♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome americans for prosperity foundation board member art poe. . .

americans for prosperity believe that to respect and milan and your individual freedom are the most successful and just policies. critics from the left including the news media disagree. they did not think limited government, a conservative policy, or that you can govern yourself. conservatives can win elections now and again but they cannot

govern. history has shown them wrong. the presidency of ronald reagan has shown them wrong. [applause] now, current history in the making by gov. bob macdonald in virginia is showing them wrong. [applause] you may recall in 2008 canada barack obama carried the state of virginia by seven percentage points. just one year later, the conservative candidate for governor ran a highly disciplined campaign and helped get more than any can afford governor of virginia.

you may recall that the washington post said he was too conservative and could not govern. following his resignation, he was met with a deficit left by the prior administration. that is a deficit of $4.2 billion. we're used to hearing trillions of dollars for the shortfalls. $4.2 billion for the state in size of virginia is a major challenge. by making conservative revenue estimates and working with state employees to save you, the tax payers, dollars, he was able to turn a one. billion dollar deficit in 2010 into a $400 million surplus. [applause]

virginia is one of the only state that had a surplus this past year. we wish how we can have that at the national level. the second shortfall was the $4.2 billion. his predecessor proposed, guess what? a $2 billion tax increase to deal with the budget deficit. this would have been the largest single tax increase in the state of virginia. the governor may call immediately took tax increases of of the table. they brought democratic and republicans together by cutting spending and not raising taxes. [applause] government donald's conservative reform did not stop there.

he went to education reform to empower the parents. he had the state agencies to make smaller government more efficient. he passed an aggressive economic development package to provide economic incentives. since february, virginia has been added the second member of highest -- has the second highest number of state adding jobs second only to texas. in august, virginia was named the most pro-business state. i must confess that i have a major problem with governor mcdonnell. i'm from north carolina. he is taking jobs away from loss.

-- taking jobs away from us. what we need are more bob mcdonnell's and his policies around the nation. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please welcome governor bob mcdonnell. ♪ ♪ >> thank you. thank you very much. it is great to be back with 2500 prosperity loving americans. thanks for coming to washington d.c. to celebrate.

thank you to art pope. it's great to have a pope on the board of directors. i want to thank all the other leaders here from americans for prosperity. what a terrific job they have done over the past six years. [applause] from a vision to 32 state chapters are 1.2 million people, that is a great work. thank you for your great leadership. [applause] it is great to see some many of the leaders here. everytime i see him on fox news he is in a hot air balloon. and it is beautiful to see. i am glad to see the hot air is

above year and not in you. i want to thank all of you for being members and leaders in america's premier grass roots of limited government, lower tax organization. i appreciate your efforts. it takes that kind of effort in order to make america a better nation. i was really disappointed to not see my friends keith olberman or rachel maddow here. i guess they have other choices. she trashed tim phillips and i twice. i had to go back to fox news. i understand there may be a few virginians here. is that right? [cheers and applause] i'm delighted that we were one

of the first chapters in the country. now having 35,000 members today, over 500 of them are here coming across the potomac. i am really proud of what the virginians have done. i hope those of you who know your history are not surprised. virginia has played a fundamental role in the last 403 years. we hope we are still playing a pivotal role today in what is important about the principles of the united states of america. think of those visionary leaders, george washington, who understood the limits of power. he rightly turn down another term as president. they wanted to make him king but he said that is what we just fought against. the first two governors of virginia, patrick henry, who understood freedom was so pressures. the second governor of virginia,

thomas jefferson, who said by the frugal government is the object by which we should try to attain and that government should not take from the mouth of the labor what is earned. and is probably not surprising to you, and for your virginians, thank you for hiring me. i have five kids and i really needed the job. i hope we have done a few things to show you that conservatives can win and government. let me paraphrase charles dickens for just a minute and tell you about a tale of two cities, one is richmond, va., and one is washington, d.c. the me tell you about a different vision of how to govern. that we tell you about taxes, spending, debt, and that the

set. right now, we have an unsustainable level of spending in the nation's capitol. you remember when billion was a lot of money. the deficit averaged $1.50 trillion the last couple of years. the largest tax increase in history perhaps coming on january 1. we cannot sustain this level of taxation and spending without coming a debtor nation. i know you do not want to do that. let's look at virginia. i came in to office privilege to serve with a one. billion dollar deficit and a $4.2 billion deficit in the next budget year. we balanced the budget and cut $4.2 billion in spending. we went back to the 2000 level -- 2007 level of spending with no tax increases. last week, i was able to have a

surplus because of our fiscal conservative principles of governing in virginia. [applause] when it comes to free enterprise and the private sector, who really creates a welcome opportunity, and dreams for citizens to use their god-given talents to achieve that american dream? is that the government for the free enterprise system. i think you know the answer to that. we see that one size fits all approach with micromanaging everything to gm, student services, our health care system. in virginia, we believe in the entrepreneur. we are trying to inspire that visionary entrepreneur to create those jobs and opportunity in the future. when it comes to regulation, we

have put together a panel to try and review all of the regulations. we have 300 pages in the regulation out of virginia's administrative code. in washington, d.c., we get 50,000 pages of new regulation every year. do you think your vision of america needs to be more like richmond, va., or washington, d.c.? i kind of thoughts of. i am in the right room. when it comes to health care, washington has this idea that the remaining segment of the health care system should be taken over. in richmond, we believe the constitution still means something and we were the first in the nation to file a suit against the federal government over their policies. [cheers and applause]

it is not at the end of the day about health care. it is what our founders believed about the constitution. they can tell you must buy a product or a service and if you do not you will be fined or otherwise punished. there is no limit to federal power. this is an important constitutional question that our founders would believe is worthy of litigating. that leads me to my final different. we believe the 10th amendment, the forgotten amendment, still means something in america. [applause] remember those great virginians, mr. madison, mason, and others. the bill of rights was the deal to protect the liberties of americans and limit the power of the federal government. it was the linchpin in the united states constitution.

we need to rely on it and revive it to restore this view in america. who wants this country to be more like virginia or the policies in washington, d.c.? by a power invested in me as governor of virginia, i declare you all virginians. thank you. [applause] you are all here because you care about our nation. we had the privilege of living in the greatest country the world as ever now. -- has ever known. you also know democracy is not a spectator sport. there are men and women in uniform in afghanistan, iraq, and many other countries defending your the birdies coming your way of life, and advancing the cause of freedom

for people we do not even know because of our love of freedom in america. over these next couple of months, i ask your honor the legacy of our founders, those that signed the declaration many have dried. i want you to honor the sacrifices those men and women in uniform are taking right now and get out there and the patriots. one of my favorite scriptures is from james that says -- the same applies in politics. coming to a rally and sharing is not the same as going out and acting. knock on doors, make phone calls, go to the rallies, go to the fund raisers. these will all make a determination in what kind of country you have starting november 2. if you believe in these

principles verses what is happening in the washington, i call you to action. when you leave here, i hope you leave here energized and you go back to make a commitment to fight for these principles tobacco. there is an awful lot at stake right now in this country. when i was fortunate enough to win the attorney-general's race course for years ago in virginia, i won by three hooded 60 votes. that was one eighth of one vote for a precinct. i never made -- i never met that one eighth of a voter. every vote matters. you can make a difference. every phone call you make, every door you knock on, every person you talk to about what is at stake in america and try the system of federalism and limited government is the way to govern and buy it is important for the solvency of our future invite matters to your kids in your grandkids.

everyone of those can make a difference. thank you for having me today. i'm honored to be the governor of virginia and to speak to all of you at americans for prosperity. godspeed. have a great convention. thank you very much. ♪ [cheers and applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> voters had to primary's in bus -- in both the housing and senate -- both the house and senate. we have a preview of these primaries. >> joining as to talk about the two states, it began in

louisiana. how will he do? >> @ uggla republicans thought he was vulnerable last year. he had a scandalous first term in the senate. that that this could really give them a run for his money. that has not been the case at all. his campaign has not turned back to be as strong as some has helped. >> what about on the democratic side? >> it is his for the taking. >> in west virginia, a special election there, a primary to pick someone to fill the seat of the late senator robert byrd. who is leading and who is

shaping this up? >> a moderate centrist democrat as a double in the front runner in this primary. there are a couple of other democrats who have run for office before, but no one has been star power. there is a coal mining company owner who has run for the senate a few times before. he is probably going to be the front-runner. we expect him to win tonight. >> how is the robert byrd legacy playing out. >> he was such a legend in the state. he is such a legend. he addresses it and says he would like to follow in his footsteps.

>> thank you for this campaign 2010 update. for more permission on the campaign, go to our website, c- span.org. >> five years ago this weekend, hurricane katrina stock -- struck the gulf coast. we will have that live 3 pm 10 eastern -- 3:10 p.m. tomorrow. >> we have plenty of people in government. what we need to do is get out and said the belt way to hear about our constituents. >> while congress is on summer break, many are holding a town hall meetings. we have been covering them. watch them on line in the c-span

video library. find out what your members of congress have said. it is free on your computer and the time. the marine corps commandant told reporters this week that it will take a few years before the u.s. troops will be able to hand control over to local afghan forces in some areas of the country. president obama has said the u.s. will begin withdrawing in july 2011. during this briefing, general conway discusses his opposition to changing the do not ask, do not tell. he is going to step down as commandant in november. this is 15 minutes. >> it is my distinct pleasure and privilege to welcome back to the briefing room the 34th commandant of the united states marine corps. general conway has served as commandant since november 2006

and is one of two commandants who served his entire tenure during wartime. he last briefed the group on september 15. general, we just returned to the central command region. specifically he and his region visited afghanistan and germany. general, is that the majority of his time visiting afghanistan. general conway will retire after more than four years in service. he would give you a briefing on his recent troubles and then take your questions. >> the morning, ladies and gentlemen. >> as dave indicated, it has been many months since i have been before you. we did just get back last night i'm not getting old. i'm just getting tired.

i would like to offer a quick statement. and then i look forward to your questions. romania, pakistan, and we came after germany. we were reminded many times that roumania has now increased their presence. they have sustained 15 killed in action of today. they are dedicated to the task and can be rightly said that as a nation we believe they are pushing above their weight. f of the weight. they are consed with responding to the aftermath of the flood disaster we have had 2200 responding to the crisis.

they have delivered more than 650 pounds of cargo. they should be off the coast of pakistan by mid to late september. the involvement of his army will report time ahead of their performing in married a task associated with these station. the number of marines was down from previous date and give our primary purpose for the trip was to visit marines and those that support us.

it is not uncommon to find units away from their operating basis for 30 days at a time. using firepower, i believe that they hold the initiative even in the height of the television fighting season. they are making the enemy reacts to them. morale is high. marines can sense conditions are turning the other direction they reenlisted several hundred marines for them -- marines. they grew value of support of their american. he said in a lead our country go wobbly on us now. the capacity of the afghan arm is at a critical stage. we are headed schedule with the infantry company. the quality varies widely. he faces the toughest part. that is to train the aviators in

enablers. the truce will require a higher level of education and skills training for the appeared to have been just right for the task at hand there squarely on the side of their security forces for the ever so slowly, that is benning to happen. thogh i certainly believe some units will turn over responsibility to afghan

security forces into a dozen loven, i do not think there will be marines. they are the birthplace of the taliban. i since our country is growing tired of the war. art also " the analysis of one of my commanders. he said we can either lose fast or when slow. i think the first question is year. >> the marine corps is good to be facing some big changes on big front. one would be the discussion of the royal marines play. it also changes to personnel policy.

