it is just showing up on time. That is where you build networks and gain confidence and experience the dignity of work and responsibility. If you miss out on all of that, frustration, rejection, and poverty gives you a much less positive outcome. And the rest of your family and community and society. Economists say our youth Unemployment Crisis could cost america roughly 20 billion in lost earnings over the next decade alone. There is no doubt that the biggest cause of youth unemployment is an economy that is not generating enough demand despite the recovery. We need to keep growing and investing in the Building Blocks of the 21st century. This is sometimes overstated. But it is true that to get a good job, you have to in our economy have some form of specific skills and proven work experience. And not just a strong work ethic that was a ticket to the middle class for my parent. Many Young Americans do not have these qualifications and i would argue that it starts at the very beginning and goes all the way through their schooling. They do not get the job experiences that they need outside of the classroom. They do not know what is expected of them. When skills training is available, too often it is disorganized, it does not actually exist, or is it for industries that are shrinking. We need to do more to sync up young people workforce Training Programs and employers looking to hire. As part of the Clinton Foundation effort, we are reaching out to businesses big and small and really trying to drill down on what their actual needs are and why what they have tried before has not worked. And how we can do a better job in a public, private partnership to resolve these difficulties. Apprenticeships, partnerships with community colleges, cross sector collaborations, forwardlooking companies that recognize that molding the talent pool for the future is good for them. That is an investment worth making. Take the gap. It recently raised its bottom wages. It has lots of experience hiring and training Young Americans, many for the first jobs. They have partnered with many nonprofits to provide job training and paid internships. To underserved youth who might not otherwise make it through their doors. Most of the young people who complete the program go on to become fulltime gap employees. Or consider corning. Famous for supplying the gorilla glass for the iphone. To stay on the cutting edge, they need a steady pipeline of high skilled talent. They have invested in internships that help students explore careers and they are providing onthejob apprenticeships in their factories. At the Clinton Global Initiative annual conference in denver next month, we are assembling a network of businesses willing to step up, expanding hiring, training, mentoring, hopefully to create a virtuous ripple throughout the economy. Engaging with others in the Business Community and beyond to encourage more partners to come off the sidelines. For some to use some of that cash that is sitting there waiting to be deployed. To help build training infrastructures that will help entire industries. To help use supply chains as force multipliers. To work with schools, nonprofits, unions, and elected officials. To coordinate everyone who has a legitimate, sincere interest in moving forward together. We will be announcing more details about that in the meeting in denver. This is a longterm challenge. We cannot wait for government, which seems so paralyzed and unfortunately at a time when we could be racing ahead. We cannot wait because we have a rising generation of young people. The socalled millennial generation. They are optimistic, tolerant, creative, generous as a cohort. They have so much potential, so much to contribute. They can be the participation generation, the innovation generation not a lost generation. Because we have not tended to what social supports they need in order to make their mark. Now, working with my husband and daughter at our foundation, our motto is that we are all in this together. Which we totally believe you read we believe in the American Dream. We believe in social mobility. We believe that what worked for my mother or for bills mother, these Horatio Alger rags to riches stories, these are still possible. This is what has fueled the idea of america. That is what is part of what has always made this country great. The chance that anyone of us could move forward, no matter where we came from. That we can achieve so much. That there is no limit on what can be achieved with big talent and big ideas. But if you look at american history, there is another story to tell about how upward mobility really works. In part, this is the complement to the rugged individualist story that we all know so much about and some of you have lived. It is about communities that are ecosystems of opportunities. As eric schmidt knows, the personal computer revolution needed more than one or two people in a garage. It needed silicon valley. Networks of public and private universities, investors, competitors, collaborators. It needed state and local governments that invested in the future and human potential. It needed a culture of risk taking and creativity. This story about the link between Strong Communities and the American Dream goes very deep. One of the first great observers and chroniclers of america was alexis de tocqueville. He traveled across the new country of ours in 1830s, learning everything about this radical idea called democracy. And the men and women who made it work. He was amazed by the social and economic equality and mobility he saw here, unheardof in the aristocratic era. And by what he called, our habits of the heart. The everyday values and customs that set americans apart from the rest of the world you read it found a nation of joiners, clubs, congregations, civic organizations, political parties, groups that bound communities together and invested those famous rugged individualist and the welfare of their neighbors. This made the democratic experiment possible. Talk about a big idea. Those early americans were volunteers and problem solvers. They believed that their own selfinterest was advanced by helping their neighbors. Like benjamin franklin, they formed volunteer Fire Departments because if your neighbors house is on fire, it is your problem too. Middleclass women went into the most dangerous 19thcentury slums to help children who had no one else standing up for them. Americans came together, inspired by religious faith, civic virtue, common decency to lend a hand to those in need. And to improve their lives and their communities and that made our democratic experiment possible. It made america an exceptional nation. I believe with all my heart that is still true. We see that where the fabric of community is strong even today, places with a vibrant middle class, twoparent families, good schools unions, churches, civic organizations, places integrated across class and racial lines, that is where we still see upward mobility in america. It is not about average income. Researchers point to cities with similar affluence that have markedly different rates of economic mobility. It is not about race. Like and