a program on the will of lawyers in the boycott and the movement -- on the role of lawyers in the boycott and the movement in general. this program is about two hours. the adversaryce of the montgomery boycott is now a partner. and that is local government. brief pleased to have greetings from the following representatives. terriesswoman terry -- sewell and todd strange. greetingsollowing the from these government officials will be brief greetings from yavonna morris, lee copeland, and dr. glenda glover. in that order could and as they come to the podium, they can receive their name. thank you. i do not see the congresswoman, so we will differ to chairman dean. mr. dean: good morning. most appropriate for a strictly fair in this sanctuary. here in thisbe sanctuary. and on behalf of the montgomery county commission, i think i have a teammate, dan harris, can you stand? we welcome you to our montgomery. 1955, it was there montgomery. today, it is our montgomery. a lot of things have changed since 1955. and we owe that to people like -- i call him my icon -- freddie gray. i think we have to give him a big round of applause. [applause] fred gray was a young black man, talented, courageous, and the things he did during that time took a lot of courage because a lot of people were not behind him at that time. he was a visionary. so we owe that to him. and we should not forget that. we should not have waited until the 60th anniversary. we should commemorate it that every year because things have changed every year. fred was probably one of three black lawyers at that time. i look around today and i see all of the talented black lawyers we have now. and it makes my heart feel so warm because we have all of that smart talent. i am not a black lawyer, that i have a black lawyer that represents me at the montgomery county commission. [laughter] [applause] so i just want to thank you all for being here. and just remember, you are always welcome to montgomery to see the rosa parks museum, to visit montgomery, al because we are a new montgomery. we still have a long ways to go and we have the people that are elected to make sure we get there. we don't have people that are flexed in montgomery that their own muscles, we represent the people. and the people are the ones that speak to us and we speak to things that we need to make changes on. on behalf of the montgomery county commission, we welcome you. thank you. [applause] mr. strange: just of you know, secretary clinton -- i heard applause in the air. therehere are serious -- she is. >> coming after you. mr. strange: would you like to go before me? >> oh, no. your city. mr. strange: it is our city. this has been a really great here for our community. we started in march of this year with the 50th celebration, and we share that with selma. or i should say, selma shared that with us. it ended here. and then you fast-forward to august, and it was very special for me. i got reelected. [laughter] and now we come to this historic ago,december 1, 60 years 1955. lady, ary petite young seamstress, made her stand. actually, she made her seat. because as my preacher said on sunday, she said, no. but in saying no, she said yes. to a different, but better story, a story that we have been living for the last 60 years. and as elton n. dean said, we have made a giant strides. and if the world watches today, with your help, we can show that we are not the montgomery of 1955. we have made strong bridges, but we still have bridges to build. canwith everyone's help, we be that shining city on the hill. that all people called home. i had a chance last night to be in the presence of giants, gave proclamations to several -- when i first heard about aba and nba, i think i knew the story, but now to have mr. brown to be the first black for aba. [applause] speaks volume. speaks volumes of where we have come. i welcome you on behalf of of this grateful city, as we celebrate the event that literally was heard around the world. jack hopkins last night talked about hearing about rosa parks when he was in south america. i have first-hand had a history lesson given to me in italy, when they talked about rosa parks. i have had e-mails about the arab spring being motivating by the activities of the bus boycott and rosa parks. so this is the day of celebration, the day of commemoration, and i'm so honored to be a part of that great event. god bless each and everyone of you. [applause] >> congresswoman? >> to pastor and the congregation of king memorial church, to the national bar association, which is so ably led by attorney benjamin crump, and to my sorority sisters, whose presence here on is one of our own, rosa parks, for which i , andly wear my pink today to all of the elected officials, distinguished guests, and to our guest speaker, secretary clinton , the next president of the united states of america. [applause] you greetings as the representative of the seventh congressional district. i welcome you to montgomery, alabama and i will commit to the historic dexter avenue king memorial church, on this, the 60th anniversary of the montgomery bus boycott. can you imagine? 60 years. if these walls could talk, could you imagine the stories they would tell? stories of great trials and tribulations, and personal sacrifice. stories of great triumph, steadfast bravery, and tremendous faith. and stories whose chapters have yet been read. i think it is so important that we acknowledge that all battles have indeed become -- old battles have indeed become new again. and now more than ever, we need brave souls. we need foot soldiers and freedom fighters. you know, if these walls could talk, the black church with so pivotably important during the civil rights movement, but also the courtroom was also a very important -- played a very important role in the civil rights movement. and so, i think it is befitting that today we, with the national bar association being here, talk about the role of lawyers in the forht for the -- sorry -- desegregation of the buses, as well as for the civil rights and voting rights era. now, we don't have to look far in alabama to find examples of great legal giants. alabama is home to many of these great lawyers. , judgetorney fred gray clemon, and, of course, right down the road with judge frank johnson. women, whomen, and fought the fight. today, we pay honor and tribute to the role of lawyers in the movement, and we also nba is on athat the pilgrimage of sorts all through this district. now you are going to selma, so you are doing a tour of the seventh congressional district. [laughter] we welcome you in each spot. let us never underestimate the power of these is extraordinary -- these extraordinary attorneys. i know the journey i now take as alabama's first black congresswoman was only made possible because of their sacrifice. and -- [applause] and of those of us who are inheritors of that legacy oh a debt of gratitude that we can never repay -- owe a debt of gratitude that we can never repay, but we can start by taking up the fight that they like. this is an ongoing, ever vigilant we must be, to make sure the project -- progress stays. well before i did to believe that i could run for congress, i knew i wanted to be a lawyer. i did. and i can remember so vividly the day i decided i must be a lawyer. inas a young eight-year-old selma, alabama. and i accompanied my mother to that famous dallas county courthouse when she went to renew her tag. and even back then, the lines were long. and i can remember wandering up to the second floor, and opening the door of the courtroom, and fiery, saw this brilliant speaking black man. mesmerizing an audience full of white people. i remember being so spellbound by his description, by his cadence. i remember walking in and standing there in awe as he literally held everyone in the palm of his hand. people were on the edge of their seats as he was pontificating. and i said to myself, i don't know what this man does, but whatever he does, i want to be him. [laughter] . chestnut.s j. l [applause] a very famous african-american lawyer from selma, alabama. and so long before i thought of being a congressperson, i knew i wanted to be a lawyer because of j. l. chestnut. because of so many wonderful legal minds that spring forth in alabama. i am so honored today to represent the great state of alabama, but i also know that with that comes great responsibility. the responsibility to know that the battle is not over yet. as long as black men and black boys and boys of color are brutally beaten and killed by police, there is work to do. there is so much work to do. and i want you to know that the fight for voting rights is not over yet. i want you to join. be nba, now more than ever, we need you, we need your voice is as we move be on the church to congress, to the front lines to make sure people realize that this renewed assault on voting rights affects all of us. the very integrity of our electoral process is at risk. i am honored to have sponsored a bill called the voting rights advancement act, which not only would restore the voting rights act because, yes, alabama