>> although we have resolved this. we need to take a look at what our post-afghan figures will be as a solid planning figure for purposes of reset of our deployments to a unit in the pacific. we have a fairly sick of them -- they are listening again build up taking place. i will not start any bacof that until this is complete. then i think that would be the first thing. we will obey the law.

we are anxious to see what the survey indicates when it is made public. i caution our marines. if the law charines. if the law changes, we pride our core in meeting these services in many things. there will be 100 issues out there that we will need to solve it the law changes. we cannot be seen as setting our feet or delaying it. we need to get on with it. >> i wanted to pick up on do not ask do not tell. the citadel pick it up next month. you have been followed by other marine generals. you oppose a change in the poliy. if you look at the polls done by military times, the marines

seemed to oppose any change in policy by a fairly sick of get margin. what is it above the marines that they oppose? you have been in the core for over four years. you talk to marines. what is it that they oppose about this? >> that is a tough question to answer. i am not familiar with the other services as i am my own accord. we recruit a certain type of young american that is willing to go fight andie for their cotry the. i look at how we close to live.

i do not endorse it as the ideal way ahead of the i think it has impact on the marine. we will follow the law. >> living in tight quarters, and that the issue you mostly here? >> unlike the other services, we have consciously are built by two. if the law changes, we start out a problem in how to address that. we will deal with it. i do not believe there is money out there to build another requirement for beqs allow marines to have their own room by his or theirself.

how we do with that will be an issue we will have to face. i can tell you that an overwhelming majority would like not to be roomed with the person that is overly rigid out lead homosexual. some do not object. a voluntary basis may be the best way to start without violating any one party moral concern or perception. we are not there yet. it is a hypothetical at this point that we have to consider. we will not have to deal with that until the law changes, if it does. >> you said the country is growing tired of the war in afghanistan. he refers to say the country is

openly growing tired of this war. having said that as commandant, how do you maintain morale? what are your concerns for the troops if the "-- if the country is really tired for this war? you said we may be here a few years. how many years? >> first of all, what i am saying to you is what i am reading from you people and those are the results of the public appending -- public opinion polls where 60 percent signs -- 60% of people oppose it. it is an important factor in the discussion. we need to do a better job of talking about the last chapter in this book if we simply walk away. yet the talk about why we need

to destroy the taliban and al qaeda. future of opportunity for safe haven. what i just finished telling archer say you need to understand the public opinion in the unitedstates will be whatever if it is. our country has matured to a degree that our fellow countrymen can be against the war is still support the troops. i honestly think it 95% of americans support the soldiers and not support them -- associate them with the administration. >> when you said that the marines or the military will be there a few years, what is your instinct on that? >> i cannot say we will be there

for a few years. and what i sai is that i think it will be a few yea before conditions on the ground are such that we would xpect to be able to turn over to afghan forces. i think there is a mind-set than in still a company that. it may be a while. >> what are you talking about? i cannot say that for sure. things twist and turn. we had intelligence officers in 2006 saying that all is lost. by the end it 2006, we had the awakening. conditions change completely in iraq. i do not see the culture in afghanistan change into something like that. reconciliation could be a game changer. >> on the issue of canal and up, the u.s. position has been o

[unintelligible] japan has wanted to give them that. do you have an opinion? >> the runway was agreed upon. in terms of absolute safety, we still believe that is it is the best way to do things. it is a scenario to be resolved. it is safe for our pilots and air crews. >> how is the command going? kines say that a year from mel will be no withdrawals from marines in helmand?

>> -- can you say that a year from now in helmand no withdrawals from marines in helmand? >> we are dealing with a very intelligent anmals here who realizes that marcija has the capture of an international audience. they are not giving of easily. there is not as much fighting as we thought would be the case. if they sensed our ability to disrupt the command control. there is a lot in shaping that had gone into it. they are snapping at mainly,

they are intimidating the people. let me make it clear purda. i cannot say they will be in the marines are not for the -- are not there. >> do you anticipate u.s. troops in canned a heart -- and can the hearth -- kandahar fr a

few more years? >> if you look at a number of attacks in casualties and the focus, the fight is in the south. >> how many insurgence are left in marja? >> do not know. i will put it in a couple of hundred freudenthal it is not significant. it is makes it tough to root it out.

>> emitting conditions is the key to deciding whether to its concerts are pulling out. what conditions would you look at? >> a military force shape the environment the the what w can do is aid inhese other things. we shape the environment that allows these other kind of operation to take place. initially, we have had to do that by ourselves. increasingly, we call for turning that over to nation's security forces. that is why it is so important.

the host nations to the plan where they can do those things. that is what we hope to accomplish. when we think we have sufficiently beaten down the insurgency in the area, yt built up the afghan capability. then i think we have done the essence of what we rescind their to do. one of the things he mentioned was that the afghan security forces, one in 10 show sign of the drug abuse, one out of five are belligerent. is there any indication to you that these afghan security forces are going to improve such that if we get the number they want it to be at the quality we

need to turn them over it is going to become even more important they are every bit as good as the iraqis or even more so. they are quite effective. our attrition rate is down about 12%. those that we train and most the weekend are pretty good . they need to understand that they will be supported by u.s. marines and our place if things get too desperate. we think there is a concert there that is working. it is never going to be the

british royal marines that we are training. the only need to be better than the insurgency. we think we can achieve that in a reasonable amount of time. >> the v-22 --well as a performingn afghanistan in terms of readiness rates? whether some of the tax and mrs. that it was performing? >> -- what are some of the typs of missions it was performing? >> we tested immediately into combat. we felt we have learned all we needed to know about a harsh environment in iraq. the varmint in afghanistan is a little different. we have other issues with regards to availability.

our mechanics of getting better. it is involved behind the enemy. it is involved and the transfer of equipment. it has been shot at a few times. it is doing things in ways that still have us in terms of how best to employ such a state of the art pability. >> we offered to have the aircraft self deployed from the eastern coast.

has to do with the pakistani air field and the team wanted as in a long term facility. >> what is the biggest acquisition problem you have had? >> the program is under scrutiny. everybody's anxious to see how it performs. we think it will perform much better. we are looking a affordability. we are excited about the

capability. there is certainly a need for that kind of capability as we get back. >> hen you leave, they are going to come. >> i can only say, i hope not. i hope not. it is incredibly important to us. >> looking into the future, the secretary talked about the review. [inaudible] he has questioned how much the amphibious capabilities you need. that becomes a navy ship building problem. are you concerned? >> no, i am really not. any person that takes a look except our dominant theory of forward deployment, in gauging

away from united states. it is able to do whatever has to be done out tre for them predict out there. there is a lot of instability out there. although we have been fortunate the last couple of times our nation has -- there are not lead places like that. i think that it is an asymmetric advantage. it is pretty much laid out by a previous behest qdr that says we will have 2 brigades. to be augmented by all the other services. it is not just in marine's lies in a thing. the other would be deeply

engaged. i think they deeply believe it is the capacity the nation needs a burda -- needs. but i want to ask about to challenges the marines face. one is above the emphasis on avoiding civilian casualties. the debate challenge is that for marines getting the job done? the other is a perception issue. the president's day for the beginning of the withdrawal and a ability to effect that s some local afghans. does that make your job more difficult? >> the answer is always the same. it does not bother us much. we understand the nature of the afghan culture and society. we accept that if you want to conserve enemies coming need to avoid civilian casualties.

conceptually, we are there for them. and execution, we are good. that is who we are. our communication is good. we have tactical patients to make this work. at every level, we are ok. in terms of the july 11 issue, i think if you follow closely, it is giving our enemies sustenanc he made the same the way of intercepted communications that say we have to hold up for so long.

what is the in me going to say? what is he going to say where you have your leadership outside the country trying to direct operations? it is to gain is for them to be there. >> is a reconciliation process to get going? >> we visited with of the runs in afgnistan. it was really interesting to talk with them about the friends from our enemies getting tired.

they are getting hammered. is this all worth it? they are asking themselves that now. it is certainly not all going to be done in a month-to-month agreement. maybe this will not in love. >> how does this look in afghanistan? [inaudible]

you can learn from this. >> i miss the first question. will you please state it? >> it is not helpful to the degree that i think our partners are concernewe could have such a serious breach. at the same time, i have not ask anyone to examine all the documents. i do not think it is being held tactically. i do not think the impact is severe for the there is the theater reserve for the

commander. he has chosen an ected to commend their and the feature for a time for the investor some of the capability to respond elsewhere. there is no impact. we are relying in the common process -- in the helmand province. in terms of iraq, we arout of iraq for all intents and purposes and have been for a better part of a year. we have a different culture and environment for them we focused

on the delta. the focus on the third reserve and the -- that is working for us. the marines back in the 20's learned many of these lessons in terms of the trantion process we talked the the emauel has really been our meeting fothe way ahead. >> troops are watching the ups and downs. [inaudible] >> i emphasize to them the number one concern on the part of american troops is the country behind us. i will tell you. i am so proud of our american

public. regardless of how they see what happened in iraq war of afghanistan, they support the troops. that is a message thy get from me and they see when they come home. in that regard, i am impressively -- incredibly proud of our country. >> he mentioned the leadership is outside the country. why are we still there? why do not we focus for the leadership is? >> first of all, it is ot a black and white situation. to begin elements are out o the country, and not susceptible to the day to day contacext. it is noted by the but soldiers we think there is a senior valley probably can exploit.

>> some marines equated with the efc platform . do you agree to they run the risk of cleaning to the. clinging to the platform? >> it is not the platform. it is the capability. it is the only thing out there that gives it the capability for their when the secretary made the determination to trim away the ef22. there were another of aircraft that could perform that function, maybe not as well, they could still do it. this is the only capability that exists out there to get this from over the horizon. we are going to have to come from over the horizon. you are over the horizon, you are at least 12 or 40 miles out

. i would be hesitant to put some of those vehicles at sea. it is not necessarily made by general dynamics. it is the capability that we need to be cognizant of. we would still be looking to come up with that capability. it is essential to the way we do business. >> mention small wars. what do you think? what is the state of the readiness? how should the shape to meet that. do you agree they have to worry about that? >> citigroup we put together a

said almost the same thing. they said the most likely conflict is what they call hybrid warfare, a regional conflict. we have to have a marine corps that this bill toward that. we have an expression that we do windows of whatever the nation asks us to do. at the same time, said terry gates has said that i support that. that is my belief. there is also a routine element of surprise where we fight the battle will not do we were not prepared to engage in. our guide and has them what it always has then. we ned to be to fisted fighter. we need to be able do what we are doing in afghanistan. need to be able to do what we did in 2003 will me cross the iraqi border.

we are trying to build boats. it takes away from some of the core competencies. >> eiffel marines of the in helmand. [inaudible] >> that is the key. one we areome from 14 months, we can do a lot that type of training from >> they destroyed quite a number

of the operating basis aes. are they tactically doing the job in the right way? >> they will not be replaced is our understanding. we have a little bit of a different approach from the marines. we believe that the nea to challenge the enemy. -- challenge the enemy where we think hata strength. we are less prone to move into a 1today for the operating phase. we hope you will stay with force to bill behind us with -- forced

to go behind is a transition for their epic a inor difference in operating philosophy. there are some minor differences in how we approach that. >> you have to have a place where you can go back to at least rest and resupplied this type of things. most of the places will have a secure a helicopter pad. we do not want our helicopters to fly in the plays that are not secured th. we o believe the bases. you have to have a security force. you have to protect it. that each of manpower. we want to have a minimum of

those contingent with the thought you can get out and roam the countryside, and trying to suppress the insurgent of the army is beginning in of all. >> we have been looking at hours for a long time. we are assessing the effects on the -- >> we are a rifle marine corps. we believe in long-range shooting skills. they are not as as resident of a are in the service but if that is not to say we do not use it.

we are dealing with an automatic rifle as opposed to a machine gun. they are going to come back and give as an appraisal. we have looked at a 726 system. we've looked at another that interchangeable perils and receivers. before we would go to something ke that in a completely new rifle, which to be fairly expensive for us, we want to ma sure we are getting all we can as the fire out of the five by six. >> when will the rivals the going forward? but pretty soon. probably toward the end of the year. >> we have time for one or two more. >> after the structure review is

done, do you have any doubt the marine corps will be less capable? >> that is certain not the intent of venice today in tent. been time after in a canister, 202,000 marines is probably too many. pplare expensive. madonna the would it keep them constructively occupied. in the end, we will probably take the options by this review group. we will make sme assumptions as to the climate. we will try to come away with an option that allows us t look toward that figure in terms of the requirement. we need something out there.

in no way would we expect to build a less capable 1. >> she wanted to be optimized that still have to sacrifice during capabilities? >> no. i do not think we will eliminate any of our capabilities. that is the only way we wl be less capable predict -- less capable. the took some losses early on

for some very awkward snipers in marja and some other places. the best counter-sniper system is another sniper. are snipers are very good. we had taken down that debt significantly. secondly, we are impacting supply lines. but our read is that the enemy is having a tougher time getting the elements into place the dough it will be able to attack is through the system. security has not turned sufficient you got it. we have the momentum. we have the initiative. that is different from declaring the security conditions have changed magically.

