stream of duly elected african-american city officials, state reps, members of congress, mayors. so from 68 to 08 was a 40-year period of really learning and engaging in the political process. out of that emerges president barack. he came in running the last lap, a tremendous last lap, of a 40-year race. i m here because somebody marched for our freedom. i m here because y all sacrificed for me. i stand on the shoulders of that. barack obama was not running to be a civil rights leader. selma helped make him possible, but don t confuse those that paid the price with those that are supposed to take that price and govern. despite his visit to selma, obama didn t spend much time discussing his race during the campaign. his strong candidacy was the historic statement. race was very, very complicated. barack obama wanted to make a race speech as early as the iowa caucuses and his campaign said,
emancipation proclamation, there was a brief period of black political engagement. there was hundreds of blacks elected to office. some became members of congress. but whites soon retook power in the south. by the turn of the century, congress was once again whites-only. those jim crow laws made it so. american history bent away from justice, decisively away from justice, of course, in the wake of reconstruction and the creation of an american apartheid system, the jim crow system, which lasted for at least two generations in the south. for a lot of people, especially younger people, this is all from the history books. but this is the world i remember. their cause must be our cause too. the civil rights struggle and the federal legislation of 1964 and 65 opened the door for blacks to enter politics again. gradually at first, but by the mid-1970s, there was a steady stream of duly elect add african-american city officials, state reps, members of congress,
and 65 opened the door for blacks to enter politics again. gradually at first, but by the mid-1970s, there was a steady stream of duly elect add african-american city officials, state reps, members of congress, mayors. so from 68 to 08 was a 40-year period of really learning and engaging in the political process. out of that emerges president barack. he came in running the last lap, a tremendous last lap, of a 40-year race. i m here because somebody marched for our freedom. i m here because y all sacrificed for me. i stand on the shoulders of that. barack obama was not running to be a civil rights leader. selma helped make him possible, but don t confuse those that paid the price with those that are supposed to take that price and govern.
and 65 opened the door for blacks to enter politics again. gradually at first, but by the mid-1970s, there was a steady stream of duly elected and african-american city officials, state reps, members of congress, mayors. so from 68 to 08 was a 40-year period of really learning and engaging in the political process. out of that emerges president barack. he came in running the last lap, a tremendous last lap, of a 40-year race. i m here because somebody marched for our freedom. i m here because y all sacrificed for me. i stand on the shoulders of that. barack obama was not running to be a civil rights leader. selma helped make him possible, but don t confuse those that paid the price with those that are supposed to take that price and govern. despite his visit to selma, obama didn t spend much time
is all from the history books. but this is the world i remember. their cause must be our cause too. the civil rights struggle and the federal legislation of 1964 and 65 opened the door for blacks to enter politics again. gradually at first, but by the mid-1970s, there was a steady stream of dually elected african-american city officials, state reps, members of congress, mayors. so from 68 to 08 was a 40-year history of really learning and engaging in the political process. out of that emerges president barack. he came in running the last lap, a tremendous last lap, of a four-year race. i m here because somebody marched for our freedom. i m here because y all sacrificed for me. i stand on the shoulders of that. barack obama was not running to be a civil rights leader.