was ground zero for the advancement of the voting rights, but it was also ground zero for the entrenched. i have to tell you, as long as the state of alabama requires a photo id and then systematically closes dmv offices, there is work to do. there is work to do. so i am for the nba and all of these activists, all of the lawyers that are here today and community activists, let us remember why we are here. we are here not only to celebrate 60 years, but in order for us to get sitting -- 60 years further down the way, we must do our parts. the price of freedom is never free. it has been paid for by the blood and tears of so many. and all of us know that we get to stand because rosa refused to set. so i want to say to the nba, thank you for coming here for the 60th commemoration of the montgomery bus boycott. in fact, before i came, i went to the floor of congress and i professed how great it was to have them in my district commemorating, doing a pilgrimage of sorts, camaraderie -- commemorating the montgomery bus boycott and the role of lawyers in the civil rights movement, and i would like to present that congressional record to the president, ben. history professor and proclaim and under the national bar association, the role of black lawyers, during the 60th anniversary of the montgomery boycott. we want you to enjoy your stay, we want you to spend tons of money in the seventh congressional district, and i want to say to all of you, there is so much work to do. and we who are beneficiaries must be at the front lines of making that progress. and because we are always one vote away, one supreme court justice away from losing all those gains, the 2016 presidential election is of utmost importance. and i know that i, for one, will be checking the box for the woman on the ballot, the right woman on the ballot, hillary rodham clinton. and i hope that all of us will encourage people to go to the polls, even if we have to drive them to the polls. no vote, no voice. no vote, no voice. welcome. [applause] >> last week, i was lying in bed in the morning and my wife asked me, well, lee, what is your next event? what do you have to do? i told her about today. and i told her of all the speakers that were going to be kind of athere was quiet. she didn't say much, which is unusual. then she reached over and put her hand on my forehead and said, you may want to be sick next tuesday as opposed to following all those speakers. but i'm so happy to be, really. you know, 85 years ago almost to the day, about two miles west from here, there was a little boy that was born to a mother, and it was her fifth child delivered by a midwife. his name was fred david gray. he lived appropriately the herculesdress was 135 street. i want to fast-forward from that child's birth 24 years later. 24 years later is not that long in a life. but it was still a couple of miles from here that at the center, this church, in the living room that that same toy, gray- boy, now a man, fred from hercules street, was meeting with rosa parks. not to decide to talk about the bus boycott -- there were plenty of folks that played a role in there were less that played a role that i'm particularly proud of in the legal field -- of deciding how and what avenue to use ms. parks' arrest to achieve the most change. there were a dozen legal paths to pick, but ms. parks had fred gray, and had a fellow who had courage and was brilliant. so i'm behalf of the 17,548 numbers of the alabama state bar , i want to recognize all our members that played a role in the civil rights movement, particularly, though, in the movement on the bus boycott. and i want to recognize mr. gray because he became -- mr. gray has done so much stuff and so many awards, but one thing he did, he became the first african-american president of the alabama bar association. [applause] and at the time, that was no little task. you know, i agree with the congressman -- maybe it is because i am a lawyer -- but i think we lawyers -- i think we've got the greatest profession in the world. i love being a lawyer. [applause] i love everything about being a lawyer. wheno, want to be a lawyer i was 7, 6, 8. you know, the alabama state bar, our motto is lawyers render service. and, frankly, that is what good lawyers do. we also, by-- and the way, have the american bar association president here -- but all of them, if you look -- i don't care what stated is or what town or city it is, but if you start to dig in to that city or that town, and you look at it, you will find that the fellow or the woman that is teaching sunday school is a lawyer. you will find the person on the rotary club is a lawyer. , theuy working at goodwill woman working at red cross, they are lawyers. they render service could and today -- they render service. and today, today particularly this time period, we are rendering service and we are recognizing a fellow from hercules street that rendered service 60 years ago, that changed the course of history, and on behalf of the bar association, i am proud to know it. thank you. [applause] >> good afternoon. i want to thank mr. copeland for jumping in front of me because it would've been hard to follow you. my name is yavonna morris and i am in-house corporate counsel ind -- hyundai motor america. i would like to thank fred gray for inviting us to participate in this program. i would also like to thank the bar association for organizing this event, as well as its tireless work. i'm a longtime board member of the john langston bar association in los angeles. [applause] which is an affiliate chapter of the mba, and i'm very proud to be part of such a remarkable organization. as a young girl growing up in south los angeles, i dreamed of being an attorney. and it is truly an honor to be here today. i am joined today by some of my colleagues, please raise your hands. [laughter] [applause] place to reminisce about the civil rights movement and pay homage to our civil rights leaders that montgomery. -- than montgomery. 60 years ago today, rosa parks sat down so that more of us could stand up. the movement that lives on today is a fight to ensure that each person is treated with dignity and respect, and that each person is given equal opportunity to pursue her his or her dreams -- to pursue his or her dreams. it helped to solidify that discrimination is inherently i'm just and were no longer be tolerated. the civil rights movement was a collaborative effort of numerous stakeholders and organizations with a common goal. often times, i think we fail to recognize the efforts of some people who played pivotal roles in the movement behind the scenes. people like attorney fred gray. lawyers were crucial to the success of the movement because they challenged discriminatory laws and practices in court. the fight for justice and equality continues with issues involving police brutality and attaining economics, educational, and social equality is. for many, the notion of equality may seem elusive, but i can say today that i have the utmost confidence that with organizations like the national bar association and our legal giants at the helm, we are closer today than we have ever been paid we recognize the importance of the civil rights movement and the meaning of this historical place in this movement, as well as what it means for companies -- i'm sorry -- that we recognize the civil rights movement as well as what it means to our company to have a true commitment to diversity. hyundai executives know that the key to building a successful organization is to build ideas that are different from their own. ai, we thankf hyund you for allowing us to be a part of the celebration. thank you. [applause] >> pastor handy, honorable secretary hillary clinton, and to all of you, i am glenda glover. i serve as vice president of alpha kappa kappa. i also serve as resident of tennessee state university -- as president of tennessee state university. [applause] i would like to first recognize my sister president on the academic battlefield. would you please stand? [applause] of alabama state university. [applause] lpha kappa of aplh alpha, we honor and celebrate the goodness of god and the sometimes unspoken contributions of lawyers in the struggle for thelity, as we honor wonderful rosa parks, who sat and stood, who prayed and stayed , and who is indeed excellent and committed. it was commitment that caused rosa parks to know that no weapon formed against her would prop -- prosper. it was excellent that made lawyers know that she didn't leave me this far to leave me now. excellence that caused the lawyers to say, the lord is my light, and my celebration, who shall i fear? it was out of commitment that timesarks must have said i feel are in a transition, build your hope on things eternal to god's unchanging hand. many times, the lawyers when hearing a verdict that wasn't fair had to regroup and say, he didn't bring us this far to leave us now. and finally, i believe sister rosa has to say to like we do sometimes, with uncertainties and indefinite nights, i'm sure c says -- she says, i don't know the future holds, i don't know what tomorrow holds, but i do know who holds tomorrow. i know who holds tomorrow. and i know who holds my hand. thank you. [applause] [applause] [applause] [cheering] [applause] [laughter] >> thank you. today, the eyes of the world are focused on montgomery, al because of what occurred here on december 1, 1955. ,nd today, as we assemble here to discuss the roles lawyers play in the montgomery bus boycott and the civil rights movement, let us pause to thank them for not giving up on the people. america.iving up on and for not giving up on justice. crow reigned supreme in montgomery. segregation was everywhere. housing, libraries, health care facilities, hotels and motels, eating establishments, recreation and entertainment, barber and beauty shops. others, evens and .unday morning worship service the signs read, "colored and fountains." colored and white restrooms. white entrances." 