white residents of a city like atlanta have local port mobility. It is about all of these other factors that add up. It suggests that investing in our neighborhood institutions, strengthening Community Bonds have to be part of our strategy for reducing inequality, increasing mobility, and renewing the American Dream. It is not just about money. As important and critical factor that is. It is about how we live with one another, how we treat and look out for one another. It is about how we see one another. How we organize ourselves, what we value. Whether in this atomized age we can still come together to solve our problems the way the early americans did, that is the big question we face. We now spend most of our time talking to people who agree with us. Big sort has happened. That is a we are comfortable with. We do not really want to hear from the other side, no matter what side we are on. That is what makes compromise a difficult. Because we do not put ourselves any longer in anyone elses shoes. Why are some people across the political divide believing what they believe . Holding their values so strongly against what we believe to be right . We do not get back into a conversation that cuts across all those lines that divide us. It will be very difficult to tackle the economic and social problems that stand in the way of moving away from inequality toward greater equality, economically and socially. But i believe that the time has come. The time for us to begin not only a conversation, but a serious effort by which big ideas will renew america for our sake, for our children, and yes, for a future grandchildren. It will not surprise you to hear me say, it i think it really does take a village. Thank you very much. [applause] this week we spoke with reason Pulitzer Prize winner when greenwald. He talks about his notebook no place to hide. You can see that interview this sunday at 2 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan. On may 17, 1954, the Supreme Court in manas unanimously inuck down discrimination Public Schools in the brown versus board of education decision. An event hosted by the naacp Legal Defense and Educational Club at the National Press in washington dc. This is an hour and 15 minutes. I am the seventh director council of the naacp Legal Defense fund and many know that our sixth director counsel, john peyton, the brilliant lawyer from washington, d. C. Who is well known to many of you passed away while he was director counsel. We wanted to be sure that all the director counsels are represented here today and i am just absolutely thrilled and happy that someone who actually was very early hero of mine is here today and has joined us and thats john peytons wife, a human rights activist in her own right. [applause] many know that Howard Law School was the incubator of much of the thinking that went into the early civil rights litigation work and so i would like to thank the interim dean and the howard faculty for oining us today as well. Many know that it really does take a village of amazing activists lawyers advocates brilliant people who have committed their lives to making america better for everyone. And i would ask that any of you who are here who are leading organizations stand. But i want to especially acknowledge the person who leads the Umbrella Organization in which we all sit and that is ade henderson. It is my pleasure and honor to introduce to you attorney general eric holder who was sworn in as the 82nd attorney general of the United States in 2009. We are so thrilled that he chose to join us today on this very important day. His bio is in the program so i wont belabor reading it. He is known to many of you. I did want to make a few important notes that you should know about him. The first is that attorney general holder is very closely connected to our civil rights history. His wife is dr. Sharon malone who is the sister of Vivian Malone, the student who helped desegregate the university of alabama. It is also true that attorney general holder very early in his career served as an intern at the Legal Defense fund. And it is also true that as many of you have seen in the past two years this is an attorney general of tremendous courage. His willingness to step forward and address the issue of overincarceration and of deep deep problems in the criminal Justice System is really unprecedented. I do not think you will we have had certainly or will have another attorney general who will acknowledge the role that prosecutors can play in dealing with the issue of overcharging which leads to overincarcerations. His commitment to dealing with the issue of harsh penalties meted out to nonviolent drug offenders sets him apart among attorney generals weve had in this country. His recent efforts around clemency, his willingness to use the bully pulpit of his office to educate america about the power that prosecutors have and about the ways in which the rapid and increased overincarceration in this country hurts all of us and impearls the vitality of our Society Shows him to be a courageous leader frankly in the tradition that is we revere and honor at the Legal Defense fund. So we were thrilled that he could take time out of his very, very busy schedule to join us to make a few remarks and so i present to you the 82nd attorney general of the United States mr. Eric holder. [applause] thank you. Well, thank you all so much for that warm welcome. And thank you for those kind words and thank you all for such a warm welcome. It is really a pleasure for me to be here today and it is a prive lincoln to join dedicated privilege to join dedicated Public Servants along with trail blazers. Gabe who is near and dear to me i think on a personal basis i know its difficult for you but i miss our guy. On a daily basis. John baiten, a great great man. [applause] its great to be here in celebrating the work of the naacp Legal Defend Fund in commemorating the victory that this organization helped to secure 60 years ago tomorrow. And in recommiting ourselves to the critical work that still lies before us. The fight is not over. Now, i would like to thank our host the National Press club and every member and supporter of lmp df for making this important observance possible. Its a tremendous honor to take part in this celebration and to stand with lawyers who participated in the brown case, the families of the courageous plaintiffs who made this landmark decision possible, and with mrs. Sissy marshall the wife of the late Thurgood Marshall, one of our great civil rights pioneers who helped found this organization nearly three quarters of a century ago. Since 1940 ldf has perform critical work to rally americans to the unifying cause of justice. Standing on the front lines of our fight to guarantee security advance opportunity and to ensure equal treatment under law. Your enduring legacy is written not only in the words of legal opinions, but in the remarkable once unimaginable progress that so many of us have witnessed even within our own lifetimes. The fact that i serve in an administration led by another African American bears witness o that progress. [applause] your actions alongside those