>> you said something that i like to ask you what he meant -- you meant. you talked about the moral perception that marines have with people serving in the marine corps. what do you mean by more perception? >> we have some peole that are very religious. in some instances, we will have people that say that homosexuality is wrong and they simply do not want to room with a person that persuasion. it should go against their religious beliefs. that is my belief about some percentage of marines and our core. >> if that is the case and the law changes, as a senior commander, volunteer force that

should those people leave? should accommodations be made? what do you do about that? >> i've the commander, you try o satisfy the requirements of all your marines. if the law changes, we will be as concerned about their rights and privileges as you will marines who feel differently about that whole paradigm. local commanders will be required to assist us in making sure that every marine is prided for in this focus on it. >> one more? you said kandahar and helmand are the birthplace of the taliban. it is also the center drug production.

what is your sense of of the production process of opium i and from helmand? >> it is a dramatically reduced. it to be further reduced in the future. we have reports aid the drug trafficking walk to the taliban. this summer between $70 million a year of the way of 24 under million dollars a year in terms of resources. it allows them to buy the tools of war and use them against us. we knew we had to use them to attend to beat that back. it was our perception that the farmers in and around marcia gambled and lost. they put a copy in the ground when the governor told them not to do that. -- marja gambled and lost. they put poppy in the ground

when the governor told them not to do. you know about people. in many instances, we gave them just a subsistence to burn their own fields. the production this year was very much a dstructive. in the meantime, we know you'll treat inmates if the take away the ability for a man to feed his family. it is through instruction on how to create a different crop after trying to make sure that the infrastructure is there at harvest time. you are not good to have five guys come in there and pick it up for you. through the afghan government, we will give them another way to be a productive and successful farmer. the russian wheat will be less available on the market.

there is the pakistani wheat fields. they will be problematic. we think that the price of wheat will fare pretty well. in that regard, we could be fortunate that we are of to the afghan farmers. >> he did not preserve the senate in my job. thank you very much. take care. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] . . >> dick lugar talks about the withdrawal of combat forces. peace talks are scheduled to begin thursday on other foreign-

policy issues. 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> we did not have the arts in the public schools. these are the 20-year-old. i am concerned about a group of people. when they get to be 40, 45, 50, it is not clear there will come to the arts. >> michael kaiser will talk about struggling arts organizations and the future of the arts on "q&a." >> this weekend marks five years since hurricane katrina struck the gulf coast in new orleans. the guest on "washington journal" talked about the $15 billion levy system being built there. this is from this morning's program. >> joining us from new orleans is the task force coast director

for the army corps of engineers. explain your relationship to the rebuilding of the levee system. guest: thanks for inviting me here today. this reduction system we are building for greater new orleans and the surrounding parishes, i oversee the program and look at the budgeting aspects. one of the things i enjoy the most is the tremendous stakeholder engagement between our levee authorities and the public in louisiana and the parishes. especially the public, they are so involved in what we did and did give us a lot of help with input and solutions. host: how would you tell someone

the difference between the levee system now and five years ago? guest: five years ago, we did not know as much as we know today. there is a task force of levees and stations and flood walls. and maximum probable storm. theris a storm -- it was a landfall. it was something no one had ever thought of. a surge of over 32 feet. before katrina, it was the one form that happened in the past. now almost 150 storms with the numerous tracks anywhere from a 25ear to a 5000 year frequency. we look at all of those storms and the possible ways they can come on land. then we estimates the

consequences of the storm. that is what we design for today. the work we are building, its dramatic example is around the eastern part of the system. we have a new wall with a difference in height and magnitude. we are not in the same universe anymore when it comes to the practices with how we deal with this complete system. >> if you want to talk to our guest this morning and ask questions about the system in new orleans, call the numbers at the bottom of your screen. earlier this week on our show, we spoke with a governor who is

with the center for national policy about the same levee system. he has some critiques. listen to what he had to say in response to it. >> the maintenance has improved. it is still only prepared for a one in 100 years storm. the reality is there should be a 300 years storm. we are talking category three. one thing people do no realize is as big as katrina was at the last minut new orleans did not take a direct hit. the system still fails. we were talking about a much more direct it. we do not know how well the levies will work. host: will they hold up for a direct hit? caller: they will.

what was a huge lesson for katrina and to the corps engineers and those that work on these thin is you cannot relate the size of the storm by the wind speed. let me give you an example. at landfall, katrina was category three by wind speed, but the search it brought in was bigger by hurricane camille which was category five. one of the things we do now that we did not do with katrina is of all the different possibilities that the hurricane could hit the gulf coast, there were literally 63,000 combinations. we do know the difference rse that water can come into this. host: when you talk about the moling, have some criticize

the type used to develop how the levies would be rebuilt? caller: this was done with external peer review. there were numerous people involved all around the country. we as people from other nations, united kingdom, canada, the netherlands. the design criteria is dramatically different from what we used to do in the past. not only do we have a system we are building today, but higher level reduction throughout the gulf coast. this is truly a state of the art way we have gone about it. we can always learn more. we design for a 50 year rise. this area has a huge record with different rates in different areas.

we factor all of that in. we also have different factors of safety to account for different combinations that could overtop the system. host: what has changed in five years in terms of the bedrock? caller: the engineering criteria we have used for the dirt to make the curtain of levees. -- earthen levees. rick are building this over the navigation canal -- we are building this over the navigation canal. have in new structures to give you strucral strength.

[unintelligible] several new things compared to the way it was designed before. there are areas with stabilization techniques in areas that had difficulties with the soil. this is a way of stabilizing the soil in place and take some of the water out that we build upon. another thing we have done is probably the largest operation in the world where we bring in a mix that will stabilize the soil there and use recycled material for levies. in the mississippi river, where they intersect, the hurricane stem, we have some projects for stabilization.

we know it can stand up to heavy conditions. host: she is the task force coast director of the army corps of engineers. we have some lines that you can call at the bottom of your screen. there is a line set aside for new orleans residents. fort worth, texas, you are up first. caller: thanks for taking my call. my comment is hurricane katrina, this happens over five years ago, mississippi, alabama, and all of these other states affected have moved on. i do not understand why louisiana is having such a

difficult time. the government did give them money, like a $30 million. they took that money and build a casino instead of using it for buses. while this is going on, i was seeing on the news, people running around stealing tvs and everything else while this was going on. host: we are talking about the levy system. do you have a question about that? caller: no, i think they should move on from it. host: you have talked about the timeframe of these products involved. louisiana was much harder hit than other areas. some of the work has 30 started. i have been here for almost four

years. working at the brooklyn institute and the kaiser foundation, it shows that residents have and optimism and feel they are confident aut eork. that is the overhaul in the education system but also with the huicane system. as far as the time frame, the first thing we did was repair the existing levy system. that was completed june 2006. we also put in interim pumps so that we could keep water from coming in and around firm is concentrating in t city. we continue to make improvemts on that. that work stands today. it will be 2014 before we have

construction on a permanent placement. the other time frame was developing a new design structure. it takes time to run different hydraulic sysms and design around it. then figuring out the overall cost of the system, doing the estimate and trying to get the appropriation from the administration. the other thing we have had to do is -- we had to know what type of soil we were dealing with. what i think about the size this construction program, it is 60% of the panama canal, to give a perspective of it. an incredible amount of work has been done in a short time. having the right teams, construction contractors, engineers, all of these factors

you work with is what -- as well as o public partners. small businesses and large businesses -- a team is working seven days a week. some contractors working 2 shifts, 20 hours a day. an incredible amount of construction program in a short time. host: our next caller is from colorado on our republican line. caller: good morning. i am from a huge indian reservation. there are issues in the past where undocumented workers apparently have a priority for jobs. have a mechanism for they wanted

equal opportunity for everyone there. guest: we spend a lot of time on the industry days with small a large businesses. a veteran zone. we have awarded billions to small businesses. overall that is 30% of the structural work -- construction work. as far as a question, as far as court engineers, we have all of them adhering to federal law. we also hav people working out here for the designers as well.

>> as far as a completion date, when should this beompleted by? guest: congress did mandate to this. our goal is to have a system in place by next year. ere are other parts of this program that have improvements to the pump stations. kermit, construction, interior drainage. there is -- permanent pump construction, interior drainage. host: fayetteville, north carolina caller:. a. >> how has the war in iraq affected the corps of engineers? some members of the national

guard was in afghanistan during the time of katrina. the technology was less than wh we have now. the corps of engineers has really been affected. guest: people do not realize the u.s. corps -- u.s. army corps of engineers the ploy is people. i was deployed in iraq and i was over st. the reconstruction of the schools and electricity and water treatment plants. -- overseeing the construction of the schools and the electricity and water treatment plant. we have a lot of people their right now. it has affected us, but in a good way.

we have used the way we do large construction programs to thousands of construction and design activities. many deployed and come backome to louisiana and apply some of the things we have learned from over here. rhee really believe in public service. that is why we deploy civilians along with our military. we tried to apply those programs here at home. host: washington, d.c. good morning. caller: thanks for your service. there were a couple of questions

raised at the book signing of kathleen cooke the other night. one was, a charge that the core and the partners had billed the levees are a they are sounder and more strong than the ninth war. i was like to get a response to that. -- ninth ward. i'd like to get a response to that. can you make a contrast or comparison america protecting new orleans from hurricanes and the dutch from certain storms? guest: i will do the best i can. our engineering criteria is regardless of what perish we work in. one thing we learned from

katrina is it is only as good as the weak link. everything connects. theriteria is consistent. we often are criticized on our levy's i did not have a problem with katrina, why do y not have the same standards? we know we need an improvement in standards. the second thing is -- i will talk about the dutch connection first. a couple of days ago, the system in the netherlands was just completed. it took them 57 years. we are hoping to beat the record by 52 years. the second thing is we have a lot of people on our team from

the netherlands. these conditions in louisiana are much stronger storms. that is a pretty good description. the maximum storm surge was 11 feet. there was a surge of 12 feet. there is no comparison in the search. those types of conditions, they do not have that same level of protection across the country in the netherlands. the level of this consistently applied across -- as far as i

know, there is no lessening of standards to where we work. host: next caller. caller: i am an engineer from arizona. 30 years have maintained the structural rights up to a few years ago when i closed my office. i am doing consulting for litt haïtian. i spent a year and a half down at hurricane katrina. flying back and forth every week in doing reports. we have probably done 300 or 400 reports of all types of residential construction. my concerns are a little bit

different than knowing the history and studying the history of the flood walls involved in state governments and falling the corps of engineers in the federal government. is pushed tot's louisiana, we are basically never used for flood walls, but bureaucratic things and also the airport. the basic problem that she is going to have and does not address is that even though they do these concrete systems, toward the airport side, there are areas that probably will not be brought up at all. after talking with consultants

in the area, if they have the same level hurricane 3 more lanes, they claim it will not have much left. guest: i will talk about the part that involves the army corps of engineers. we were putting in a system around the perimeter that includes the west bank and intersections with a certain parishes. there is a connection around the perimeter that is out near the airport. it is on the other side of the river as well. the hurricane system that started out was incomplete. that was due to a very low level of funding as well as not a sense of urgency from everybody.

that program was only 30% complete. it wasnly 60% complete on the other side. even though we are not finished, it is better. it is as well as some of the ouying areas in surrounding parishes. host: linda, thks for waiting. go ahead. caller: i greup on an island. there was a lot of damage done during a hurricane. after time, the spirit in people want to work. i want to know, have businesses

that were damaged been destroyed so that people can go back to work? i understand that $20 billion was sent to another country to make batteries for the united states, when we need jobs here. why can't those batteries be made here? that is an example. host: as far as the way you went about building this, what questis did you ask yourself going into this? what kind of information did you have to take in as far as redesigning? guest: one thing about the contributions to the area, many indirect jobs of people in the field for us.