1955, african-americans comprised of more than 70% of the ridership on the local buses. they depended on bus transportation to go to work, school, shop, and many other reasons. writers' -- riders' regret, they suffered they boarded the were on the bus, and as they exited the bus. onesomething happened 1, 1955. december 42-year-old seamstress boarded the cleveland avenue bus to after a longfamily day's journey. blocks later from the square , the bus approached the theater, andire 6:06the bus stopped, at p.m., the driver asked the seamstress to relinquish her seat to make room for a white male passenger. nixonrol officers day and escorted the seamstress from the bus for violating chapter six section 11 of the montgomery they assumed they were placing her in jail when actually they were escorting rosa m. parks into the history books. [applause] 5'3" sundayling the school teacher to become one of the largest personalities in all of american history. montgomery 2015 is vastly offerent from the montgomery 1955. 2015 showcasesof african-americans on the city ,ouncil, on school boards library boards, and many other decision-making agents. of 2015 the montgomery as has african-americans chair of the county commission, as head of the fire department, as head of the police department. thei want to tell you that montgomery of 2015 even has a mere who doesn't mind to shaking your hand. [laughter] [applause] so as we come here today to listen to these attorneys talk about their roles in the montgomery bus boycott and the civil rights movement, let us them for not thank giving up. for not giving up on america. up onr not giving justice. had it not been for these attorneys, where would we be? ladies and gentlemen, it is introduceleasure to , viceey carlos moore president of the national bar andciation, who comes to us introduce attorney fred gray, who would give us our occasion. attorney moore. [applause] mr. moore: charles hamilton lawyer isce said, a indeed a social engineer or a parasite on society. well, today i stand before you to introduce a social engineer extraordinaire, attorney fred david gray. no other lawyer has done more to advance the civil rights of alabamians than attorney gray in the last 60 years. in fact, two of his clients, mrs. rosa parks and dr. martin luther king jr. spearheaded and led the modern civil rights movement for all of america in the 1950's and 60's. as the legal architect of the movement, attorney gray's role cannot be underestimated. , you mayttorney gray not enjoy many of the freedoms and creature comforts we now have. 1999 graduate a of the university of south alabama had it not been for attorney gray. helping to desegregate more than 100 local school systems, as well as all of the public colleges and universities in the state of alabama. thank you, sir. thank you. [applause] attorney gray was born here in montgomery, alabama on december 14, 1930. does he will be 85 -- thus, he will be 85 and there is no sign of him slowing down anytime soon. [applause] he received his college degree from the alabama state college in 1951. [applause] and his doctorate from case western reserve university school of law in 1954. being forced to leave his beloved state of alabama to earn his law degree because of segregation, attorney gray cloud to destroy -- vowed to destroy everything segregation created on his return. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, i tell you he did just that. over the next five decades, attorney gray fought for equal voting rights, desegregation in schools and housing projects, the naacp.d of the -- gray72, attorney represented the participant of the tuskegee study. in 1979, he along with thomas reed became the first black alabama legislators since reconstruction. in 1985, he became the first alabamian to be elected president of the steamed national -- esteemed national bar association. [applause] elected the he was first black president of the alabama bar association. something he could have never imagined just 50 years earlier when he could not attend law school in his home state. the recipient of many awards, attorney gray is an ordained elder of the tuskegee church of christ, married to the former carol porter of cleveland, ohio, has 4 children and 6 grandchildren. in 2014, the national bar association created the fred gray award, and i was very honored to be the recipients of that first award bearing his name. [applause] introducerther ado, i to others the one, the only civil rights legend himself, attorney fred davis gray. [applause] [cheering] [applause] mr. gray: thank you. thank you. [applause] thank you. , if i haddent moore any sense, i would say thank you and sit down. [laughter] but if i did that i would disappoint all of you. [laughter] , the you, madam secretary next president of the united states, for being here. [applause] [applause] [cheering] [applause] thank you, president crump, of the national bar association. and my good friend, hall at brown, president of the -- paulette brown, president of the american bar association. thank you to all of you who have extended greetings here today. and i particularly want to thank americamotors of because when i was talking to better thant about six months ago, close to nine, about this program, before i went to him i wanted to have somebody who was sponsored in case something went wrong, we would be able to pay for it. [laughter] came to our rescue. thank you, hyundai. [applause] rightse years, civil have not been a very productive income for all the lawyers. -- for old lawyers. but hyundai employed our law firm and still employs our law firm to do legal work, not just in alabama, but across this nation for them. and we want you all to know we still have a law office in montgomery and still give the best service. [laughter] [applause] we need here today in montgomery, alabama -- meet here today in montgomery, alabama to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the montgomery bus protests. today, we refer to it as a boycott. but not so then. because there was an alabama anti-boycott statute, which made it unlawful for a person to boycott a business without just cause or legal excuse. aware and was very counseled not to violate that statute, but the state of alabama indicted 89 persons, including all the leaders and the pastor of this church. and not only they indicted them, but they even indicted the lawyer and claimed i represented one of the plaintiffs in the federal suit. boycott was not led by lawyers. but the lawyers played a major , andin this organization in its implementation. lawyers work mostly behind-the-scenes and in the courts. least three generations know nothing at all about hard-core segregation. and they don't know what it took to destroy segregation. therefore, it is necessary that we have programs, like this, and museums like the tuskegee multicultural center, a cosponsor of this program, to show what happened in the past, where we are today, and where we need to go from here. center iskey history one of such -- teske key history uskegee history center is one of such places to preserve this rich history. we invite you to visit it and to support it. madame congress lady has told you about where our lawyers have gone yesterday and will go to selma today. and i won't repeat it. now we meet here in this historic church, where the first official planning meeting -- and i do say official -- for the montgomery bus boycott took place in the basement of this church on friday evening, december 2, 1955. we meet here today, 60 years ,ater, to see what we did then the progress we have made sense, and where we need to go from here to obtain equal justice for all. [applause] permit me to take upon the personal privilege as i was born in the city, born on the wet side of town in the washington park area, grew up on day street , stated there until i got married -- [laughter] so i know a little something about what happens then. -- happened then. because it was while i lived on the west side where nothing good was supposed to come. i decided to become a lawyer. everything was segregated, as has been told to you. commitment as a to lawr to go somewhere school, to pass the bar exam, to become a lawyer, and destroy everything segregated i could find. [applause] with a lot of help along the way, we were successful. 