And i am handicapped in every way. I want to be a student i have struggled hard. I will always be thankful for the naacp for giving me some directly to channel my activities for a better way of life. I am very thankful for dr. Martin luther king, who came to montgomery with his nonviolent christian attitude and of loving your enemies. I almost did not come here today because so many people told me not to come here, and i said that, seeing what happened in summa, i came here with hope and faith and you have given me faith today. I want to say that we were given leaflets about this. Dr. King was not a student, but i was. I learned at that time and place that we are not in a struggle of black against white, but wrong and right. Thank you. [applause] someone has suggested that besing but were not going to sings. Someone has suggested that i acknowledge the presence of the people who are here from london and the people from canada and other fine countries. Im not going to do that. Someone h
Let us remain standing as that great distinguished theologian the president of the San Francisco Theological Seminary and who walked from brown chapel ame church all the way to this spot the reverend dr. Theodore gill will pronounce the invocation. Dr. Gill may i pray first . For myself and my brothers on the steps behind us. And in the windows around us and the prayer is not mine. Father in heaven, forgive us our trespasses. Amen and now for all of us, god of all nations b,lless this nation. Use its strength and beauty the justice we walked for in these days spread to the ends of the earth we have lived in and lived on on the road, and bless to us all this occasion that we may be more adequate to every occasion for jesus sake. Amen. In montgomery, governor wallace has just issue a message saying that he will not see any group of citizens until after the march has concluded and dispersed. When this is done, he will see any group of citizens from the state of alabama. At the speakers pl
[captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2015] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] treat us cspanhistory. Take us back 50 years ago today. What was some like . And what led up to the idea of the march to montgomery in the first place . Reverend lafayette well, it was a very extraordinary. Extraordinary period in our history. Because what we were doing was basically giving a voice to the people who are voiceless. And that is what all these movements are about. Helping to give people a voice who otherwise would not be heard. We feel that if the voices of the poor, the voices of the disenfranchised, the voices of the suffering people are heard other people will respond. So, selma, alabama is that example of where people around the country and around the world heard the voices crying out for people not being treated equally as human beings. Now, the reason we were going to my com
Alabama, marking the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday when Voting Rights advocates on a march were met with violence from Alabama State troopers and local police. Starting here shortly, the commemorative Church Service in the historic brown chapel ame church, the starting point for that summontgomery marches. Expect to hear today from eric holder andrew young, Martin Luther king the third, reverend al sharpton, and alabama congressman, whose district includes soma. That is expected to start shortly here in selma, alabama. Down by the riverside down by the riverside down by the riverside down by the riverside im going to put on my long white robe. Down by the riverside down by the riverside down by the riverside down by the riverside [applause] thank you, sir. All right. [applause] live on American History tv on cspan three, the brown chapel ame church. We will be hearing from eric holder conger holder, andrew young, Martin Luther king the third, reverend al sharpton. During this comme
This is American History tv on cspan3. [applause] let me thank god this day for there is no other place i would rather be at this hour than in the house of the lord. Amen. Before i say what i want to say, which will be quick, i must proud i am to once again have i am proud to have my wife and our daughter here with us. [applause] the only grandchild of martin and coretta king. I was asked to do a tribute, and it has been 50 years, but i am not feeling like a tribute because i find it challenging to celebrate yes, we celebrate so many who some gave their lives and others walked over the bridge yesterday 50 years ago and were beaten badly, but when we think about what Martin Luther king, jr. Would want us to do, i imagine he would tell us that our work was not done. Do, i imagine he would tell us that our work was not done. It has certainly been 50 years and there are so many here today that would not have been here. Cabinet secretary that were certainly not here 50 years ago, and i am p