of countless citizens whose names may be unknown to us now but whose contributions and sacrifices endure have forever altered the course of our nations great history. Decades ago brave individuals from across the country sustained by the strength of their convictions, fueled by their desire for change, and represented by lawyers from the imminent organizations including visionary attorneys like thurgoord marshall, Robert Carter and Jack Greenberg embarked on a dangerous long and grueling march that culminated on may 17, 1954 at the United States Supreme Court. It was a march that led through difficult and uncertain terrain. From the injustice injustice of plessy versus ferguson to the dark days of jim crow and of slavery by another name from the discrimination and violence and the strange fruit that ultimately gave rise to a unified Civil Rights Movement and to the founding and growth of ldf. It was a march that tested the soul of this country and questioned its president Abraham Lincoln once asked whether a nation dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal could long endure. And it was a march that was immeasurably strengthened by the transformative power of a single Court Decision where nine jurists came together led by one of my idols chief Justice Earl Warren, the ice of the world upon them, to unanimously declare that separate was inherently unequal. Now, i was just three years old in 1954 when brown was decided. Please dont do the math. Yeah, yeah. Hes that old . Thanks to some of the pioneers in this room, my generation my generation, was the first to grow up in a world in which separate but equal was no longer the law of the land. Even as a child growing up in new york city i understood as i learned about the decision that its impact was truly groundbreaking bringing the law in line with the fundamental truth of the equality of our hue manty. Brown marked a major victory. Anyone old enough to remember the turbulence of the 1960s i also knew and saw firsthand that this country wouldnt automatically translate the words of brown into substantive change. Integration of our schools, a process that was halting, confrontational, and at times even bloody did not by itself put an end to the beliefs and the attitudes that had given rise to the underlying inequity in the first place. The outlawing of institutional segregation did not by itself soften the enmitty and alleviate the vicious bias that had been directed against African American people in communities for generation and the rejection in its clearest form by our highest court of legal discrimination could not by itself wash away the hostility that would for years fuel new and per versely innovative attempts to keep separate but equal in place. These markers of progress could not forestall the massive resistance policies that followed in states across the country in which Public Schools would close and private academies would open for white children only. They could not avert the protests against the little rock nine. Around they could not prevent alabama governor George Wallace from making his infamous stand in the School House Door in 1963, nine years after brown, when two courageous African American students one of whom was Vivian Malone who would become my sister inlaw when they attempted to register for classes at the university of alabama. But thanks to brown and to the developments that followed on the day when vivian and her classmate james hood walked into that university they were protected not only by the power of their convictions, not only by the strength of the National Guard and the authority of the United States department of justice, but by the force of binding law. When those nine students entered little rock Central High School, they were supported by all nine members of a resolute Supreme Court. And when millions of civil rights advocates and supporters began to rally to march to stand up, and even to sit in in order to eradicate the discrimination that they continued to face in schools and other public accommodations, they stood not only on the side of equality and on the side of that which was obviously right, but on the side of settled justice. Now, this was the change that brown versus the board of education signaled and this was the progress it made possible. It did not instantaneously or painlessly tear down the walls that divided so much of the nation. But it did unlock the gates. And it continues to guide ldfs work and the Justice Departments civil Rights Enforcement efforts as we work to end the divisions and the disparities that persist even today in the 21st century. After all, as Supreme Court justice sonya society myyor said recently in what i think a very insightful dissent case, we must not wish away rather than confront the racial inequality that exists in our society. The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race. And i would add, to act. To act to eradicate the exist bs of still too persistent inequality. And i want to assure you as we mark this historic anniversary that my colleagues and i remain as committed to this cause asr before. While the number of School Districts that remain under Desegregation Court ordered has decreased significantly in just the past decade the department of justice continues to actively enforce approximately 200 desegregation cases where School Districts have not yet fulfilled their legal obligation to eliminate desegregation rooted and branch. In those cases we work to ensure that students have the Building Blocks, from access to advanced placement classes to facilities without crumb bling buildings to safe environments. We are partnering with the department of education to Reform School discipline policies that fuel the school to prison pipeline and have resulted in students of color facing suspensions that is three times higher than that of their white peers. And we are moving in a variety of ways to dismantle racial barriers from americas classrooms to our board rooms to our voting booths and far beyond. So long as i have the privilege to serving as the attorney general of the United States, this Justice Department will never, never stop working to expand the promise of a nation where everyone has the same opportunity to grow, to contrbt and to ultimately succeed. [applause] by calling for new voting protections and by by calling for new voting protections and by challenging unjust restrictions that discriminate against vulnerable populations or communities of color. And thats the real vote fraud. That is the real vote fraud. [applause] by challenging these measures, ensureeep striving to the free exercise of every citizens most fundamental rights, by leading another implementation of the supreme v. Rt ruling, United States windsor, well ensure sameself receive married, can the protections and benefits they deserve. [applause] and by fighting for Immigration Reform that includes an earned path to andzenship so that men women who are americans in everything but name can step out of the shadows and take their place in society. Well make certain that children america always called home can build a Bright Future in and can enrich the country that