1954, ieptember 8, became licensed by the supreme , and of the united states have been practicing ever since. you heard a lot about rosa parks, have heard a lot about dr. king, and we are happy to have one of his daughters here with us this evening. [applause] when i started practicing, there was only one black lawyer here, charles langford, who later became my law partner and was my law partner until his death. there were very few black lawyers in this state. -- were handling civil rights cases long before fred gray came here and started practicing. and there was a core of black lawyers from virginia to texas -- all of her hill's in virginia from the shills in virginia to texas and everywhere in between -- what we did here was similar to what other lawyers were doing across the country. the bus boycott was ignited with on arrest of mrs. rosa parks december 1, 1955. the roots of segregation and discrimination in montgomery or much deeper and went much further. i am personally familiar because i already told you what i did. but my first client was not rosa parks, was not dr. king, but it was a 15-year-old girl, who lived in king hill in the northeastern part of the city, who did the same thing that mrs. parks did, but she did it nine months before without any instructions like mrs. parks had and without any encouragement. she wasn'tbecause sitting in the white section of the bus. she was sitting in the seat she had set in before, but there were more white people who came. her a few days ago. i was hoping she was going to be here, but she told me that her oldest granddaughter was getting married up in the carolinas and she would not be able to be here. but if she had not done what you did, on march 2, 1955, because she gave moral courage to fred gray, to joanne, to alabama state university. then when we planned the bus boycott. and she gave courage to rosa parks and all of us. if she had not done what she did -- [applause] parks chances are mrs. would not have done what she did. she would not have been arrested. therehat have been -- would have been no trials on december 5, 1955. they would have been no mass meeting at hope street baptist church. dr. martin luther king were not have been introduced to the city, the county, the nation, and the world on that date could andy -- date. and the whole civil rights movement might have done different, but for one 15-year-old girl. [applause] people,d to our young don't underestimate what you can do. nobody told claudette to do what she did. nobody told fred gray to do what he did. and i don't think anybody told my mentor, arthur, to do it he did. there are problems out there. look at it, calculate, analyze it while iork with worked -- and you will see in a booklet that is going to be passed out and i will take the time to tell you about the fact that joann robinson and i bus boycott in her living room on the eve of march the first -- i mean, december 1 and december 2. and just as we planted there, and just as you -- planned it there, and just as you read it, what we planned came to be. dr. king was selected the spokesman. was elected chairman of the transportation committee. and the little young lawyer just out of law school was elected to do the legal work. and the rest is history. but it took planning in order to do it. [applause] so then, i want to thank -- of course, with and had to file a lawsuit. joann robinson was certainly involved in all of this. and the president of alabama state university is here. we want to thank her, wherever she is. i have seen her earlier. [applause] my alma mater. received mye i inspiration to become a lawyer. thank you for letting us use your buses, providing our breakfast this morning, and all of the other good things you have done. finally, and i know i have talked longer than i was supposed to talk -- [laughter] -- after we filed the lawsuit, and the vice president has already told you about it, i will not tell you about all the other cases, but let me say this finally, the work of the early civil rights organizations, like nacp legal defense fund, the mia, the southern christian are aship conference, important and necessary -- are important and necessary because we lawyers represented them and kept them being able to operate. lawyers were essential. i believe it is fair to say that our work helped lead the way to as election of barack obama the 44th president of the united states. [applause] now, after six decades on the front line, i am proud that we were able to obtain obtain constitutional rights for individuals in all aspects of american life. , fors not assume, however one moment that our work is done. the struggle for equal justice continues. thank you very much. [applause] >> my mentor. it is with great honor enjoy that i present to you the poster the civil rights movement that was launched with the montgomery bus boycott. paulette brown, my friend and sorority sister, is a graduate of howard university. she is the past president of the national bar association. she is a partner in an international law firm, and is currently the first african-american resident of the american bar association. [applause] evett: born in baltimore, maryland in tumultuous times, as this country transitions from legal segregation to legal integration, she would be the first to say that for the work of legal pioneers like freddie gray and foot shoulders -- soldiers like rosa parks, she would not have the opportunity to lead more than 420,000 lawyers across the world. , i presentgentlemen to you, attorney paulette brown. [applause] evett: -- ms. brown: good afternoon. --nk you, my friend yvette evett. for that kind introduction. gray, -- you, freddie fred grey, for inviting me today. it is both a personal and professional pleasure to be among so many luminaries, and to be with all of you. this is such a momentous occasion. as was mentioned yesterday, we rs, have the opportunity to stand with fred at his marker. write out here on dexter avenue. i never thought i could. from segregated baltimore, the daughter of a truck driver. i never thought that i would be traveling around the world meeting people from all walks of many of them have been agents of change in their various cultures and countries. but as we recognize and celebrate the anniversary of the montgomery bus boycott, i am truly moved -- more than you can know -- in celebrating my heroes. grey, you are a walking, americancon of history. of all of the key litigators involved in the struggle for civil rights in america, few has been as deeply and intimately involved as you. as i watch the medal of freedom last night, i said where is freddie gray? [applause] ms. brown: fred, i know the day is coming. as many of you know, and has been mentioned many times, how young fred was. he was 24 years old. represented ms. paulette. but that was -- ms. parks. but that was only the start of his year-end -- his career in law that have seen him humbly involved in some of the most celebrated civil and human rights cases of the 20th century. he also, we know, represented dr. martin luther king in broward versus gail. so he represented also, as you know, the victims of the tuskegee civil us study, -- yphilus study. and he was president of the bar association. i'm telling you, he deserves that metal. [applause] ms. brown: it was attorneys like you that inspired me to go into law. -- not like other these these other speakers who knew from a young age they wanted to be lawyers. the only lawyer i knew was very mason in black and white. while, aftere a reading and learning -- there are some heroes in my hometown that i will talk about in a minute. so manye here to honor others -- ministers and ordinary folk. but today, especially lawyers who put their lives and careers on the line. they've only been given asterisk in history books, concerning their role in the civil rights movements. about thee think gailtiff's in brown versus who risked so much to ensure that democracy would come not just a montgomery, but to all of america -- did you hear those names? all women. as we think about these women plaintiffs, i would like to talk about a few women who were involved in the civil rights movement. as constance baker motley, the only woman on the naacp team for brown versus the board of education. as the leadved counsel in james meredith of bringing about the integration of the university of mississippi. i want to talk to about 20 to mitchell. ita mitchell.