there is a huge economic boom that is part of the hurricane recovery. to get back to your question, we have 18 with a review of over a hundred 52 members. they did the engineering a they did risk analysis as well as what i talked about earlier in terms of the fleet of storms that they had to deal with. we had to get out into a complete physical of the area. all of the pieces in the ground is what we needed to build. we had to apply the design criteria to that.

the engineering characteristics of the soil, all of the difference heights that exists here -- one thing that is interesting is a graph from the '70s. what is high ground and then it is high ground now. they were clustered around the french quarter. but those outlying areas were marshlands. it was saved up with people and a very good system with conveniences that carried water out of the system to the lake. we also learned a different way to do this through and out -- throughout the entire metropolitan area.

one house did not a flood during katrina. they found a natural way on higher ground to deal with it. we leaed host: what is happening as far as the neighborhood's where the of levies are being rebuilt? guest: it depends where you go. there is one active area where they put everything back the way it was. if you go out too late to you, there has been a tremendous boom in the building. pele are elevating their homes. it is a mixed bag as you go out to some of the other areas like saint berna and the ninth board. --ward. there are areas of new orleans that are still vibrant. this will be reported by the

brookings institute and the kaiser institute. there are a lot of differences. i was reading comment the other day by a man who bought house on the 17th straight canal. he did that because he felt confident in what was being put in the ground now compared to before. that is a measure of the choices people are making. host: are democrats line, go ahead caller: i would like to say first that i am from new orleans. i have been back several times since the storm. [unintligible] i think it is redesigned to withstand another katrina if it comes to that. i think you all are doing a great job. guest: i appreciate your call. we are putting in a system that

is resilience to buffet a storm. if it is a bigot of storm, the system will stay there. -- if it is another big storm, the system w >> president obama will be in louisiana tomorrow to speak on the fifth anniversary of hurricane katrina. we will have that event for you live at 3:00 p.m. eastern time. >> what we need to do is get out around the beltway of d.c. out here across america and hear from our constituents. >> while congress is on summer break, some members are holding town hall meetings in their districts, and we have been covering them. watch them on line at the c-span

library and see with your member of congress has said. it is all available and free on your computer any time. >> al sharpton was joined by other civil rights leaders today on the anniversary of the martin luther king jr. march on washington, where he'd trade -- where he gave his i have a dream speech. this is about two hours and 45 minutes. >> we have assembled in a non- violent way in honor of dr. king, but the principle of this historic, a great school, the principle of dunbar high school, your host, please give stephen jackson a warm applause and

welcome. the principle of dunbar high school. [applause] >> good morning, ladies and gentlemen. good morning. welcome to dunbar senior high school. how are we doing out there? [applause] first of all, i want to thank the rev. al sharpton and the organizers of this event for mobilizing this rally and march to celebrate and commemorate the memory of one of our greatest leaders, of the rev. dr. martin luther king jr.. [applause] we would like to welcome each and every one of you to one of the great, historical institutions in america, and that is dunbar high school,

which is the first public african-american school in the country. [applause] in our 140 history, we have celebrated many great achievement at this school. one of the first involved general benjamin o. davis. the first black judge, the first black aviator, the first black senator since reconstruction came from the school. additionally, we can include in our ranks eleanor norton homes, and of course, one of the greatest doctors that has ever practiced medicine, dr. charles

troop. these are some of the great leaders in their field and have graduated from this great school. very quickly, throughout the world, we have many problems. it is our job as educators to ensure that we teach our young children and not only must we teach them, we must love them, care for them, and guide them so that they can become our next leaders. today, that is why we are to pass the torch to our children, to let them know that never again will we allow our history to be stolen. on that note, i want to introduce my friend george leonard, who is currently

running at dunbar senior high school. george leonard. [applause] >> hello, my brothers and sisters. let's hear it for reclaiming the dream? . they say a black student cannot graduate from high school. we are going to prove that is not true. black children can learn as well as anybody. some of the best students in the world are the students who brought their dreams to dunbar. they are here today. i pledged and i demand that the graduating class of this year, up we are going to graduate 100% of the black males from this

school in this united states of america. dr. martin luther king had a dream. his dream was for an equal playing field for all people. we are going to make sure that with this gray day -- as great today, we will show america today that not only are black students as great as anyone, but if you give us a chance, we will outdo everyone. we are going to reclaim the dream and pass the torch to the young people. before i do that, i say to all of the black males out there today, pull your pants up. did the gold out of your mouth and put it in your pocket -- take the gold out of your mouth and put it in your pocket.

and now bianca will come and sing to us. >> it is an honor to be part of this day. my name is beyond the farmer, and i am a senior at the size "-- my name is bianca farmer, and i am a senior at this high school. i come from a family that instilled in me the pride and significance of people of faith. i learned never to take their hard work end strife in vain, but to add to their legacy. my definition of reclaiming the dream is to continue to overcome the odds. yes, we have a black president, but we must be fearful of stopping there. there is room for improvement in each of us. we must never forget rosa parks,

shirley chisholm, dorothy height, malcolm x, al sharpton, jesse jackson, and dr. martin luther king jr.. remember what they endured to get us here. although the fight is not the same today as it was 47 years ago, the dream lives on. our champions, our new heroes, our teachers, counselors, administrators, parents and grandparents protect us and remind us of our history and what our future can become. so today, reclaim the dream. join me, and together we can reclaim the dream of our fathers, mothers and grandparents. we can reclaim our families. we can reclaim our schools. we can reclaim our streets. we can reclaim our pride. we have to do that so we can reclaim a promise for a better

tomorrow. i challenge my peers, brothers and sisters to remember how far we have come, and to not allow our legacy to be in vain to reclaim the dream. thank you. >> let's now bring to the podium -- one of the things you will notice. i will not get into long biographees. everyone here today is a vip. can we agree to that? everyone out there is a vip, and everybody to stand here is a vip. it is not the title, it is not a position, it is the action. let us now prepare for our opening prayer. please welcome the rev. dr.

william skinner, co facilitator of the national african american clergy network. [applause] >> brothers and sisters, let's move quietly. every had grabbed a hand in the spirit of unity that will be required. shh. god of abraham, isaac, bester and jesus, we have come from many diverse backgrounds today. we are here at dunbarton to reappear certification -- to reassert and reclaim the dream of dr. martin luther king jr.,

proclaimed 47 years ago. and we have come to acknowledge that apart from you, we are only dependent. we have nothing but what you god.to give us th, your the creator of heaven and earth. your name is holy and matchless, and we have come to praise your name. no earthly power can withstand you. our hope is not in politics or pundits today. our eyes are on you lord. we thank you god, for having raised up dr. martin luther king jr., correct scott king, philip randolph, rosa parks, dorothy height, and so many trailblazers who gave their lives blood for building an america where the practice of democracy is real.

or give as god, all of us -- for give us got -- forgive us god, all of us, for not living that dream. for give us for the negativity and name-calling. for the dropout rate, the jobless rate, the murder rate, the present rate, and the jobs moving overseas and businesses failing. us, god.rgive like dr. king 47 years ago, we have come to reject these shameful conditions. "but like dr. king, we refuse to accept that the fight for justice is bankrupt. thank you, god, for raising up a

new generation of dreamers who will continue this fight, this struggle for jobs and freedom. thank you, god, for president barack obama. thank you, god, for this man of faith, this man who believes in the lord jesus christ but has enough room in his heart for all people. we believe that justice will roll down like mighty waters and righteousness will flow like a stream. we praise you. amen. ♪

>> what do you do, when you have done all you can? it seems like it is never enough, and, what do you say when your friends turn away? you are all alone, all alone. tell me, what do you get when you have given your all and it seems like you cannot make it through? when there is nothing left to do, let you let the lord see you through.

yes, after you have done all you can, you just stand. tell me, how do you handle the guilt of your past? tell me, how do you deal with the shame? how can you smile when your heart has been broken, filled with pain, filled with pain? tell me, what do you get when you have given your all and it seems like you cannot make it through? how do you stand when there is nothing left to do? you just stand while the lord sees you through.

yes, you have done all you can. you just stand. ♪ god has a purpose. your dog has a plan. tell me -- your god has a plan. tell me, when it seems like you cannot make it through. you just stand. stand. stand. through the

through the heartache, through the pain. upnot dividgive in or give hold on, be strong god will come in it will not be long when you have done all you can, after you have done all you can after you have done all you can, you just stand oh, my lordy

you just stand ♪ >> the national action network choir. our first announcement. over to my right, all of you over there, if you can start moving more to my right, moving around. we have a bottleneck of people trying to get in. over here to my right, if you could start moving around the track, that will relieve the bottleneck. they are still wrapped around the corner. they are still wrapped around the corner. [applause] so let's everybody, cooperate. if you have to, moved to my left. make sure that everyone has

space. if we have to, we will fill this damn place up. that is all. rev. sharpton eight here yet, so i can get away with it. the chairman of the board of the college has come all the way from florida. please welcome dr. larry canfiehanfield. [applause] >> good morning. my name is dr. larry hanfield from the great university in daytona beach, florida. it is an honor to take place in this historic event as we honor and recommit to the dream of dr. martin luther king. 47 years later, we realize part

of the dream has become reality. other parts have not. we can go to integrated schools today. we can go to the restaurants of our choice. weaken even elect a black president. but as i reflect -- we can even elect a black president. but as i reflect iran, their cities were less than 30% of black males are graduating from high school. far less are going on to colleges and universities. therefore, the dream has not been totally complete. dr. king gave us a dream with vision. he gave us hope. i stand here today saying we still have hope. we still have a better tomorrow to look forward to. when i think about the founder of bethune-cookman university, she started that university with a $50 cents. she had faith and hope. -- she started that university

was $1.50. she had faith and hope. she knew that education was important. i renew the faith today. we have to go into our high schools and let our elementary school students realize that they are part of the better day tomorrow today. they have to start picking up a book and not picking up and gun. have to let them know that with hope, everything is possible. without hope, nothing is possible. i stand here today, coming from the inner city without a father to know, but a mother who cared. i had an institution that cared about not just educating me, but giving me a sense of responsibility to make a difference in our community. as we celebrate today and recommit ourselves to the dream, let us give that young

child hope for a better tomorrow today. keep the dream alive. god bless you. [applause] >> that was three minutes. give him a round of applause. way to go. [applause] makes me want to enroll in bethune-cookman college. let's keep moving to relieve the bottle neck over to my right. let's spread it out. we are trying to stay on time. we have to step out here at 1:00 sharp. we want to get all of the speakers in. let me now introduce two speakers. each will share their time. ladies and gentlemen, donna pain from the human rights campaign in national gay and lesbian task force and the rev. t.j. williams

from riverside church. giving it up for them. [applause] >> good afternoon. na payne.s donald payn i am here as an african-american lesbian. we are all here together, the national gay and lesbian task force, the national black justice coalition, and the human-rights campaign because we want to renew our commitment in fulfilling the dream. we may occupy a different room, being that we are gay or lesbian, but we live in the same house. went injustice knocks, it comes for all of us. but when we stand together, we build a world that gives everyone equal access. that is why i am here. it is an honor to stand in

solidarity with other activists, reclaim the dream today strikes the same fire in side of our souls of what dr. king wanted for us -- an equal playing field that truly grants everyone access to education, health care, employment, liberty, and freedom. our participation in the civil rights movement is nothing new. in fact, many of you know that an african-american openly gay man was a trusted adviser to dr. king and the architect of the historic march that we're here to commemorate today. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-gendered people have been and will continue to be actively engaged in the fight for justice and so c a-economic equality. -- socio-economic equality.