they love and do so without fear. [applause] in these and other efforts there timesdoubtedly difficult ahead. Challenges old and new remain us. Re there are too many who are wedded to the past and who fear the new america that is emerging. They misconstrue our past. America has been at its best when we have acted to embrace make positive the changes we ,ave been forced to confront and so it must be again. Government will never be able to surmount the obstacles that we its own but especially on days like today im reminded the extraordinary courage that since 1940 has led andingly ordinary citizens l. D. F. Leaders to stand together, to transform the power of individual voices into the strength of collective action, and to bring about historic like the one we gather to celebrate, changes that pull this nation closer to its founding promise, changes that our real the blessings of constitution, and changes that intoy selfevident truths settled law. Room, andaround this with great faith in the american people, i cannot help but feel optimistic about our ability to build on the progress that we celebrate this week. Doubt that with your continued leadership, with your boundless passion, and with unyielding courage, we can continue the legacy that has us. Entrusted to we can extend the promise that brown and those who made it hard to worked so secure. Juste can build that more society, that more just society that everyone in this nation deserves. Much. You very [applause] captioning performed by the. Ational captioning institute [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2014] thank you, mr. Attorney general. [applause] were going to keep going with our program. Going to welcome sherrilyn back to the stage. I thought i had a minute to collect myself after that extraordinary speech. So grateful to the attorney general for being with us. Not elaine jones. [laughter] elaine. O be i dream about being being elaine. But i am not elaine jones. But elaine jones has a little cold, and i am going to the awardand present. O mrs. Cecilia marshall this is something that means a andt deal to the lawyers board of the naacp Legal Defense fund. She is known throughout the and has been mrs counsel, she has , hasmrs. Solicitor general mrs. Judge, has been mrs. Justice. But today we want to honor m. Marshall for her own work and dedication to civil rights. [applause] the late Thurgood Marshall for 38 years she saw a lot of the world through the unparalleled prism of her husbands work for justice and equality for all. Born in maui,was hawaii. Her parents were among the first from thes to hawaii Philippine Islands in 1910. To1948 she came to new york live with her maternal aunt and uncle and started to take classes in stenography at columbia university. During that same year she got a position as secretary to the National Director of the naacp where shen new york says she admitted receiving her racialaptism to the challenges of america. And shes been motivated ever since to make a difference in lives of others. Yesterday at our Board Meeting when we were taking notes on the mrs. Marshall was reminding us of when she attended Board Meetings as a took notestary and in shorthand. For the Legal Defense fund. Many boards here in washington, d. C. And has been advocate on behalf of young people, particularly through the Thurgood Marshall summer law internship program, but we know her best for her wheren the l. D. F. Board she has served since 1994, getting on the amtrak train and york for those Board Meetings, serving and at herng dinners for us beloved Georgetown Club with our beingters and donors, and a welcoming arm for every director counsel that the Legal Defense fund has had, including me. I have been privileged by just friendship, her laughter, her counsel, and her tremendous support. Gentlemen, we present the spirit of justice award to mrs. Cecilia m. Marshall. [applause] thank you, director, but i i can only prove half of what you said about me. [laughter]. Ot even half , on may 17, after downupreme court handed on brownark decision v. Board, i was at the office of ar legal fund where butbration was taking place after about an hour or so hisgood announced to staffer, i dont know about you going back tom work because our work has just begun. [applause] say no truer words because 60 years later here we are after brown, were fighting bigotry in one form or another. That regard, i would like to share this award with all the former director counsels who raines and continued our reigns and continued our legal assault against all forms of bigotry. [applause] directors such as Jack Greenberg who worked very closely with many years, so shaw whones, and ted are all here today along with counsel. Nt director i would also like to share this mr. William coleman, another close friend of thurgoods. Thurgood just appreciated his advice and counsel throughout the years. Herely, if thurgood were today, i think he would goodrage us to keep up the fight using the same words that july 4, 1992, when medal. Pted the liberty he said, and i quote, the battle for racial and economic yet won. S not barely begun. The legal system can force open doors and sometimes even but it cannots build bridges. And me. Belongs to you , afrountry cant do it and white, rich and poor, and illiterate, our together. Bound we can run from each other, but other. Ot escape each ifwill only attain freedom we learn to appreciate what is and muster the courage isdiscover what americaslly the same diversity offers so much richness and opportunity. A chance, wont you . Knockdown the fences knock down the fence that divide us. Tear apart the walls that imprison you. Out for freedom. Freedom lies just on the other side. We shall have liberty for all. Thank you. [applause] me in another round of applause. [applause] the honor of introducing someone who is one sheroes and you heard the attorney general refer to her as her own right. N of course, im is he speaking galt. Charlene hunter she is many things, an awardwinning journalist. You may know her from her work as a special correspondent. After spending six years as a and correspondent before that, she worked as nprs africa. Sponsibility in hunter galt joined npr after 20 pbs where she worked as a National Correspondent for. Ews hour she began her journalism career as a reporter for the new yorker as a local news anchor in washington, something know. Not and as the harlem bureau chief for the new york times. She has numerous honors emmy awards and two peabody awards, one for her people, apar tides news hour series about south africa during the life of apartheid, and the other for coverage of africa in 1998. Ae is also, as we know, sought after public speaker. She holds more than three degrees arey honorary degrees. She is on the board to protect journalists, the carter center, peabody award and the digital promise global. She is Vice President of the Clara Elizabeth Jackson Carter foundation established by Camille Cosby in honor of her mother. And she is going to lead us in a for the next portion of our program. Huntergault charlayne huntergault. About thisl excited conversation and so excited to get it started, but