- juan you may know her brother-in-law who fought racism is there is an in my home -- and segregation in my hometown of baltimore. one of her best-known cases was bell versus maryland. bell was that a 16-year-old in 1960, involved in the sit in in the baltimore restaurants that serve whites only. a lead plaintiff in the case that ultimately push the country towards desegregation, along with all of the other people. if you knew anything about juanita mitchell -- she was a big hat wearer. began, thegry she more involved in the case, the bigger the river for hat. -- the brim of her hat. robert bell ultimately became the chief judge of the court of appeals of maryland. and then there was frankie muse freeman, my sorority sister who was the lawyer for the naacp in 1949, who filed suit against the city of st. louis, and later was the lead counsel in nice and 54 in the landmark case -- 1964 in the landmark case davis versus the st. louis housing authority. there are many, many other women lawyers. and some on the rise, like our congresswoman over here. u.s. senatorr secretary of state. women leaders who are on the forefront, and 20 years ago, where you declared human rights and women's rights. [applause] ms. brown: and we have to river that. that's not the exact words. you get the message. the seminal work of these individuals laid the groundwork in expanding citizenships not only for african-americans, but also for all americans. and we really lay the groundwork so that some of the benefits that we see going on now happening for so many other people was because of the work of lawyers early on in the civil rights movement. we honor a lot of them today. and so many who are now leading the charge. it's an honor to be among leaders of the day, such as i mentioned, our congresswoman. people who are leading like montgomery mayor todd strange and johnny ford. [applause] you know, we honor all of our members of the national bar association, including all of our past presidents. personally for being on the front lines. and to our current president, mr. benjamin crouch. quintessential representative for young lawyers , and an example for what it is we must do to pay it forward for these giants on whom's shoulders we stand. you represent the next generation of civil rights lawyers. you know that. we all know that. surprise that we are also honored today by the presence of secretary hillary clinton. [applause] ms. brown: have to tell you, as president of the american bar association, i cannot make any political endorsements. [laughter] youbrown: but i can tell that she served as the first chair of the commission on women of the american citizen -- american bar association. [applause] reportwn: which issued a in 1988 showing that women lawyers were not advancing at a satisfactory rate. nps, they are still not. -- and ps, they are still not. in 2013, we were honored to award mrs. clinton with the aba medal. and remissionnor beher service as a lawyer to american jurisprudence. in a war that was so deserved. thank you. we thank you for your leadership. for those who have fought and those who continue to fight on, your courage, your organization, your discipline, your legal acumen show the nation that the world that african-americans have not only the will, but also the capability to rise above any form of subjugation. and decades later, your success here continues to inspire all of us. and all the hopes of a new generation both home and abroad. wasmontgomery bus boycott more than a similar events. it was an existential moments in american time in which people, placement, and movements to one another. but its impact reverberates still nearly six decades later, with the growing presence of people of color and others now taking seats at the american table. that is not to suggest that we don't have a lot of work to do. we got reforms to work on, we've got to disrupt the school to prison pipeline. we got a lot of work to do. and as my hero, charles hamilton all of ource said -- struggles must tie in together and support one another. we must remain on the alert, and push the struggle farther with all of our might. so thank you, fred gray. and all of the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement that is ongoing, for your courage and inspirational leadership, and the struggles for civil and human rights. and thank you, mother parks, for having the courage to sit down. so that i comment and so many others today in this room and around the world, can now stand up. thank you so much. [laughter] [applause] >> as we continue our program this afternoon, is indeed a pleasure to introduce our next speaker. he's a native of north carolina, born not far from for bragg. he grew up in fort lauderdale, florida. graduated 1992 from florida state university, received his law degree in 1995 from florida state university. mr. bailey: you may have seen him on cnn or msnbc. because of all those high-profile cases he has taken on. what you mean out of heard is that he does not shy away from pro bono work. a couple of months ago, attorney fred gray and i were talking on the telephone, and he said to me you know, i never set out to make money. and practicing law. and i'm saying in introducing haveext bigger that we do in legal circles, attorneys who are not just they are -- there to make money. latest endowment, please welcome the president of the national bar association, benjamin l crump. [applause] mr. crump: and i was happy when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the lord. [applause] mr. crump: to the great shepherd leads this historic baptist church, that introduced the world to bernice his father, reverend, we thank you for your hospitality. we think all of your staff for opening up your doors, so we can revisit history. great warrior, in ,er own right -- my dear friend reverend dr. bernice king, who in the aftermath of the trayvon martin verdict offered me the amice and counsel that i sure, had her father been with us, would have offered that same advice. and i'm eternally grateful. [applause] into all of these great barristers -- [laughter] mr. crump: in the pulpit with us brown attorney paulette -- she is not just an attorney. she is the past president of the national bar association. [applause] but she is not just the past president of the national bar association. these people up here are trailblazers. lawyers all over america , know just in this church what trail she blazed when she became the first african-american woman to be president of the american bar association. a phenomenal woman. [applause] mr. crump: and to attorney terri sewell. she is not just an attorney. harvard educated lawyer, when to school with a young man named barack obama. in law school, before that, she went to school with her sister and undergraduate named michelle obama. and came back home to alabama, to blaze a trail -- history makers. womanrst african-american from the great state of alabama -- to represent the state in the u.s. congress. and what can be said about attorney fred gray? certainly, he is not just an attorney. know, fred is a civil rights leader, beyond the courtroom. you know he represented rosa parks and martin luther king. you also should know that he represented the victims of the tuskegee experiment. he represented so many unnamed people in selma, in macon county, alabama. he's just not an attorney. he a trailblazer of trailblazers. and certainly, mr. president of the alabama bar association, that was documented. when he became president of the alabama bar association, that years earlier, had try to disbar him. so, i can go on and on about fred gray. but this was his vision. i want to give credit where credit is due. so on the 60th anniversary, to talk about the role lawyers played in the civil rights movement. thank you, mr. wright. -- mr. gray. [applause] then, attorney hillary rodham clinton. [applause] mr. crump: she's not just an attorney. [laughter] mr. crump: she is the very definition of a trailblazer. wouldn't you say? [applause] she's just not a former first lady. as you all know, she made history when she became the first former first lady to senator of the great state of new york. but it didn't stop there, congressman. no, no. she went on to make history by being the first former first appointed as secretary of state. [applause] mr. crump: and as i stand in , come avenue, god willing , she will be the former first lady to make history by becoming the first woman to be elected president of united states of america. [applause] mr. crump: certainly not just an attorney. to all of the attorneys, and especially want to draw attention to the national bar will allon leaders -- the past presidents of the national bar association, and my president-elect standley recognized for your great -- stand and be recognized for your great leadership and for whom we stand on your shoulders? [applause] and ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, here and beyond -- i agree you on behalf of the national bar association, the largest association of representinglor, 66,000 black lawyers, judges, and legal professionals in america and beyond -- representing their interests, their concerns, and their opportunities, and especially, their causes, for which they fight many of them unheralded, many of them not known. but we stand here on all those lawyers -- young lawyers, older ,awyers, corporate lawyers civil rights lawyers, government united.