we will be with you and honor the dream for all of us. thank you. [applause] >> good morning, my brothers and sisters. my name is t.j. williams from riverside church in new york city. when i was at liberty university, i remember being told -- the school was headed by the former rev. jerry falwell. i remember being told by the staff of that institution and the stuff of jesse helms campaign -- the staff of jesse helms campaign that the conservative party was going to keep the african-american community distracted so that they could to meet their real commission, to roll back the

civil rights act of 1963. this is precisely what they mean when they talk about limited government. the push for an extension of states' rights is the hope to resurrect jim crow laws. but god is in the midst of this kind of stuff. it is god who calls us to unify and transfer of this prophetic call to a deeper understanding that this kind of corporate ty lives in all of our traditions and rests on us to be in relationship together. thank you, my brothers and sisters. god bless you and god bless america. ♪ >> many of the speakers have cut

their speeches short. [applause] many of them have cut their speeches real short. we have got to make sure that they are appreciated. turn around and look. it is still wrapped around the block. they are telling me that if you can now start moving down here to my left, we will make sure that you see and hear everything. gradually -- it is delaying them getting in. there is that bottleneck. if you can gradually move a few steps, that will relieve the pressure. i would like to now introduced and bring to the podium the

board member of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence. please, a round of applause, for mr. robert bates. [applause] >> good morning. welcome to my alma mater, dunbar high school. the brady campaign to prevent gun violence has a vision of america, a vision where all are safe and free from gun violence at home, at school, at work, and in our communities. we envision an america where no one can buy a gun without a brady criminal background check, where guns no longer flow from corrupt dealers to the illegal guns cannot bedo

accessed or used by children. to reclaim the dream and truly commit ourselves to dr. king's brady insists on common-sense legislation to stop the violence and bloodshed that occur too often every day, to be true to dr. king's legacy, we must insist on responsibility and accountability for those who own guns. dr. king's non-violent movement was radical in the 1960's when we marched on this date in 1963. his vision needs to be resurrected. let us resurrect the vision for non-violence. i believe we must beat the drum for an america that eliminates easy access to firearms anywhere

we go, for anybody who wants them. i believe we can create a nation with a lot less gun violence. let us reclaim the dream and beat the drum for a safer america. thank you and god bless america. [applause] >> it is not too often that you get to tell the bishop of an ame zion church that he only has three minutes, but he has only got three minutes. ladies and gentlemen, please ishop dennis proctor of a.m.e. zion. >> it is tempting, but the heat

makes it imperative that we only say a word. the word we bring to you from the church, the church of freedom, the church of harriet tubman and frederick douglass and joseph charles price, it is our history. but history without destiny leads to apathy and lethargy. we are here today, as i was here as a nine-year old with my father, to remember the inspiration, the innovation, and the motivation that comes when people tie their interests together. the church, the unions, the civic organizations, higher education, the national council of negro women, when we all pull together -- i will close with the story of a young man taking a shortcut home one evening through a cemetery. he fell into a freshly dug grave and could not get out of

the whole. the next morning, a young girl was going to school and skipping rope. she heard the boy calling for help. the little girl said that her rope was not long enough and put it down. she said that she would go to school and get some help for him. she was on her way. another schoolmate was coming. it was a little boy job tomorrow. his jump rope was not long enough. they both said they would go to school but have the teachers come back to help him. in the hole said to tie the ropes together. that is what we're doing today. we are tying our ropes together so that we can pull those are downtrodden out of the ditch. god bless you, my beloved. [applause] >> i would like to raise and applause in name and spirit.

i know she would be here dr. ite.thy heigh [applause] she was there 47 years ago. if anybody can claim the march on washington, it would be dorothy height and the national council of negro women. let me now introduce a lady who has the awesome responsibility one month after the doctor left us, she is now the chair and president of the national council of negro women, along with the executive director,

please welcome dr. barbara shaw and dr. avis jones. [applause] >> good afternoon. as the chair of the national council of negro women, i am truly honored to be here, along with our executive director. we are here to greet you on behalf of our executive board and the over 4 million women of color. the organization was founded in .935 by dr for almost five decades, it was led by our president emeritus and chair of the board, the late dr. dorothy height. the mission of the national

council of negro women is to lead, develop, and advocate for women of african descent as they support their families and communities. we fulfill our mission for research, advocacy, and national and community-based health education and economic empowerment services and programs. today, i am filled with mixed emotions as i remember being a young woman traveling from baltimore, md., with the jackie robinson news council of the naacp -- youth council of the naacp to the march on washington. we have come this far by faith. we of progress in the area of civil rights. we have made progress as a nation. but the road ahead of us requires much.

they made major contributions to the advancement of social justice. for over half a century, dr. dorothy height provided leadership to the struggle for equality and human rights for all people. her life highlighted hurt commitment to the vision of a better world. 47 years ago, dr. height shared the platform with dr. martin luther king when he delivered the "i have a dream" speech. if you remember, she did not speak. but the doors were opened so that we can stand before you. we thank you for the support of the council and continue to pray and support us. the call for action goes forth.

[applause] ♪ >> i stand before a sea of beauty and power. the future of this nation is you. do not let anyone tell you that they have the right to take their country back. i will remind you that it is our country, too. [applause] today, we reclaim the dream, a dream that was hours from the beginning, a dream that we will make reality. thank you. [applause] >> it is time to step up to the podium. i know we are in howard country, what can i say? i have to say that because i paid four years of tuition, room, and board.

my god, am i happy that is over. [laughter] is there a a more house in the house? here is your president of morehouse college, dr. robert franklin. [applause] >> thank you. god bless you, reverend al sharpton for this important moment in american history. to all of the leaders and organizers and those present today, i stand as a member of the higher education community representing the 105 historically black colleges and universities in america. we're not going anywhere. [applause] we are here to stay. i stand here to remind us all that when martin luther king jr. arrived at morehouse college at

the tender age of 15 in 1944, there were low expectations by people in the community of him. but more house and schools like howard, morgan state, and all of our up 105 historically black colleges, we lead with high expectations. dr. martin luther king jr. and learned things that the world heard on august 28, 1963. we say that there is hope for our young black men. let us all recommit to mentoring and leading them forward. that 15-year-old went on to win the nobel prize in change the world. at morehouse college, we promote that all of our students can learn to become well-read, well-spoken, well-travelled,

well-dressed, and well-balance. those are the five wells that will help resurrect and lead our young people to excellence. i am delighted to know that mr. glenn beck and his colleagues have discovered the "i have a dream" speech. [applause] this is good news. this is something we can all celebrate standing on common ground. we need to remind him that he needs to come to morehouse to learn what martin luther king learned. in preparing for "i have a dream," he read the words of jesus. he read the words of rabbi hillel and said that the world is equally balanced between good and evil and your next act will tip the scale. god bless you. ♪

>> they are still coming in. again, it just gradually moved down to mine left, you are right. keep moving down. let me now bring to the podium from hartford baptist church in detroit -- you know what? i am sitting up here looking for his father. big-time hartford baptist church in detroit. please welcome the rev. christian adams. [applause] >> we bring you greetings from detroit, michigan. we thank god for the hundreds who have boarded buses and made

the drive from detroit, michigan, and from every state. we're going to march against injustice. people ask us why we are still marching in 2010. well, before i answer, my mind goes back to september of 1963, after the march on washington we had a terrible tragedy. the dream turned into a nightmare. a little girl was blown up, murdered in birmingham, alabama, at the 16th street baptist church. when martin luther king, jr. preached the eulogy, he said that even though the little girls were dead, they were living and speaking to the

politicians that served their constituencies the stale bread and spoiled meat of racism, speaking to the clergy that were hiding behind the stained glass windows, speaking to all that stood passively on the sidelines instead of engaging in the struggle for justice. they are speaking to us today. they are telling us to march on. that is what we will do. we will march on as one family. march on as one nation. march on as one people until freedom is onwon. remember, do not be afraid. it has been said that you have to have an empire state of mind

and big dreams, big goals. we must remember king, who said that we will learn to live together as brothers and alone. or die as bofools [applause] ♪ >> dr. palmer, it is absolutely ashamed that the black farmers have not gotten the settlement of their lawsuit. the man who has bought that fight and is still fighting

ladies and gentlemen, the president of the black farmers' association, please welcome dr. john boyd. [applause] >> hello, washington, d.c. i would like to give honor to god, first and foremost. i want to say to dr. king, our world leaders, the founder and the originator, the emancipated, the man who paved the way for blacks in this country and paved the way for america to be what hand today, let's give a for dr. king. let him hear us today. [applause] what dr. king hear us today. -- let dr. king hear us today. [applause]

dr. king gave us a miracle in 2008. he gave us the first african- american president in history. we ought to let that be known today. we supported our president. [applause] in the early 1990's, and made so many trips to washington -- i made so many trips to washington about the plight of black farmers in this country. a landless culture is a powerless culture. those who cannot feed ourselves should be concerned about tomorrow. my plight is your plight. what is the connection between black farmers and african- americans in this country? we have to be able to feed ourselves. if we do not own any land, we cannot feed ourselves. that ought to be important today.

we filed to get a settlement in 1999. that was the largest settlement in history for black people, the black farmers supplement. 14,000 black farmers received compensation for discrimination from the department of agriculture. parking davis beat and said the president has the power. -- dr. king gave a speech and said the president has the power. he talked about discrimination. today we're still talking about discrimination. we have a ways to go. we ought to be celebrating in one aspect and ready to fight in another aspect. they are on the other side of washington talking about the constitution. i want you to know today that the constitution exists for black americans. righteousness exists for black

americans. we want all of those things, too. the constitution does not belong to one group of people. it does not belong to one president. the constitution was written so that all men were created equal. we ought to be excited today. we ought to be excited today as we celebrate the dream. i want you to do something for black farmers when you leave here. on monday morning, i want you to call your u.s. senator and tell them to pass the black farmers' bill. they have been waiting too long. they have been fighting too long. too many have died. as i close, i want to say to my good friend that god is with you. god is with you.

there were 80,000 black farmers the filed discrimination complaints against united states department of agriculture. nobody was fired. a lady pulled over to the side of the road and was asked for her resignation because they thought she had done something wrong to a white farmer. but god fixed it. he picked a good soldier that day. in the goodness of her trying to do something right. i asked the question today about how someone can be fired for that and no one be fired for the discrimination against black people. something is wrong with that today. as i leave today, i want to tell you, do not give up. when we have lost all of our land, do not give up. we have lost the fight for our land, but we will win the fight for black farmers.

thank you. god bless you. ♪ [applause] ♪ >> it takes a heck of a long time for plants to grow. three minutes to him is like, you know, watching corn grow. [laughter] rev. adams is sitting over here saying, "i finished early." anyhow, it is time to bring up another reverend. ya'll are going to be full of the spirit today. we were on time about six minutes ago. [laughter] anyhow. is everybody all right? all right. drink plenty of water now, please.

drink plenty of water. please welcome all away from newark, new jersey, the pastor of metropolitan babbitt's church, the rev. david jefferson. -- the pastor of metropolitan baptist church, the rev. david jefferson. [applause] >> good morning. brothers and sisters, the measure of a man is not simply what he does for himself, but rather the sacrifice that he is willing to make for others. we must not forget our purpose.

we must not forget our cause. 47 years ago, they came from the farmlands of louisiana, north carolina, georgia, they came. from the streets of the inner cities, they came. with chicken wings and chicken legs in brown bags, they came. they came when they did not have a place to stay and they could not ride in the front of the bus. but they came. they came not for themselves. they came that we might have the opportunity that we have today. there is an awesome spirit in this place. there is a spirit here today that commemorates the legacy and life and the dream of dr. king. there were those in his day with

attempted to make him think that he had arrived. there are those today that would make us think that we have arrived. but we have not arrived until every kid in our country has access to a good education. we have not arrived until we have jobs in our inner cities and throughout the united states of america. we have not arrived until there is justice for everyone. we have not arrived. today must be more than an activity. it must be more than an event or an episode. today must go beyond reclaim the dream. we must reclaim our communities. we must reclaim our families. we must reclaim our homes. we must reclaim our children. we have come today, not to preach, but to simply say,

"let's go back to our various places. let's make a difference in the communities from which we have come." god bless you. power to the people. power to new jersey. thank you all. god bless you. [applause] ♪ >> the district share of local 32, come on up. welcome george gershman and michael megrew from the united federation of teachers and laborers. >> good afternoon. thank you for being here. it is a beautiful day. fromme is jaime conterreras

