will take offense. let s honor the generation with our power today. it s a similar message that we heard from oprah last week. she shared a story from some 17 years ago where he walked miles to vote. he walked six miles to go to the polling location in le grange. after he got there in his good suit and tie, they said, boy, you at the wrong place, you at the wrong place. you need to go to mountville. so he walked another six miles to mountville. and when he got there they said, boy, you at the wrong place, you need to go to the rosemont school. i picture him walking from dawn to dusk in his suit, his feet
dawn to dusk in his suit, his feet tired, getting to the rosemont school, and they say, boy, you too late. the polls are closed. and he never had a chance to vote. by the time the next election came around, he had died. so when i go to the polls and i cast my ballot, i cast it for a man i never knew. i cast it for otis moss sr., who walked 18 miles one day just for the chance to vote. [ applause ] joining me now, reverend otis moss jr. and derek johnson, president and ceo of the naacp. so glad to have both of you on. reverend, you first. thank you for being here and thank you to your father because his story speaks to what so many people of color and women and other disenfranchised people went through to vote.
preacher. you all know him? preacher. preacher in cleveland, ohio. and i heard him tell the story of his father, of otis moss sr., who right here in georgia s troop county got up in the morning and put on his only suit and his best tie, and he walked six miles to the voting poll location he was told to go to in le grange. and when he got there after walking six miles in his good suit and tie, they said, boy, you at the wrong place. you at the wrong place. you need to go over to mountville. so he walked another six miles to mountville, and when he got there, they said, boy, you at the wrong place. you need to go to the rosemont school. and i picture him walking from
preacher. a preacher in cleveland, ohio. and i heard him tell the story of his father, of otis moss sr., who right here in georgia s troup county got up in the morning and put on his only suit and his best tie, and he walked six miles to the voting poll location he was told to go to in le grange. and when he got there after walking six miles in his good suit and tie, they said, boy, you at the wrong place. you at the wrong place. you need to go over to mountville. so he walked another six miles to mountville, and when he got there, they said, boy, you at the wrong place. you need to go to the rosemont school. and i picture him walking from
dawn to dusk in his suit, his feet tired, getting to the rosemont school, and they say, boy, you too late. the polls are closed. and he never had a chance to vote. by the time the next election came around, he had died. so when i go to the polls and i cast my ballot, i cast it for a man i never knew. i cast it for otis moss sr., who walked 18 miles one day just for the chance to vote. [ applause ] joining me now, reverend otis moss jr. and derek johnson, president and ceo of the naacp. so glad to have both of you on. reverend, you first. thank you for being here and thank you to your father because his story speaks to what so many people of color and women and other disenfranchised people went through to vote.