we skipped over one thing and we cant skip its too important. That is our acknowledgment and special recognition of Jack Greenberg. So im going to ask just before we start the conversation for ted shawrector counsel to come and give our special recognition to Jack Greenberg. [applause] afternoon. Let me congratulate cissy is an inspiration,. Entor, friend i wish all of you could know Cissy Marshall the way some of us have been fortunate to get to know her. Most wickedof the senses of humor you will ever hear. But shes a great, great civil her own name. In greenberg. Presently, by my two three significant tories. Usge weinstein isnt with today. Bill coleman, of course, is. Heroes. Y but out of the lawyer whos is onebrown, there survivor and that is Jack Greenberg. Jack greenberg came to the Legal Defense fund, as you see from the program, in 1948. Came to the Legal Defense fund after serving in world war ii, in the marines. Thatct, i always remember at some pointtold that he had handled what was a tough situation it well,e and handle jack said in a very offhanded way, ive been in tougher situations than this. Wedg iwo jima, served his country even before he came to defense fund to serve it in another profound way. Joined theu know, 1948. In and from 1948 to 1961 he was the assistant counsel before counsel fromctor 1961 to 1984, the longest tenure of any director counsel. All due respect to sherrilyn, who is only beginning and i wish her a long tenure, i suspect that there will not be in thatwho serves. Osition over so many years and he served so well. Directorened to be housian daysg the of the Civil Rights Movement. It was jack who was on the phone l. D. F. Lawyers, with with martinators luther king jr. And others who were at the Edmund Pettis bridge. It was jack who told martin that if youjr. March and break this injunction, law, as be breaking the any good lawyer should have told him. Saidartin luther king jr. To jack, its not your job to tell me what to do. Your job to get me out of jail when i do it. [laughter] if you look at photographs from of the civil rights thoseship, many of photographs youll see Martin Luther king jr. , whitney young, wilkins. Great ones ll of the philip randolph, dorothy. But youll see Jack Greenberg. And Jack Greenberg was noticeable. [laughter] the privilege along with recovering lawyer, i think i can describe him as. Other things with things. Governore today, patrick. I think we were the last two that Jack Greenberg made at the Legal Defense fund. I cant say and wont say place to say how good my hire was. I will say that he made a great governor patrick. [laughter] when i was hired, jack was, iknow how came to l. D. F i was trying to get out of the justice administrations had changed. I was now in the reagan administration. So i came up to new york at jacks behest for an interview. And some of the lawyers were because jack made this decision by himself. You know, he decided who was going to be hired. And some of the lawyers were having a rolenot in that. And jack said another lesson i usedlearned that later. Not as well as jack, perhaps. Offhandedin a very way again, i think democracy is countries. [laughter] [applause] theres so much more i could say about jack, but we need to hear the governors. I will point out that he was Columbia College after he left l. D. F. He and the former dean of Harvard University law school wrote a book called, dean cuisine. Cook, a chef. About you know anything jack, you know that his reach went well beyond the united where he was involved with and was the inspiration for of maldf, prldf, other Legal Defense funds on constituencies of people of color, and, indeed, i would say women, too. And finally, if you know jack, that he was involved in being an inspiration for and helped to set up the Legal Resources center in south roma rightseuropean center in budapest, has worked on behalf of roma rights in recent years. This is one of the great human time. Lawyers of any honorable him enough. I tell students, ive taught with him. Ive had that honor. May have to lean in a little bit to hear jack now because his voice is a little softer, but presence ofhe greatness. So we honor Jack Greenberg today. Every honor l. D. F. Can give, but we have one more for you, jack. Jack greenberg. [applause] you can keep stabbe standingu want. [laughter] there are a lot of things that i dont do that this younger i do tweet. Oes, but and ive been tweeting for the 24 hours how excited come on, guys. Be here this am to morning with these two great gentlemen who are getting up on the stage better than i could. [laughter] im here this morning as both a moderator i think youre here. And youre there. I could say age before beauty, but that wouldnt be appropriate. [laughter] im here this morning as both a and a child of brown, which i couldnt escape if i wanted to but i dont want to. For example, when i sat in front of Nelson Mandela for the first time, just about four, five days got out of prison, i way i to figure out some could connect with him in a way that none of the other had. Alists because there were hundreds of them, as you remember. So i introduced myself as a brown. F and that was that. We were like this from then on. So thats one of the things that thesede my way all of years. I want to begin by saying thank you, Legal Defense fund, and your husband,and people like Constance Baker hollowell, vernon ward, so many lawyers who made it possible for have those honorary degrees as well as to become really tose to Nelson Mandela and go on a journey to the horizons. Foruse had it not been brown, i think i still would black brendahe star, and she could eat her heart out right now based on my journey to the horizon. But it enabled me to go where i go. Ed to and that was to the university of georgia. Hasten to say that 60 years ago when the attorney general was 3 years old, i was a bit older. I was in the seventh grade. Handed down. Not a word was spoken in my classroom. And i was writing a book sort ofveral years ago, an autobiography. And i thought, i cant ever hearing a teacher talk about brown. Sox i called one of my seventh was stillhers who around. She said, my dear, im sorry to did not say a word about the brown decision because that be hadwers forbade them to speak about it on pain of losing their jobs not forever. Orarily but that was in 1954. So i was in the seventh grade. Goodness there were murmurings in the black about this, but they were murmurings because the punishment still to black people the south was great. So there was not a lot of loud about this. , while we had been brought up in a separate didequal place, where we not have first class citizenship, our parents gave us of ourselves sense ourselves. And so many years after that the black people decided it was time to speak up and do something, they came to hamilton holmes and myself and the rest is history. We desegregated the university in 1961. A and im happy to say that today, as youve heard, theres been so since theess beginning of brown. The use of the brown decision, implementation of the brown decision that when i return, as the university of georgia, there are so many black dogs. S