32. it is an honor for me to be here with my brother from 1199 from new york who is here and the other labor leaders. first of all, let me say this. why are we here today? why are the labor leaders here today? because it is a shame what is happening today at the lincoln memorial where the great martin luther king gave the "i have a dream" speech. shame on them, right? today, civil rights leaders, union leaders, religious leaders, and others are joining together to commemorate martin luther king's 47th anniversary of the march on washington and the "i have a dream" speech. we still have a dream. we are here to let the folks at

thatincoln memorial nknow they do not represent the dream. they do not represent my dream. let us speak for all americans. [applause] they represent hate mongering and angry white people. that is who they represent. the happy white people are here with us today, right? i say again to those people at the lincoln memorial, shame on them. today, black, brown, working people in general are joining forces to let those people -- i have another word besides "people close " but i will not say it. we will not let them stand in the way of change, the change that we voted for. we voted for change.

community leaders, civil rights leaders, labor leaders, religious leaders, and others of us are here today to say, "no more immigrant hating." we need comprehensive immigration reform. that here to let them know we need to end this war the the republicans started. we need to end it. that here to let them know we need job creation and not tax breaks for the wealthy. we're here to let them know to invest in education for our children. no more working people aged in this country. enough is enough. there is one more thing i want

to say to you all. in 2008, we stood together and voted for change, right? we still need some of that change to happen, right? on that day in november of 2008, we stood together as a people. we won, right? what does that say? that people united will never be divided. people united will never be divided. thank you very much. keep on fighting. [applause] ♪ >> in washington, d.c., we live on the last plantation in america. it will not be too long. our congresswoman can have a

vote. we pay taxes. we send people to work. we sent one of the best congress women, men, representatives in america up on capitol hill, ladies and hall north.ellen [applause] >> thank you, my good friend. on behalf of the 600,000 residents of the district of columbia, i am pleased to welcome all of you to the nation's capital where the residents will not rest until they get their voting rights and until we are admitted to the

union as the 51st state i want to thank rev. al sharpton, the leadership on civil rights, national and local leaders for bringing us together for an occasion appropriate to the dignity, memory, and memory of the 1963 march on washington. i appreciate those who have gathered at dunbar high school, the first public high school for black students in the united states. it is famed for its excellence, not withstanding segregation. it is known for its achievers. i was fortunate to attend dunbar. i was sitting in one of those segregated classrooms when the principal announced on may 17,

1953, that the supreme court had just declared segregated schools unconstitutional. when the march on washington occurred in 1963, dunbar was not segregated. but schools all over america were still segregated. housing was segregated. blacks in the south did not have the right to vote. the march on washington changed all that. march wills change nothing. but you cannot blame it glenn beck for his march on washington inenvy. to bad he does not have a message worthy of the march. as a kid, i spent part of the

summer in greenwood, mississippi, and part of the summer working for the march on washington. i watched the crowd from the steps of the lincoln memorial. i saw my country coming together across all racial and class lines. movement for equal rights stood for rights for all. we will not be moved. the message to glenn beck is that we will move right over you on this 47th anniversary of the march that changed america, when our country reached to overcome the low point of its racial history. we will not be brought down. [applause]

♪ >> they got a new trick. now when you hear the piano, and you do not go to the last paragraph of your speech, they turn off the microphone. i have got to tell ya'll that you have some nerve turning off the microphone on the congresswoman. it is time for my main man, big ed. ladies and gentlemen, welcome ed schultz. [applause] >> thank you. what a wonderful day. what a wonderful crowd.

give yourselves a hand. this is awesome. [applause] i have never had a three-minute time table, but i will try. the job market in america starts in that building. that is where it starts. let me tell you about ed. i went to a black high school. i know what it was like to be on a black football team. i know what it was like to go undefeated in the regular season. [laughter] i know what it was like the night we went to the playoff game. instead of bringing one bus like they did all season long, they decided to bring two buses. all the white kids got on this bus and all of the brothers got on this bus. i was the last one out of the locker room. i knew the political climate.

i knew why was there. i want you to know that i got on the bus with the brothers. i have been riding with them for the last 40 years. [applause] while the political forces in this country tell us that there is no hope for public education and we should go to school vouchers, ask yourself if that is what dr. king wanted. ask yourself the question, it is public education important to fixing the job issue in this country? let me tell you. i talk about diversity. i am a proud product of the middle class. i am a proud product of racial equality and forced busing. i want to tell my brothers and

sisters all across america, it works. do not be afraid of it. it works. [applause] one final word. ♪ i am not in the tv business. i am not in the radio business. i am living the life of telling the truth about america. they just happened to put a microphone in front of me. god bless you. let's go. yes, we can. yes, we can! god bless america. thank you. [applause] >> i had to see how much he

learned on the bus. [laughter] still have to work on the coordination, just a little bit. we have just one more announcement. they are still coming in. we have an announcement, a little housecleaning right here. >> good afternoon, everyone. all the marshals, all of you will have the t-shirts on assigned it to be marshals -- who signed up to the marshals, we're going to meet all the marshals over by the ryder truck right over here. please make your way over there so that we can give you the instructions for when we start the march. >> what's welcome now to the podium the pastor of the

missionary baptist church in chicago, ill. >> chicago in the house! god bless you, brothers and sisters. today, we're not so much concerned about standing in the same space that dr. king stood in 47 years ago, but we are concerned about bringing the same spirit that dr. king had 47 years ago. we are not concerned about taking america back. we are concerned about moving america forward. [applause] somebody say, "forward with a moral vision." no serious picture can claim to love america without talking about maximum investment in poor, black, latino, and white children and closing the funding

and achievement gap in education. make no mistake about it. america has no future without the success of these children. we cannot compete in the global economy without these children. we cannot rebuild the american economy without these children. we cannot reestablished american values without these children. we cannot defeat global terrorism without these children. we cannot even fund social security in the future unless these children are gainfully employed. without them, there is no america. we believe that the moral vision means that we can do what is good and what is right at the same time. too much of our human potential is untouched in under-funded schools and overcrowded jails. to many young men and now run illegal drug operations and do battle with the police have the

ability to run fortune 500 companies. many of our young ladies on the chicago south side, all of them have the capacity to be the next michelle obama. we must invest in our future. our success -- our future success is invested in these children. on the south side of chicago, there is a school called urban prep. this past spring, wondered eight young men graduated -- 108 young men graduated with acceptance to a college or university. i was at that graduation. i found out that in the beginning, 108 of them went in. at the end, 108 of them came out. it can be done. we can do it. god bless america. [applause] ♪

>> the president of the leadership council on civil and human rights. we're all going to be backing on october 2. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome wade henderson. [applause] >> good afternoon, brothers and sisters. it is good to see all of you. i am wade henderson, the president of the leadership council on human and civil rights. we have over 200 organizations working to build an america like a vision of dr. king where equality and brotherhood are understood every day. there are a lot of people in washington today who think they know what dr. king would be saying and doing if he were here walking amongst us. i am not one of them. i do know that his vision far exceeded the expectations of his day. that is why when barack obama was given the nomination to be

the democratic party candidate for president, it happened on the same day that dr. king gave his "i have a dream" speech right there. his vision exceeded everything. i do know this. he knows that jobs are the issue of the day. if america is not working, america is not working. we need to make sure that there are jobs for everyone who needs one. that means creating 1 million jobs immediately to put all this back to work and make that a top priority. we have heard about education. dunbar is a symbol of what equality education can do even in times of discrimination. whatever zip code your daughter or son lives and should be is a code where quality education is available for all. that has got to be the standard. we need to fix our broken

immigration system. it is wrong to pit for black workers against latino workers and say they have to fight it out for the nonsense jobs available that do not work for any of them. we need to fix the system. we need to make it work. lastly, we have got to lift up the dignity of workers. dignity is found in work. if it were not for the unions, we would not have a five-day workweek. if it were not for the unions, there would have been a march on washington because who paid for the bosseuses. the bottom line is we have to lift up working conditions for everyone. dr. king knew that we were the change we wanted to see happen. that is the message he gave from the steps of the lincoln memorial. lift up your voice. lift up your vote. if you do not vote, you do not count. turn this expectation of a tsunami in november around. make it work for everybody. ♪

[applause] >> i would like to bring to the podium now the national president of the delta sigma theta, cynthia mcintyre. ♪ >> hello. as the national president, i believe there are some delts in the house. we come together on this historic day. we're gathered to commemorate the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our great nation. we are here to reclaim the dream that our great dr. martin luther king jr. and so many other heroes of the civil rights movement fought, lead, and some died for. we're also here to shed light on

the key issues that have diminished the dream like health care, quality education, economic empowerment. as a public-service organization committed to the uplifting and power and african-americans and communities, delta sigma theta has been involved in every social movement since our inception 97 years ago. we were active in the march on washington. our beloved president dorothy height stood as the only woman on the steps of the lincoln memorial. i also stand here today as the chair of the council of nine.ents of the 5divine i stand here representing my brothers and sisters from sororities and fraternities.

we come together today knowing that as african-americans, we are at a pivotal point in history where we can either remain complacent under the guise of society or we can continue to fight for policies that will move us forward and not push as backwards. we must continue to bring to the attention of all the issues of our communities. others want us to believe that there is no discrimination. others want us to believe that there is no need for rallies and cries for equality and justice. others want us to believe that all is well in these united states of america. this is what others want us to believe. but we came today to say that is a lie and the truth is not in it. it is up to us to fight for change. it is up to us to make change happen. it is up to us to declare, reclaim the dream. hug your neighbor and say, "it is up to us." [applause]

>> i am seeing a whole new wave of people coming and. those are the ones that just got up. it is 20 minutes after 12:00 now. ladies and gentlemen, when i am off the air at 10:00 a.m. on w o l. radio one, i do not know where this guy is in the country. sometimes he is in north carolina. sometimes he is in chicago. please give it up for warren valentine. [applause] >> what is up truth fighters?

>> holed up, hold up, hold up. this negro does three our talks, so we have to hold him to 3 minutes. >> i want you to repeat this. a dream without a plan is nothing more than a wish. >> a dream without a plan is nothing more than a wish. >> dr. king had a dream. all we have been doing is wishing. we have been looking for the government. we have been looking for everybody to save us. we have to start thinking about what we are going to do with our money, people. everybody in your community is getting rich, and you do not even realize it. if we want equality, if we want

to be standing strong, it starts with our money. the politicians want us divided, because you know what? republicans and democrats make money off of us in that way. they want us to be racially divided because there is big money in that. i will say what dr. king once said. we may have come here on different ships, but right now we are all in the same boat. until we realize we need to start paddling, we will all go down. i challenge you call today not to just wish, but to plan for a better tomorrow. god bless you. i love you. [applause] >> give him a round of applause. less than three minutes. national council of la raza.

she is the president. give it up. >> it is a true honor for me to be here today with you to pay tribute to the life and legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. august 28th, 1963 is a day that is revered in the latino community as well. thousands of latinos marched with dr. king and other civil rights leaders that day, including my predecessor, a man who led the organization for 30 years. we have been there together. we know what it is like to walk the walk together. the reason we were there that historic august day is that we knew dr. king's dream spoke to everyone. it spoke to us in the latino community. it spoke to every community. today is more important than ever to remember and reaffirm

that dr. king's vision of america and americans included every race, every ethnicity, every religion and every community. in fact, dr. king sent a note of support to a very famous a latino community icon, cesar chavez, that said, "our separate struggles are really one, a struggle for freedom, dignity and humanity." that still rings true today. we reaffirm that promise that was made and we commit to live up to the promised together. life has changed since dr. king's time, but the struggle continues. that is the reason the for 40 years we have stood shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in the african-american

community to promote equal opportunity for all americans. as dr. king noted, we cannot walk alone. 'sam the child of dr. kingscot hope, and it is his hope and his positive vision for america that we need to remind everyone here today and across this city and at the other end of the mall that it is a positive message of hope that we have for our future. together we know that there is more that unites us than divides us. we latinos need to work with our african-american brothers and sisters to live his dream. thank you very much. si se puede! yes, we can. ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the assistant secretary of the united states labor department. [applause] >> thank you very much. so, i am glad to be here. this is not, this is not the counter-rally. i am happy to be here at the rally. because no one else can claim our vision or our dream. when dr. king came 47 years ago , the original march was organized by a philip randolph.