-- we stand i just want to knowledge them who don't get the credit and debit the fanfare. because being a lawyer is the noblest profession. you go into a courtroom and you go fight for justice, you go fight for the least of you, that's what it's all about. so i thank you, lawyers. [applause] the national bar association is here because children must know what happened here in montgomery. history,not know our than we are doomed to repeat it. even worse, if we forget our history, we are doomed to repeat it. world,must remind the attorney gray, of what happened 60 years ago here in montgomery. ladies and gentlemen, lest we forget -- it was a 15-year-old , al named claudette seamstress named rosa park, a pullman porter, a schoolteacher named joanne robinson, a couple of preachers named martin luther king at ralph abernathy. and a courageous young lawyer named fred gray, who still was wet behind his ears. andorganize their neighbors started a bus protest. and together, they launched what would become the modern-day civil rights movement, and change the united states of and made the world better for all of our children. [applause] mr. crump: they were simply ordinary people, doing extraordinary things. king, thereverend children should know that because of what happened here in montgomery, another young lawyer , named nelson mandela, on the other side of the world they are to change his nation, because of what happened here in montgomery. [applause] mr. crump: the role of lawyers, senator clinton, young girls need to know about the lawyer from your state of new york named constance baker motley, who, along with thurgood marshall, was an architect in the landmark case of brown versus the board of education, and became the first african-american woman to be a federal judge. our girls need to know that. and we have to tell them. , that'sney gray says why we're here. simply ordinary people doing extraordinary things. we all have the capacity. to do extra ordinary things to make the world better for our children. attorney crump, are you saying it's easy? no. attorney gray would tell you it's very hard. they had to endure many sacrifices, and much suffering. know here at the dexter avenue baptist church, that all things work together for good, for those who love god, and those who are called according to his wife -- his what? amen. i think about ordinary people doing more extraordinary things. know is myample i mother. it must be because my mother raised my two brothers and i is a single parent. in the government subsidized housing projects of north carolina, dr. bailey. jobs tod her work two make sure she kept a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, and hope in our hearts. that women early on are the strength and the fabric of our society. and as i got older, i realized throughout history that women have fought fearlessly, paulette , as civil rights leaders. it's too often that their names and accomplishments have been excluded from our collected human history. we have the name of one of those women -- rosa parks. enough toress brave weave together the fabric of a better society. society more equal for african-american. a society more equal for women. that in turn has elevated the right of each person that lives in our great nation. from the inception of my career, evene fought for women, before trayvon, i represented a lot of strong, courageous women. and i fought for them, because they reminded me so much of my mother. excuses, who only wanted a better life for children. wife,en now, i watch my dr. g&a angelique crawled -- crump, in her profession, realizing the challenges she faces as a black woman are different than the challenges i face as a black man. it's a double matrix of black and to be born to be born a woman. i work daily to try to understand the differences that she faces. and though it is impossible for me to fully comprehend that double matrix of oppressive -- oppression, god has recently placed a new lesson in my life. lesson,now in every carlos, there is a blessing. and that blessing for me is named brooklyn. my three-year-old daughter. who declared already, three years old -- and you have a granddaughter. you may know i'm talking about. old, she isee years , opinionated,ance and focused. adjectives, if used to describe a woman 60 years ago, would have been said in a negative connotation, in an effort to break her spirits. but because of the courageous , likelike rosa parks paulette brown, like you that simmons, like miriam right elderly. and yes, like senator hillary rodham clinton -- those adjectives can be said with a sense of pride, to empower women to step forward and claim their position of leadership, and their rightful position to achieve the highest leadership positions in our nation, to continue building the fabric of our society. forwardext year, i look to watching my daughter brooklyn watch senator hillary rodham clinton take her rightful place in the house. the white house. [applause] mr. crump: when i was a little boy, it was nothing more than a dream to me to think a black man could ever be president of the united states. reality waiting to be written. obama realizedk a dream so many people in this nation have long had. i pray that my daughter has the same opportunity to watch the dream of a woman becoming president of the united states of america, where it can be manifested into her reality. and when that glass ceiling is shattered, senator clinton, my daughter's dreams will be free to manifest in her own destiny that god has for her. limitations, whether objectively, subconsciously, ready other way. because we will have seen it done next november. [applause] so, in conclusion, i remind you all that we are here to reaffirm arrows. tois lawyers, we swear uphold and defend the constitution of the united states of america. it was another one of my personal heroes -- justice thurgood marshall, who said that the basis of the american constitution is the latest -- simply this. that a black baby, born to a black mother -- the poorest black mother, the most uneducated black mother, the most inarticulate black mother, born in a state like mississippi as ahe same exact rights white baby. born to a white mother, ms. marion, the most educated white mother, the most affluent white mother, the most articulate white mother. just by virtue of drawing his first breath as an american. no justice marshall said i know that's not the case in america today. but i challenge anybody to say that's not a goal worth fighting for. i challenge anybody to say that's not what makes america the greatest. justice forope and all the world to marvel. when we stand up and we fight for the trayvon and the unknown trayvon's of the world, when we fight for the least, what we are really doing, brothers and sisters, is having america live up to its creed. "been justice for all the world to marvel. begin -- becon of justice for all the world to marvel. [applause] mr. crump: i know this next speaker is a great attorney, who understands the value of our own. and i know when she takes that oath in november, she is going to continue to fight for the least of you. she is going to fight for my brooklyn's, dreams. but she's going to fight for your dreams. she's modified for all of america, not just white america, not just rich america, for the united hates america. -- united states of america. [applause] know this is good accord, because she was trained eye good and be a lawyer named marian wright, and i know she trained to write, i know she's going to keep that oath. so, when you all please help me welcome a lady who is going to take the oath, and going to live up to that oath, she's never going to forget that oath to the next president, the first in history to be a woman. senator hillary rodham clinton . [applause] mrs. clinton: oh my goodness. revivalever been to a quite like this one. i will tell you what, especially revival lifting of lawyers. -- lifting up lawyers. [laughter] mrs. clinton: honest-to-goodness, my heart was beating faster and faster. >> we love you. mrs. clinton: thank you. i tell you what, i have to say to president crump, if this lawyer business doesn't work out for you -- [laughter] mrs. clinton: -- i imagine there's a church or to that my that might or two call you to the pulpits, rather than the bar. this is the day the lord has made, honestly, wow. let us rejoice and be glad in it. i have to thank all of you for the great honor of participating in this anniversary tribute. what a wonderful idea, attorney gray. as so many of your ideas have been over the years. i listened very carefully as several speakers pointed out that it would be more than appropriate for attorney gray to receive a certain presidential medal of freedom. [applause] i tell you,: well, i have already written the president telling him i think that's a good idea. and i have already got the congresswoman to agree that when she goes to the christmas party at the white house, she's going to raise that not just with the president, but importantly, with mrs. obama. [applause] it is such an honor to be here. i want to thank everyone for this invitation. i particularly want to recognize a few people who are with us, starting with your congresswoman, who i'm had the i haveillage i have -- had the great privilege of getting to know, working with, and looking forward to being a partner with her. i want to