saying, go now, not to the dogs here on the wonderfult to the governors, governor doug wilder, all read his details in the program so i wont go into them now because we have just a limited amount of time, i keep being told. Course, governor Deval Patrick. Were so proud to have both of us are. Us, all of and id like to start with you, governor wilder. You were in your early 20s, i when the brown decision was handed down. Ok, nobody do math out there, now. It o do it. Youre proud of it. Right . So am i. You remember hearing about it that day . Do remember. Entirely. Ged my life but for brown i would not be here. And it has very little to do with education. It has very little to do with able to go to school. All the schools i went to were segregated until howard and Virginia Union was. Fricanamerican so what brown did for me, i had fighting inck from korea, frontline duty. Never could understand how i was sent to korea to fight for the rights ofnd other people and i didnt have them. Because the army was segregated. No. The army was not. Just then no. Was not segregated at that time, but the country was. To,y truman had the wisdom with executive order, not arguing with congress or anything else, he said this is not right, this is wrong. And he did that. So im fighting for these and i had none. And i come back, and i had much given up. Kenya,een reading about and what they were doing. I said, wait a minute. Point. Ght have a i was so distraught. My major was chemistry. Involved with wanting to do the social bits. Chemistry, degree in but when brown came out, i said, wait a minute. You mean nonwhite men have said that they have been wronged . You mean that this system could work . Give it another thought. So as a result of that, i immediately said im going to get out of this. I was working in toxicology in the state medical examiners office. Let me get out of here. Im going to law. So it meant so much to me to see becausewn would do brown was more than just a. Ecision swasion, aanging of changing ever direction. To talk about what sissy was talking about, what some of the were talking about, putting race out there to be discussed. Thats what it does for me. Did it happen within your community as well . Oh, yes. Were people still frightened, mythey were in georgia, in experience . No. What it did, it made people about it in the barber shops. Upmade people start putting Voter Registration lists. Are you registered . If youre not, dont talk. Made people start believing that there was an opportunity. So you saw that for the next 10 would say, from 1954 to 1964. Inre was a seat change america that did so much for me. It did so much for the country. So thats why were impressed with what cissy said earlier. Yet. Not over and what thurgoods speech that from and i remember it well. Aba convention being held there. He could have gone and said criticizedroundly for even saying that. Community brown gave the community hope. Brown was almost like a joe lewis fight. [laughter] toon that note, let me go governor patrick. You chided me for describing you as the boyishlooking governor in an article i wrote about the Memorial Service of another l. D. F. Board member. He was just amazing. When i wrote about him and he was boyish looking. But he didnt like that too much. Tip, i want toe say that while the governor here youin his early 20s, werent even born. So i want to know when you aware of brown. Because you had a number of years well, i guess when you started school, maybe. Whatever. Of when did you become aware brown and what impact did it have on your consciousness . Charlayne, can i first say that i was born two years after brown. Tha the matht settle thing . With doug wilder i think this is what a governor looks and sounds like. [laughter] [applause] mrs. Marshall was quoting commentsarshalls about really in the celebration, in the hour or so after the decision was handed down, so resonates with me because i think brown started as much as it resolved. Withf the things that goes a job like this is that people give you the most extravagant introductions when youre out in the public. My favorite was from this gentleman at an event you wont remember this, doug. Event at the Democratic Convention two cycles ago. He got up and he talked about abouterybody makes a fuss governor wilder being the first black governor elected in america. He said, being first doesnt mean a thing unless theres a second. [applause] wasink thats what brown about. And while brown wasnt mentioned gradee, by my third educated grandparents with whom chicago, it was a presence. It raised everybodys expectations of themselves, not just of a country but of themselves. In a very fundamental way what i got from my grandparents on account of brown was as basic, almost ordinary set of middle class expectations that you were to achieve, you were expected to be resilient, you to make them proud because they had a stake in you. Was not unusual. For the other kids on welfare, inthe south side of chicago the 1950s and 1960s. We heard Sherrilyn Ifill talk earlier about some of the Amazing Things that brown has wilder, but governor and you alluded to it but lets be a little specific. Thisyou look around nation, even around this room, thatme some of the things you are proudest of that brown. Ed to ofyou know, in the words , born inonal anthem unborn wasen hope dead. Imagine a people that andno hope, no aspiration, no one even preaching it . Other than in their own families, in this their own though we had segregated schools, we had the best possible teachers. Dedicated. They didnt watch the clock. They disciplined you. Rounded your ds, crossed is and youtted the kept your mouth shut. Brown did in terms of that aspiration, it made people believe, as Governor Brown has , thatutifully pointed out its no more than the normal growingion of anyone up, anyone being a part of the. Abric i remember one of my teachers at proctor ion, sam you know him well. Part of the being a politics, being a part of the decisionmaking process, being a part of making certain that you a sayso in society and this is what brown did. Youn made it possible for to believe that anything is possible. Said, i neverke i did believe it could happen. I never did believe we would a society that would be willing to admit they had been wronged. Could bet you governor . Oh, yes. Oh listen. [laughter] thats an egg shell. [laughter] but as pointed out, it didnt as it meant to me to break that membrane t, to get through. Our life has been like a semipermable membrane. Go thrut, but you cant through, but you cant go back. What i would hope to see this is why im so happy and proud of him. He made it known that it wasnt an episodic thing. It wasnt just these people in crazy. Rginia werent but he and i now are looking for be. Rs to step up to and we see that in the white house now. Convince yes, im convinced matter of fact, youd be surprised. And this didnt just happen as i older. Even after i was elected, read elected. Being a little boy came up to his father. I was in church. Minister. Was a looked up at the father and said, isnt that doug wilder. Thats governor wilder. He came back, isnt that doug wilder. You, thats