that is still what we are about today. that is what the u.s. department of labour is trying to do today, restore good jobs for everybody. but we have a big challenge. there are those people who would like to have us move the economy and putting it in our car. we want to put the economy not been reversed. we want to put it in drive. in 1993, when the secretary of labor took their position under bill clinton, there were 109 million americans on the payroll. when the second secretary of

labor left under bill clinton, there were 130 two million americans on the payroll. when the baton was passed to help the sillies -- to hilda solis, the daughter of immigrants, the daughter of a teamster local president, when the baton was passed to her, there were not 132 million jobs on the payroll. after the previous eight years there were fewer americans are working. we are not struggling about just a recession. we are struggling about eight of running up the biggest of the set of anybody in american history and delivering fewer jobs. we are here because dr. king's

speech had a lot of whereas-es before he got to the i have a dream part. the whereas the started it was that we did not even have a right to vote. we did not have anybody to vote for if we could vote. but you elected the person we had a chance to vote for, and now we need your help to keep moving the country forward, to keep the dream alive. ♪ >> dallas tx is in the house. board members of national action network please welcome the rev. frederick haynes. >> what happens to a dream

deferred? it doesn't dry up like a raisin in the the sun, fester like a sore, or does it cink -- stink, or maybe it sags like a heavy load, or does it just explode? those words come from langston hughes, a colleague at dunbar. what happens to deferred? ask those for whom the american dream remains an elusive nightmare. asked 40 million who still find themselves beneath the poverty level. what happens to a dream deferred? i guess glen beck has to give it to you like this. it is like a jungle. it makes you wonder, how i keep from going under. sometimes it makes me wonder how i keep from going under. ask those who find themselves in schools better factories of failure, that feed the pipeline so that we now have in this country what is called the new

jim crow. what happens to a dream deferred? we are year to reclaim that dream. why? because he dared to dream 47 years ago against the backdrop of a-nightmare of jim crow apartheid, there to declare we have a dream. yes, we are reclaiming the dream. why? because dreams still come true. 1963 led to the passage of civil rights legislation in 1964. dreams do come true. marching from selma to montgomery led to the passage of voting rights legislation. dreams do come true. because rosa parks sat, jesse ran, al sharpton at stud, obama online, and -- al sharpton it , and now we wione, and

can say that dreams do come true. we shall overcome peace -- we shall overcome. peace. [applause] >> he walked off the stage like james brown. the executive director of deep sea votes. of d.c. votes. >> when i say d.c., you say votes.

d.c. >> of votes. >> we are trying to reclaim a dream. that is true. we are trying to achieve the dream. earlier this morning, we went down to the tea party and we handed out teabags. on the teabags it said taxation without representation in d.c. the tee baggers were all excited about it. thing about kaputhat. the tea party wasn't about taxation. it was about taxation without representation. we have had a tea party in washington, d.c. for a very long time. i demand democracy.

i am d.c. i demand democracy. give-ups' -- give it up, d.c. >> let me welcome now and bring to the podium the chairman of the d.c. city council, mr. vince kraig. grey. >> get afternoon, everybody. welcome to the historic high school from which i am a proud graduate. go forward and help people in this city. if we talk about education, let's reflect back on 47 years

ago when dr. king not only talked about the differences among africans in this country, he painted the greatest division ever for us to move it forward. 47 years later we still have the talent and the drive to right the wrongs that have been done to minorities in this nation. we know we need to improve public education so that our kids can graduate and have the ability to get a job in this society. we need to improve employment in this city. when you go to the east end of this city, ward 8, 35% unemployment. ward 7, 19% unemployment. it is time to be outraged and get our people back to work again. everybody deserves to work. also, the district of columbia deserves to be treated with equality. we pay the same federal taxes as everybody else in this nation. last year we paid $3.6 billion

in taxes, and we cannot even get a vote in the congress from one of the most outstanding representatives in this nation, eleanor holmes norton. so, instead of just fighting for a vote, it is time for us to stand up and become the 51st state in the nation. it is time for us to be outraged. those of us who live here, let's demonstrate our outrage. those who live outside the city, go back, and say it is time to right the wrongs in the nation's capital. we cannot fight for democracy in foreign places and not fight for dead at home. ladies and gentlemen, let's right the wrongs. let's live up the dreams of dr. king. let's have equality in our nation's capital. thank you very much. [applause] >> we are now in the final banks

of the speakers. they are all lined up up there. tom joyner is out there. i saw tom. reverend sharpton is here. they're all standing by, ready. we still have people coming in. so we are not going anywhere until we hear from the chairman of the board of the national action network, the rev. franklin richardson, a pastor of grace baptist church. >> good afternoon. i want you to know that we're really grateful to have you here. it is important that we are here. not far from here, 50 years ago, a great american articulating the hopes and dreams of his generation. we are here because we have picked up the generation. we have picked up their hopes

and their dreams. we believe that we are testifying to the souls of those who fought before us. we testify that we will never forget their sacrifices. we will never forget what they did for our hopes and dreams. we will never forget them. but we are here to celebrate the accomplishments of the last 50 years. we have gotten many doors open, new opportunities. we have a lot to be proud of. we are also here because the work is incomplete. there is still much that we must do. why are we year and the other group is at the mall? this is america. all of us ought to have the opportunity to speak and to give their particular point of view. i happen not to agree with their point of view, would fight for their right to speak at the

mall. the italian. we have been at the mall. for the last 100 years we have -- let me tell you. we have ben at the mall. for the last 100 years we have been at the mall. now we are in the white house. as long as they are at the mall, it is all right with me, because we are into the white house. we require a great commitment, excellence. ralph waldo emerson said you can build a better mousetrap than your neighbor even if you build your house in the woods. we must not set out to be a great negro doctor or a great negro musician. we must get matriculation at the

university of integration. we must carve marble like michelangelo carved marble. we must write music like beethoven wrote music. we must do it so well. have a great meeting on the other side. [applause] >> the next speaker is head of the oldest, largest civil rights organization, the naacp.

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome him. [applause] !> fired up >> ready to go! >> ok, let's try a different chant. si se puede! >> yes, we can. >> that is right. raise your hand if you're here on january 20th, 2009. raise your hand if you stay, and watched it on tv because it was to call.

-- if you stayed at home and watched it on tv because it was too cold. i cut the forecast two years earlier. i said to my grandfather, i think we have a winner this time. it was not me, it was barack obama. my grandfather said, bubarack who? my grandfather said, do not put your heart in that too much, because it will be a cold day. there i was, wearing a cap that needed to be pulled down, and i said granddad, you are right. it is a cold day, and barack obama is president.

i remind us of the day because it was a day when the entire country fell united. it was a day when we saw our country as a place of bit parts and big mines. for a year and a hat -- big ig minds.d baked min for a year-and-a-half we have watched our small hearts on a small screen. es the the media year sei signs at our rally. across town, they told them not to bring any signs. imagine that. imagine dr. king said, it cannot

happen. number what other list is to not bring your signs. no. 2 on their list is do not bring your guns. we have come too far. we have passed health care reform. we have come too far by narrowing the disparity between crack and powder. come too far by saving teacher'' jobs. we have come too far to turn back now. we will not sit down. we will not be counted out. we will be there for the election 2010, and that is why we need you. that is right. we will be there, and we need you back here on october 2nd for the one nation rally the rev. sharpton, the national council of la raza and the student

associations of minorities across this country are helping us to organize. it is time for when minorities turn on the television that they see themselves reflected back. we need to put our country back to work and pull our country back together. thank you and god bless. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, let me enty, the adrian fant mayor of washington d.c.. >> lesson everybody. we are short on time, so i am going to say three things. welcome to our nation's capital.

do not ever forget that here in d.c., 600,000 taxpaying american citizens pay taxes and do not have of the -- a vote in congress. that is something all of us should be outraged by. as the rev. sharpton comes to the microphone, do not forget his great push for education. do not forget the great push he is on so that all of us have the same opportunity to go to fantastic schools. god bless you. thank you for being in the nation's capital. [cheers and boos] >> melanie campbell is the executive director and ceo of

the national coalition of black civic participation and one of the co-sponsors of reclaim the dream. please welcome her. >> thank you. thank you reverend sharpton and martin luther king iii for calling on all of us to reclaim the dream of dr. martin luther king jr. repeat after me. i am the dream. >> i am the dream. >> i am the dream. >> i am the dream. >> you are the dream. >> you are the dream. >> we are the dream. >> you are the dream. >> reclaim the dream. i want to recognize the ladies your year today in great numbers. i bring you greetings on behalf of my 81-year-old mother who is

watching us here today. i am honored and humbled to be with all of you today to celebrate the life and legacy of dr. king and those leaders who joined him on the 1963 march on washington for jobs. can we say jobs? >> jobs. >> just as. >> justice. >> and equality. >> equality. >> 250,000 unem andsung -- to 250,000 unsung heroes came to washington, d.c. to cash a check that was marked "insufficient funds."

we are gathered here today to renew and rededicate ourselves to dr. king's dream, and to open the doors of opportunity to all of god's children. 47 years ago dr. king gave his i have a dream speech right here in the nation's capital. he declared the 1963 was not an end, but a beginning. we are working to achieve dr. dream to achieve equal opportunity for all of our citizens. he told them this situation can and will be changed. we must be determined not to wallow in the valley of despair. they saw dr. king's leadership and stayed focused on change.

what did we do in 2008? we voted for change. we voted for health care. in 2010, we won the fight for health care for all americans. just as in 1963, today there are a nation -- there are those who do not want our nation to embrace change. they want to go backward, not forward. today, august 28th, 2010, we are here to declare that we are here to move forward for change. as pope, declared, we're here to build a new foundation for economic recovery and -- as barack obama declared, we are here to build a new foundation for economic recovery. ool out here. we showed up. we claim the dream.

one thing about the mountaintop experience, here is what we say. when we stop marching is when we do not see mass incarceration of our young people. when we do not see record unemployment. when we stopped marching? when we do not see people without access to health care, a bailout for wall street, foreclosures on main street, on your street, on my street. people are drowning economically five years after hurricane katrina. when will we stop marching? when our students and our grown men will lift up their pants.

can i get an amen. i love you my brothers, i said in love. i will close out ended just say -- closed out and just say, when you go back home, go home for a change. make sure you vote in 2010. make sure you vote. is anybody here from ward 8? you voted on monday. volunteer year. tell the young girl her laugh is beautiful. tell that young man you can be anything you want to be. thanks to the 1963 march on

washington, you can the president of the united states. i have a dream. you are the dream. we are the dream. redeems a dream. 3 claim the drain. -- reclaim the dream. thank you and god bless you. [applause] >> we have two more speakers and then the reverend sharpton, and then we are going to get ready to march. i do not believe this. they either cannot get in or they do not want to get in. they probably want to jump in front of the line. ladies and gentlemen, my main man, you see a lot now that they're talking about the five- year anniversary of katrina. there are probably a lot of people in new orleans who wished he was still the mayor of new

orleans, but we are pleased to have him on the civil rights front. she can come on up. no, her. thank you. you got it? all right. there is a recorder here. ladies and gentlemen, we are glad to have him on the civil rights front. we are also glad to have him leading the effort to keep our families together. let's welcome the president and ceo of the national urban league. [applause] >> good afternoon brothers and sisters. i am grateful to see each and every one of you, and i am equally grateful to the rev. al sharpton and martin luther king iii for bringing us here today.

we gather on this day at this historic school, named after the great putt dunbar -- poet dunbar, this school, the first school and for black children in the history of the united states, this school where educators and others graduated. we gather on the founding -- we gather on the anniversary of the founding of the national urban league, the 47th anniversary of the march on of washington, a week in which we celebrate women's suffrage, we gather. we gather at a time when fourscore and seven years ago,

dr. martin luther king and his colleagues john lewis, a philip randolph, dorothy height and others gathered with men and women, children of all races, creeds, colors and religions to affirm a new vision for america in the 20th century. they gathered. they gathered because they wanted to affirm those words in body -- words embodied by the founding fathers of this nation that all people are created equal and all people are in doubt with certain inalienable rights, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. let the word go forth.