knowledge mayor strange, they give are having us here in your city. [applause] mrs. clinton: and shermantine of the mcgovern county commission, thank you. , of tuskegee, thank you so much. [applause] mrs. clinton: i also want to openingverend handy for up this historic church to us today. [applause] mrs. clinton: i had a chance to visit with the reverend and mrs. handy, and indeed, he was called to this church. workingking forward to to support the kind of mentoring and outreach programs that he is putting in place here. we need more of that for more of our children. and i am so pleased that will at brown could be with us today. [applause] brown could bee with us today. [applause] mrs. clinton: those of us who know her career from the mba and then the ada really holder in such high esteem. i thank you for your women ining the many the civil rights movements, particularly the lawyers. said, i firstn job out of law school was for the children's defense fund. she was someone who i heard about why was in law school. day on the bulletin board, they used to be such in the pre-internet world called bulletin boards. i saw where she was going to be speaking at yield law school, where she had graduated, and where i was a student. i went over to hear her speak. i was just so impressed. the first african-american woman to pass the mississippi bar, working on behalf of civil thets, but focusing on needs of children, which to me, is a really overwhelming challenge that we face today. i listened to her, and then come in finished, i went up to her and i said to her, i would like to come work for you this summer. she said well, that's fine. i can't pay. and i said well, i have to get a job because i'm putting myself through law school. i said to her if i can figure out how to get paid, we've given the job -- will you give me the job? she said that's an offer i certainly won't refuse. so i applied to and got a law student civil rights research county grant which enabled me to go to work this summer. and then, when i graduated, i went to work full-time. and later chair of the board of the children's defense fund. myself very i count lucky, having seen the little notice on a bulletin board all those years ago. and i especially among her to be with the reverend bernice king. [applause] mrs. clinton: someone who's moral clarity and call to action is certainly rooted in her father's work, but is uniquely your own. that deservesne the closest attention. and i'm grateful she is here with us. about a, when i think lot of the great names that we've heard today, i am always impressed and frankly, a little humbled. you know, attorney gray is a distinguished man. but he was a very young man when he took on these cases. retrospect,ow, in to somehow assume that the results were foreordained. that the time to end segregation and oppression, and inequality before the law was drawing to a close. but i don't think we should never assume that. many,k the courage of so and among the most courageous were the lawyers who took on the challenges in the courts and in the streets. greatr person i had the privilege of working with was john doerr. who argued pivotal voting right cases while serving in the department of justice. memorably, had to step in between police and protesters. to stop a bloodbath. in jackson, in 1963. after the murder of my drivers -- medgar evers. once,r asking john doerr as i was a very young lawyer at the time of this question -- weren't you afraid? of course i was, he said. but i was representing the law. i was representing the constitution. that inn't stand for the worst of times, how can we live with ourselves? or think about louis stokes, we just lost. he was fighting stop and frisk back in the 1960's. friendine jones, a dear who defended death row inmates and helped get the death penalty as ashed in 37 states lawyer with the naacp legal defense fund. judges like frank johnson here in alabama, who took his seat on the bench just a few weeks before rosa parks was arrested. and struck down the montgomery bus segregation law. as unconstitutional. then did the same for parks and restaurants, restrooms, libraries, airports, and the alabama state police. louisiana,terpart in judge skelly wright, who overturned dozens of segregation laws there, and before brown ordered lsu to enroll black students. these jurists, like many of the lawyers who were taking these cases, and your death threats and cross burnings. reviled by many of their neighbors. they would walk down the street and see friends they had known since childhood who would turn their backs on them. but they didn't back down. because they too believed in the constitution. in the rule of law. and they knew that segregation was a distortion of justice here in not an expression of it. sometimes,new that lawmakers get it wrong. and when that happens, it's up to lawyers and judges to make it right. felts what many lawyers then, and it's what many lawyers feel now. our work is finished. we do have to pay it forward. there are still in justices over traded every day across our country. sometimes in spite of the law. sometimes, unfortunately, in keeping with it. there are still too many americans, especially too many african-americans, whose experience of the justice system is not what it should be. there are still too many ways in which our laws and policies fall short of our ideals. celebrate all that our country has achieved in the past 60 years, we must -- in keeping with the legacy of those who have gone before, look to the future and the work that is left to do. we must reform our criminal justice system. it can become an all too often is, stacked against those with the least power. there is something profoundly wrong when african-american men are still far more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes, and sentenced to longer prison terms for doing the same things as a white man. there is something profoundly wrong when one third of all the prospect of prison in their lifetimes. estimated 1.5 million black men are missing from their families and communities because of incarceration and premature death. and too many black families mourn the loss of a child. i have met with too many mothers who have lost their children. ,ost to senseless incomprehensible violence. my heart breaks for them. many of these women are doing something quite remarkable. they are turning their grief into a powerful call to action. for our nation. [applause] mrs. clinton: we can't go on like this. we've got to change. we must strengthen the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. into many parts of america today, that trust has broken down. let's remember that everyone benefits when there is respect for the law, and when everyone is respected by the law. [applause] mrs. clinton: and as we work to deliver real reforms that can be felt in our communities, there's a lot of good work to build on. across the country, many police officers are out there every day , inspiring trust and confidence , honorably doing their duty. putting themselves on the line to save lives. and many police department are deploying creative and effective strategies, demonstrating how we can protect the public without resorting to unnecessary force. we need to learn from those examples. build on what works. chart a new course in how we approach punishments in prison. the united states has less than 5% of the worlds population, but almost 25% of the world's total prison population. and our country has nearly one third of all the world's women prisoners. the numbers of people in prison are much higher than they were 30 or 40 years ago, even though crime rates are much lower. and of the more than 2 million americans incarcerated right now , a significant percentage are nonviolent offenders. people held for violating parole , or minor drug crimes, or who simply are waiting trial in backlog courts. keeping them behind bars does little to reduce crime. but he does a lot to tear apart families and communities. it's time to change our approach and end the era of mass incarceration. [applause] mrs. clinton: and we must do more to address the epidemic of gun violence that is plaguing our country. this a national emergency. the vast majority of americans, including the vast majority of gun owners, support common sense steps to reduce gun violence. backgroundhensive checks and closing the loopholes that let guns fall into the wrong hands. but even after what we have seen in paris, and in other places, congress won't even bring up a bill that will prohibit anyone on the no-fly list from buying a gun. think about it. it seems reasonable to assume, if you are too dangerous to fly in america, you are too dangerous to buy a gun in america. [applause] mrs. clinton: and we must get rid of the special immunity congress gave the gun industry. was a mistake, plain and simple, the needs to be reversed. and yes, we must strengthen that most fundamental citizenship rights -- the right to vote. [applause] mrs. clinton: i thought we have solved that problem. thanks to many of the lawyers we are honoring today. unfortunately, there is