mr. Wilder. Hasnt he been dead . [laughter] was anybody that he had ever read about, that had in america,ever must have been historic and de dead. [laughter] happy to seem so this guy. [laughter] [applause] patrick, let me apologize for saying you werent born in 1954. In journalism not math. 1954. Asnt born in ok. I got it right then. I want to know, as you look today, in landscape addition to in this room, what brown enabled, that brown made possible in chicago . Etts, in anywhere, where do you see it, what do you see . My Campaign Strategist is a ruben, younger come. Ewish, smart as they he tells a story about sitting young daughters watchingear ago television. And he watches the news like junkies do, all the time. I think itt was it might have been the appointmentced the interimwen as our United States senator, an africanamerican man and a and aful colleague terrific senator. And he said he realized that he in a city where the in a state where the governor is black, and the junior senator then appointed was black, and the president of was black. States and that is the frame of. Eference for his girls for his girls. See, part of i think what brown was that it enabled americans, black, white, and else, to imagine a different kind of community. Its not all about what we achieved that day or in the years since but that we imagined it. To say when i was at l. D. F it might have been elaine. Remember. She says a lot, i know. And all of it profound we sent the kids in to integrate because the adults wouldnt integrate the neighborhoods. Now a whole lot of people are leading integrated lives. And thats important. Morevernor wilder, we have black College Graduates than ever. One of the legacies of brown . Yes. That it wassider against the law to even educate color, when you consider that people were , to the extent that that availability has been put. Here but its not enough, as has been pointed out. To makel got to look certain that they get to a point where they can get into college, from they can graduate college. But theyve got to graduate from high school. Aeyve got to be able to get job. Theyve got to be able to have better healthcare. Kindse got to have those of things. So brown addressed the totality of it. Look, if you listen, at the last phrases that were morning by cissy more shall, when she was cissyng about marshall, when she was speaking down, knocku break down the wall, look, this is our collective job. So yes, i think its so important. And i think, as the governor out, we are in an integrated society as such. Tove got to benefit from it the extent that all people rise. We have just a few more left. S i want to address some of the thathat people say remains challenges for brown. We want to do this very briefly, know i wrote a story recently about Howard University and some of the challenges it. Re the fact that so many black colleges are suffering. When hamilton integrated university of georgia we never airght it would have such deleterious effect on black schools. Also, i go to sweet auburn met dr. Where i first Martin Luther king jr. There are no more black businesses. We that that supported us is so dispersed. And our kids are not passing what do we do about it . L. D. F. T is the role of as you see this these challenges in the society to Going Forward . And very briefly because i want at theething very very very end. Go ahead. Wow. Bite . That in a sound thats what i do. No, i dont do that very well. Think brown is everything for thats gone wrong in the sense in the same way i dont think brown was supposed to have solved everything that was wrong. Think it was what weve been talking about is piercing ae membrane or having difficult kind of way of ourining our community and country. The rest of it is up to us. And l. D. F. Specific, about briefly, l. D. F. , governor wilder. Right. Has to carry that message forth. When l. D. F. , when they were the cases, they would go into a community. Thelawyers would form protective squads that were necessary for them. ,he communities, the churches the fraternities, all of them. Job is to reengage that , that moreeffort effort. Arian l. D. F. Cant do it themselves, as pointed out, nor should they for not having done more. But we should try to have a more collative effort. Allow society and these youngsters and these people to believe that someone else is going to do it. Have got to be a part of the process ourselves. And thats where i want to end. I spoke to some of the young Central High School today. Rock. Tle and they were given an assignment to go back and talk to people who were there when they desegregated in that vicious way, Central High School. Young blackhe girls, amari austin, talked to aunt who was one of the little rock nine. And she said, i never knew what deal it was until i talked to her and then she went around to her fellow students today. It was like when i spoke at the theersity of georgia and kids told me, young kids, told me they were graduating on may 17, High School Kids had to georgia. And i said, oh, wow, may 17 day. Great and they looked at me like, uhh . Said, i can see you dont know the significance. I want you to look it up and write to me. My email address. A white kid and a black kid wrote to me the next day and you. Thank we are not teaching our children, our history. And as marie austins great aunt said, if you dont learn your history, youre going to be in a position where it is going to be repeated. Onwe wanted our kids to keep keeping on, but we want to give them the tools that we learned the day. And that l. D. F. Continues to browne as it helps recognize its promise for all of our students. Governors. Ery much, [applause] thank you. Thank you so much. I want to be in the middle. [laughter] weve come almost to the end of our program. To, first of all, thank both governor Deval Patrick and wilder for this extraordinary conversation. [applause] let me be clear that these are the only two black elected governors, certainly since reconstruction and the in the this country. And i also want to say that both also are two black governors who are connected so strongly to l. D. F. Governor patrick talking about having been an l. D. F. Lawyer. Governor wilder was an l. D. F. Cooperating attorney in virginia. These are men who are deeply connected to l. D. F. And to l. D. F. s work. Im deeply grateful to them and toslain charlayne for charlayne huntergault for moderating that terrific conversation. I want to do two things. Do isrst thing i want to read you the words of Cheryl Brown Henderson that she sent me night, the younger sister of linda brown and the daughter of oliver brown, the from kansas in the brown case. She was trying to make it here but asked if i would read this behalf. To the director counsel, chair, members of the board of the l. D. F. Fund, on behalf of my inily and fellow plaintiffs brown v. Board of education, we regret not being able to join you at the National Press club your commemoration of this historic decision. Its fitting that you note this conversationith a with two africanamerican men, former governor Douglas Wilder Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, whose political inningss