[applause] good morning. To pastor strong, and this brown African American episcopal church, the this fourth generation preacher, it humbles me to be in the presence of that denomination that came into being not as a consequence of a theological schism but as a form of protest, unique among american denominations. To our distinguished members of the clergy, the members of the episcopacy, the congressional delegation these cabinet officials who thought it not robbery to be in gods house to honor the sacrifices of those who yet remain among us and the martyrs of the movement, to ambassador young [applause] and so many of these foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement whom god has blessed us to have with us yet and of course, to the preacher of the hour, the reverend al sharpton. [applause] in deference to the service in the word, i will not the long. I will simply leave you with one hot and one word. Yesterday, being a historyladen day, beneath a beautifully blue sky, a black president walked beside an ebonyhued hair when of yesteryear and today, miss amelia boynton. He walked by feet, ms. Boynton by wheelchair and will of character. They made their way to the top of the bridge anointed by blood sweat, and tears. The president gave a few words ms. Boynton lifted up a few words and in so doing, she invokes a praise decades older than even the selma to montgomery march. Those words and that phrase being this a vote lists a vote less people is a hopeless people. All across the country, state legislatures have engaged in a mock pavilion nature of disenfranchisement, giving effect to the notion that a voteless people is a hopeless people. They have launched plans and policies to suggest a voteless people is a hopeless people. In North Carolina, in texas where we have laws that have been passed that make it clear that if you have an id sufficient to carry a concealed weapon, that is deemed sufficient democratic proof civic proof, to vote. But an id that allows you to carry a book of shakespeare, a book of engineering, a book of chemistry is deemed insufficient under our constitution. [applause] so they have launched plans and policies to suggest we are a voteless people and a hopeless people. Yet im reminded in the book of jeremiah, roundabout the 29th chapter, you find these words i know the plans i have for you, plans not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future. My brothers and sisters, today in 2015 listening and learning from our ancestors, from our forbearers and for mothers and forefathers we have a hope. [applause] so this is for us not a shakespearean season of despair and which area and people assert now is the winter of our discontent. Whether you be in ferguson, staten island, or selma, alabama be clear, we are inspired by the path to take action in the present. So the naacp is standing for a journey for justice, from selma alabama to washington dc come across alabama come across georgia come across North Carolina cross south carolina, into virginia, into d. C. A series of direct actions. Why . We believe if our mothers fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers did what they did with what little they had, why, why, why cant we do more with what we have been given . [applause] and so, we commemorate and we celebrate and we commit. The word being hope. [applause] praise the lord, everybody. I do believe we are still in worship. Raise the lord everybody. This is the day the lord has made it we are grateful for the opportunity to be here. To the bishops of the church, to the reverend clergy, to our officials from all the offices in washington dc and local offices, we greet you with the joy of jesus today and i bring you greetings on behalf board, faculty and staff at Alabama State university, the oldest and largest hbcu in the state of alabama. [applause] as has already been mentioned, education is our ticket to freedom. We understand the value of our hbcus and i want to recognize and a glover. We do walk together because we know it is about our hbcus, keeping them open and keeping them functioning because they are the schools we had to go to would we could not go to other schools. Those are the places where we were able and allowed to express our academic excellence. Today, we at Alabama State are proud to acknowledge we produce not only intellectual giants but giants in the Civil Rights Movement. We were founded in 1867 by nine newly freed slaves in marion alabama, who put together 500 in 1867, that was a lot of money but because they understood the value of an education and that would be their ticket to freedom. They put their pennies, nickels and dimes together and found it Alabama State university. From that offering, Alabama State university has grown powerful ranches and produced great fruit for over 148 years. We are proud to acknowledge the history of asu and the Civil Rights Movement are inextricably bound together. Ralph abernathy is a graduate of Alabama State university. Mrs. Rosa parks attended Alabama State university. Fred gray who was rosa parks lawyer and dr. Martin luther kings lawyer was in the class of 1951. Dr. Martin luther king and corralled us king lived on our campus after their house was on the montgomery. We are proud to be part of this legacy of courage, determination, vacation at dedication and faith. We talk a lot about face but it is the faith that has allowed us to move forward when our ancestors walked together, even though they were being beaten, bruised, battered and killed so we could exercise our rights and freedoms today. We dont need to get comfortable. We dont need to get amnesia and think everything is all right. We know that the journey is not complete. For too many in our community, they have developed profit laryngitis, but now is the time to speak up. We come today to acknowledge we have come a long way but we still have a long way to go. I ask you today to continue to support our hbcus. We need your funding, advocacy and support. We still have many more steps to take on the vision to victory but for those who are of the christian faith, we read this book and we read to the last chapter and we know that we win. We are grateful for the faith that keeps us going every day, but we also note any journey is taken one step at a time. So our victory is a sure is assured when we take another step, and we walked together and dont get wary. When we take another step toward freedom and justice knowing that all things are good and those who love the lord and are called to its purpose. We take another step knowing no weapon against us will be able to stop us. We take another step knowing that the lord is my life and my celebration. Whom shall i fear . Of whom shall i be afraid we take another step knowing that i that eyes of not seen any years of not heard and neither has it entered the heart of man and a great things that are in store for all of us if we just keep the faith. [applause]