mischief afoot. [laughter] mrs. clinton: and some people are just determined to do what they can to keep other americans from voting. now, i know, because i was here that joe reads imitation a few weeks ago, about the dispute that's going on in alabama. where there is a strict new voter id law in effect. then, a lot of the dmv offices in every single county for african-americans make up more than 75% of registered voters were closed. now that would make getting a drivers license and personal id cards much harder, which in turn, would make voting much harder. vote is soo fundamental to our democracy. but it is also about people's dignity. say ight to stand up and am a citizen. i am an american. my voice and my vote count. or who you are or where you come from. -- no matter who you are or where you come from. [applause] mrs. clinton: for what you look like, or how much money you have. that means something. as ben was saying with that powerful quote from justice marshall, before the law, we are all to be equal, and in the voting booth, we are all to be equal as well. and that cannot and must not be taken away. [applause] , we clinton: and finally must be honest about the larger and deeper inequalities that continue to exist across our country. you can't credibly talk about reforming our criminal justice stone and strengthening our democracy without also talking about increasing economic opportunity, improving education, giving more support to working families. [applause] are children deserve the best start in life. and we have to do more to make that possible. now come do have this most wonderful, amazing 14-month-old granddaughter. [laughter] [applause] mrs. clinton: and i listen carefully to been talking about brooklyn. i've got no doubt that he and his wife are going to do everything it takes to make sure that she is prepared to pursue her dreams. i want that for every child. [applause] you cannotn: credibly pledged to do your part to make our country more just without also being willing to take a look at yourself. in our own lives. our own preconceptions. workch need to do the hard of rebuilding our bonds with one another. this isn't just about strengthening ties between police and citizens. although that is very important. it's about strengthening ties across society, between among neighbors, colleagues, even people with whom we profoundly disagree. it's about how we treat each other. what we value together. this is so fundamental to who we are as a nation. and everything we can hope to achieve. decades after her place in history was secured, rosa parks came to washington to sit with me at the 1999 state of the union. she looked beautiful, in a jewel colored dress with her head crowned in a long braid. just like in her booking photos. the entire congress rose to give her a long standing ovation. to see all of our nation's leaders, democrats and inublicans alike, united their esteem for her. she was wants the focal point of our most decisive issue -- almost divisive issue. that was a powerful indicator of how far we have come. rosa was the same lovely, dignified, determined person. america had changed. me howalways struck depending on the way you look at it, rosa parks either did something tremendous or something rather humble. on the one hand she helped at night -- helped it night a social movement and redeemed the promise of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. on the other hand she finished her shift at montgomery fair department store, took her us home, sat where she and other african-americans always sat in when the bus driver ordered her -- noe, she so quietly one could have heard her above the engine noise. that's how history often gets on an ordinaryt? day, by seemingly ordinary people doing something extraordinary. it is only when we look back that we realize that is the day when everything began to change. that's how it was with december 1955. i suspect rosa parks would be the first to say everything that followed would be the result of countless acts of current and self-sacrifice from people from many walks of life. i'm sure she would also acknowledged the critical role that attorneys played. i hope we keep in mind what we can do on days like this. may be only with a few people, may be to start ripples that will change history. there is no doubt in my mind that the power of our constitution, of the rule of law, of the courage of those who it's one ofold it, the great assets the united states of america has. today,go forth challenged to do our part, to make sure this generation will see the work of justice and , as well as love and kindness. i look forward to being your partner in the years ahead. thank you all very much. >> sometimes oh -- sometimes i wonder what is the difference between a lawyer and a preacher, and when the lord is on their side, not very much. secretary,ery much senator, future president clinton. for those wonderful remarks. on behalf of the tuskegee history center, we would like to thank you to view you for being making we celebrate the of the -- and the new civil rights movement that evil from it. truly today has been a part of history. we cannot leave today without thinking our sponsors, who made it possible with their financial contributions to have this public meeting and conference. my law firm -- coca-cola, the magic city bar, alabama lawyers and the national bar association vice president. king memorial baptist church. he delivered the sermon that was the glue to keep boycott together. it is appropriate we conclude this public meeting with a ,enediction from his daughter reverend bernice king. [applause] >> i want to say before we pray, my father had an aspiration to become an attorney. i want to say to members of the national bar and even the ierican bar association, fulfilled his aspirations and i am a part of you as a member of the state bar. i am the embodiment of the words you said is a lawyer and a minister. let us pray. eternal and gracious, all lies and all powerful god, creator , itsustainer of all of us was 60 years ago that a revolution was started in this city. ande citizens of color to challengeose the unjust and inhumane treatment of people of color. lord, we solve social and political and legal changes. , wever, some 60 years later are still witnessing the unjust and inhumane treatment of people from a myriad walks of life, ineriencing these treatments this nation and in this world. as we face the challenges of our , we pray now for a fresh anointing to address this. us to electyou help leaders who embody integrity and are relentless in their pursuit of social justice and human rights. as i've believe this is the prayry of the woman, i that you grant great favor to hillary rodham clinton in her pursuit to be the first woman president of the united states of america. today,we leave here grant each and every one of us the faith, the love, the courage, the strength, and even the wisdom to continue the asolution and the movement they heed your commandment to do justice and walk on with you our god. we have andr help we shall overcome. i do pray, go in peace and in love. we shall overcome. we shall overcome. >> can we sing that one more time? -- e hold to one another ♪ we shall overcome. we shall overcome. we shall overcome someday. in my heart i do believe we shall overcome. someday. >> you are watching american history tv all weekend every weekend on c-span3. to join the conversation, like us on facebook. >> c-span presents a year in review, a look at all the hearings that took center stage on capitol hill this year. wen us at 8 p.m. eastern as revisit mitch mcconnell. the resignation of house speaker john boehner and the election of paul ryan, the debate over the nuclear deal with iran and reaction from congress on mass shootings here and abroad. gun control, terrorism, and the rise of isis. congress year in review, thursday, december 31 at 8 p.m. eastern. c-span takes you on the road to the white house and into the classroom. our student cam documentary contest asks students to tell what issues they want to hear from the presidential candidates. house road to the white coverage and get all the details from our student cam contest. sunday night on human day, tyler about the second volume of mr. pearson's tyree's, which give an insider's take to washington dc from 1960 to 1969. >> it was remarkable all the things he did. sometimes he would criticize himself. column was too strong. i shouldn't have said it quite that way. he needed to be told what i wrote and i am glad i wrote it. >> sunday night at 8 p.m. eastern on q&a. american history tv, the its non-war veteran and author talks about u.s. military activity in the mekong river of vietnam during the war. they prevented the viet cong from transporting supplies. the u.s. navy memorial hosted this hour-long event. >> thank you for joining us at the navy memorial. we are pleased this morning to -- to welcome dr. edward marolda. his book was published by the navy and heritage command. it is available as a free pdf download and copies of the boo

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