offer hope and inspiration. From my family and all of those involved in the five indications the brownised decision it was a source of pride to stand with the naacp attorneys who used the rule of law to topple the oppression. Their actions brought our nation to a cross roads of values political goals. The benefits of their legal strategy are reflected in society. Ary and how the 14th amendment is applied in the protection of our rights as people of color, women, citizens with disabilities, midlife and old area adults, and issues of gender neutrality. Today we know the ongoing meaning ofith the the 14th amendment are fumed of the rulinge class. We take comfort in knowing that the l. D. F. Is there to speak truth to power. At 12 52 p. M. , when chief Justice Earl Warren opiniond the unanimous in brown v. Board of education, for a brief moment we believed documents anding creed of this nation would have meaning for all of us as citizens of color. Remembering the sacrifice and courage of our ordinarywho were people engaged in extraordinary work. On behalf of their communities, states, and this it nation. Please join me in giving families. O the [applause] we ended the conversation with the governors talking about what we should be doing in the future and what l. D. F. Should do. Of you know that l. D. F. Continues its active work in the area of voting rights. Litigated and argued the shelby county, alabama, case and that case,n, since refusing to give up on ensuring that every american has the to vote and participate in the political process. We continue to work in the area of education, focusing on school discipline, on disparities and focusion, continuing to on segregation and ensuring that students have access to quality education. Area of Economic Justice and employment discrimination. We work in the area of housing 12kreu78 nation. Discrimination. Yes, i see you, donald sterling. Housingin the area of discrimination. And, of course, we work in the area of criminal justice where we continue to do Death Penalty work and other work related to Racial Disparities in the criminal Justice System. Are the brightest, fiercest, baddest lawyers with all due respect to all of the this room. [applause] they are. Are. They are. [cheers and applause] they are not exorbitantly paid. They entered this, would for the i, when i was 8 years old, wanted to be a civil rights lawyer. I had people before me who made believe that this country could be better and that it was my responsibility to make the country better. Year i have been saying that civil rights work is the work of democracy maintenance. That you do to keep your democracy strong and vital. Sometimes it needs tweaking. Sometimes it needs an overhaul. Sometimes you need to tear down some walls and do some refurbishing. But it is work that anyone who is a citizen of this country should see themselves involved in. It is not a work just for black people or even just for civil rights lawyers. Maintainingrk of and perfecting our democracy. What that means is that you must thispartner with us in in work. Your presence here today shows that you recognize the significance of what we do and have been doing to your own lives. As legal asking you defense fund lawyers to reach out or to take our calls when we ways tot and find partner with us. There are multiple ways to do it. We are always looking for pro help us in the cases that were working on. Were always looking for financial support. We dont take government money. We raise money to keep our Legal Program going. I spend lots of time reading the old letters of Thurgood Marshall. In many ways he ruined his health just riding around the to raise money to keep this Legal Program going. I would like to stay healthy. To support like you us at any level that you can. You can go to our website, www. Naacpldf. Org. There anyway go because weve assembled a plethora of resources about brown. From charlayne huntergault, if we are going to teach our children, we have to learn ourselves. Yourself how much do really know about brown. You know the name. You maybe know what it stood for. Maybe read the case in law school. But how much do you really know about this case that is the most important constitutional moment of the 20th century and literally transformed this country . We also ask you to make sure that people know about our work. And you can do that by telling in your network about the Legal Defense fund. We are all about social media. To go tou the work at the Legal Defense lawyers fun lawyers did we did on the half of america. We made america better. Together, we can continue to make america better. We ask you to stay in relationship with us, reach out to us. Litigate with us, donate to us, spread the word about us. Continue to shore up this extraordinary American Institution that has changed all of our lives. I would also ask that you keep brown is at commemoration and a day, but almost, as we heard from mrs. Marshall about the celebration and then the work, today is a celebration and a commemoration that we must take these moments to recognize what we have accomplished and to honor those people who have done it. Now, the work really begins. Please do not forget about us until next year when we have the 61st anniversary of brown. These remember us and stay in touch with us. I want to do one thing and recognize one person who is an extraordinary woman. She is the mother of one of my board members, and she is the mother of a longtime former ldf counsel. Shes originally from oklahoma and this is her 91st birthday and i would like us to recognize her. [applause] mama bird and jamal bird jan elle bird. All foro thank you coming and joining with us in this terrific, fantastic celebration. I wish you a sunny rest of the day, and i wish you a great weekend. Thank you all very much. [indiscernible] next, live, your questions and comments on washington journal. Then, president obama talks about the need to spend more on infrastructures. Infrastructure projects. Over 35 years, cspan brings Public Affairs events from washington directly to you, putting you in the room at congressional hearings, white house events, briefings and conferences, and offering complete gaveltogavel coverage of the house, all as a good service of private industry. We are cspan, created by the cable tv industry 35 years ago and brought to as a Public Service by your local cable or satellite provider. What is in hd, like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. Sherrilynorning, cheryl ifill. The, the president of foundation for individual rights in education discusses issues related to the practice of free speech on college campuses. Later, wall street journal deputy Global Economic editor looks at whether there are financial bubbles looming in the u. S. Economy very it as always, we will take your calls and engaged conversation on twitter. Washington journal is next. Host not only will enomotos have to pay motors 35 Million Dollar fine, theyll have to pry the list of to issueg related provided by the company. Illegal immigrants who cross the border by themselves. Today marks the 60th anniversary of brown versus board of education. It ended