we are here today as the children and grandchildren of a generation of dr. martin luther king. let the word go forth that in this crowd are also many who truly marched with, understood, and shared dr. king's vision 47 years ago. let the word go for the we are here to reclaim that dream once and for all in this, the 21st century. we reclaim the dream because it is a dream of health care for all. it is a dream of access to affordable housing for all. it is a dream of good schools with good teachers for all children everywhere. it is a dream of good jobs with a living wage for all people. we reclaim the dream for our

mothers and fathers, for our children, for our grandchildren. we reclaim that dream for everyone is fighting to make ends meet, who is struggling to send their school trips -- their children to school and to college, for teachers who are on the frontline. we reclaim that dream for health care workers and public servants everywhere in this nation. we reclaim this dream for andré pernfors and small businessmen and women -- 4 audra pernfors -- entrepreneurs and small businessmen and women. some seek to hijack, contort and distort and confuse the vision of dr. king's dream.

we do not care if their names and in an a or b. if their names end in an o or p, a y or z. we do not care whether they are members of the tea party, republican party, democrat party, coffee party, or if there at a cocktail party. let the word go forth the we reclaim the dream for the 21st century. [applause] we reclaim the stream because we are here to say that we must be one nation. we must be one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty,

justice, and economic opportunity for all. we must become one nation under god, with liberty, justice, economic opportunity, and education for all. we must be one nation empowered to ensure that every child is ready for college, work and life. we say yes. we say no to the achievement gap. we say no to the graduation cap. we say no that there are more black men in jail than in college. we say no to a world where a majority our children cannot read or do math at grade level. we know that if our children are educated we can bulldoze all the children's -- all of the prisons. we said yes to teachers that are accountable. we say yes to a future where

there is economic opportunity and equal education for all. we must be empowered. we must be empowered to ensure that we are one nation, under god, indivisible with liberty and economic opportunity and justice for all to ensure that every person has access to a good job that pays a living wage and good benefits. we must be empowered to ensure that we are one nation under god. today, we say wake up america. we stand on the shoulders of martin luther king. we stand on the shoulders of shirley chisholm, barbara jordan, jackie robinson, roy wilkins, thurgood marshall. we stand upon the shoulders of our fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers.

reclaim the dream. reclaim the dream. reclaim the dream. we are empowered. [applause] >> ladies and gentleman, i amra have to use two words to introduce the next speaker. i would say that i get up in the morning to listen to him, but i am doing my own show. ladies and gentlemen, tom joyner. [applause] >> hey, everybody. how are you doing? are you ready to march? i know i am. excuse me, i need to do a photo

op here. let me bring my photographer out. do you have a real wide lands? not that i need a real wide lens. day, when the civil rights movement was marching just like we are marching today, how do you think they got the word out to get 40,000 people at the lincoln memorial? they did not have cnn. they did not have social networks. it was black radio.

we would stop the music. we would give the microphone to dr. king, reverend abernathy or whomever, and they would tell you when, where and why we would march. i was with dr. king on the last leg of the selma to montgomery march. i am marching now, just like i did then, and i am glad to be here today. it is hot out here. it is getting late. it is time to march. after the rev. al sharpton fires as up. thank you very much. i love the black people. [applause] >> let me bring this young lady up because she is going to take my place and introduce the next speaker. i will tell you why.

mary pat hector is going to introduce the secretary of education. this young lady raised enough money to bring three buses from stone mountain georgia. [applause] stone mountain, ga. sure has changed, hasn't it? >> onny duncan was handpicked -- arnie duncan was handpicked to be secretary of education by president barack obama. he believes the civil rights is the issue of our generation. he wants everyone to go to college. he was in atlanta to listen to everyone.

he listened to me, students and educators. i want everyone out there today to listen to him. please tell me in welcoming -- help me in welcoming arnie duncan. [applause] >> let's have another round of applause for her. she is the future. thank you to all of you for coming out. we have to educate ourselves to a better economy. this is the civil rights issue of our generation. if you go back and look at dr. martin luther king's speech, a week after he spoke, at the governor of alabama said they needed a new funeral in alabama. a week after that, the church in

alabama was bombed and for beautiful black children were killed. it is up to us to reverse this violence. it is up to us to make sure that every single child in this country gets a world-class education. we have to work together. we have to make sure all of us are accountable. parents, turn off those tvs at night. read it to your children. the part of the solution. educators, you have to stop making excuses. we have to stop talking about other people's children. these are our children. we have to work together to give them an opportunity. pastors, your churches are open on sunday, but if they are closed on saturday, you are part of the problem. open up those churches. bring them in. community members, you can be

part of this. tudor, a volunteer, mentor, help. the part of the solution. give our young people here today a round of applause. we are here for them. they are the future. our young people have to take their education very, very seriously. if they work hard and go to college they will have opportunities. if they do not, they drop out, there are no options, no options out there for them. the dividing line in our country today is not about white and black, it is about educational opportunity. if we give every single child a great education, our country will go to a different level. if not, we will continue to struggle. ladies and gentlemen, we have waited too long. we have been too complacent.

we can no longer do that. we have to step up. we have to work together to demand action now, not 40 years from now, not five decades from now, now. we have to put bill dr. king's legacy. god bless. thank you for -- we have to fulfil dr. king's legacy. god bless. thank you for all of your hard work. >> ladies and gentlemen, let us now get ready. i would like to bring to the podium to introduce our keynote speaker at the national executive director of national action network, please welcome valerie. >> good afternoon. on behalf of the national action network, i would like to say thank you to all of you for your presence here today. for those of you have traveled from as far as los angeles or as

near as a southeast washington, we thank you. we thank you for your part in this ongoing journey as we continue our quest to reclaim the dream. it was 47 years ago that a great american stood here in the united states capitol to claim history. the rev. dr. martin luther king jr. had a dream that one day all americans would receive equal justice, justice not based on the color of their skin but the content of their character. today, i am excited that we can celebrate the many accomplishments of african- americans, the people of color still struggle with the plethora of issues that are eating away at the very core of our community. we struggle with inadequate education of our young people,

where they are faced with where they live and not what they become. we struggle with being underemployed or not employed at all. we are still the last hired and the first fired. we struggle with minority businesses being marginalized and undercapitalized. we struggle with the pandemic of gun violence in urban centers across america. our children are hopeless and misdirected, and the american people choose to stand by and do nothing about it. in 2003, my friend's father was murdered by gun violence. i made a personal commitment on that date to lend my hand and my resources and my voice to help eradicate gun violence with our young people in this country. today, as national executive

director of one of the country's most effective civil rights organizations, i am asking you to join national action network in that fight, the fight to save our young people. for all of the young people who have joined us here today, please go back, and tell your friends and to put down their weapons, turn away from gang violence and turned towards community building. put down your weapons, pick up your bucks. -- pick up your books. put down your weapons, pick up your pants. the future is truly in your hands. we still have a powerful dream to reclaim, a dream that is deeply rooted in the promise of

america. together we can make that dream a reality. in order to do that, we must take back our communities one by one and challenge ourselves. we must take back our community so that our children are safe. we must show up, my people. show up at your child's school at the way my parents showed up for me. show up in our homes so that our families are nurtured and protected. we must show up so that our voices are heard. but most importantly, we must not wait for others to do for us what we can absolutely do for ourselves. in the spirit of dr. martin luther king, i say to you, go back.

go back brothers and sisters. go back to new york. go back to atlanta. go back to philadelphia. go back to houston. go back to california. go back to your communities knowing that united we will reclaim the drain. -- reclaim the dream. there is a person on the international stage of carries on the legacy of dr. martin luther king jr. he not only speaks for the voiceless, he acts for power for those who have no power. we are at the school today because he has assured that education equality be the civil rights issue of our time. this same person embodies the hopes and dreams of the current generation.

sometimes bloody, but never allowed -- never bowed. confronted, but always courageous. i want to bring to you as a drum major for justice, and the president of the national action network, the rev. dr. al sharpton. [applause] >> no justice! >> no peace! >> what do we wind? >> action. >> when do we want it? >> now.

>> when do we want it? >> and now. >> reclaim the dream. let me thank all of you that came from all over the country. this is not a rally. this is a march. we are getting ready to line the streets of washington by the thousands, because others marched. we have a different life. but we have to keep that going so that our children will have an even better life than us. somebody said, why are you

marching? wiry rallying -- why are you rallying? they called us troublemakers. but now they're trying to have a march themselves. we come because the dream has not been achieved. we made a lot of progress, but we still have a long way to go. i spoke last night at howard university. i will have branden come before we leave. i told the students, you do not mistake progress for a rival -- for a rrrival.

i was on a plane, and about half an hour into the flight we ran into a storm. the plane started shaking. the plane started dropping. i looked up the window and could not see because it was cloudy. for about 15 minutes we went through a turbulent storm, but after a while, we cleared the storm. i did not get off the plane. we had just gotten through the storm. we had not arrived yet. just because we got through a storm, does that mean we have arrived. we are not there yet. grades behindur in reading and mathematics. we are not there yet. we are still the last hired, first fired. we are not there yet. we are still bringing democracy

to capitals overseas when we do not have democracy for the citizens of washington, d.c. we're not there yet. so when we leave here today, we are leaving like they did 47 years ago. we are leaving to say, we must have a jobs bill, and those that will not vote for us, we will not vote for them. this is not about a one day thing. we need to show upo. they think we showed up in 2008, and they are betting on us to not show up now. we have just begun to fight and we are not going to let you turn back the clock.

[applause] we need education policy. we're not interested in throwing away our children. i do not care what your background is, they can learn it, they can make it. our children cannot believe their only option is to be a gangster. our children cannot take off their malcolm t-shirts and put on scarf is. we did not come this far to be no gangsters. we know what knowledge is and we

the true back tot ho of who we are. with the corporations that come in our community and make profits and do business, and we are going to deal with the private sector just as we met those black and latino advertisers that were dismissed by a company called burger king. we do not have to have of what appeared if you cannot do business with us, then you'd somewhere whatevhopper else. but let me say this, because there is some confusion.

i want to straighten this out for some of my brothers and sisters in the media. there is a story in the bible where there were some that saw a man named joseph. joseph had a coat of many colors. and there were his brothers that were jealous of him. he had no idea. -- he annoyed them, bothered them, because he kept talking about his dreams. and finally they plotted and killed him and threw him in the pit, and said, let's leave him there. they plotted to kill him.

they thought they killed him. they did not kill him. they put him in a pit and see what has become of his dream. well, there was another man named martin luther king who came to washington d.c. 47 years ago, and he talked about a dream. he left here and went to birmingham, and he kept annoying them. he got us the right to vote and the right to public accommodation. base laid him. when they put him in the pit, some of us went into the pit and going on drugs and breaking up our families. but do not confuse the pit for pitstop, because we are coming out of that pit today. i will show you what became of

his dream. when dr. king it came here 47 years ago, which came on the back of buses, but today we flew in first-class. what became of his dream? we could not sleep in a hotel. we cannot use a restaurant coming up 95 north. but now we have public accommodations. what became of his dream? in 1963, they were asking kennedy to hear them. in 2010, because he went to sell look, we have an african- american president -- because he went to selma. what became of his dream? reverend al, your dream too much. let me tell you something. if you do not start with a dream, you will not wake up and do nothing.

you have got to see what is not there and then wake up and make it happen. you have got to see what is not there and fight to make it happen. and we are the children of dreamers, that saw us here when we could not see ourselves. we are the children of dreamers that look firehoses in the face and defied death singing "we shall overcome." we took the most artful country in the world and never fired one shot, but turned the social order upside down. you did not know who you are messing with. we made it something happened. we took food stamps and welfare and reordered the economy. we are the children of the dreamers. why do i believe in the dream?

internationally, i have seen it happen. there was a powerful man named winston churchill. one day he heard about one of the colony's rebeling in kenya and he had 150,000 tribesmen put into an incarcerated area. one of those men suffer that incarceration, but they kept on a tree. but that tribesmen who was in son is nowage -- his the president of the united states. one day, george wallace stood in this doorsteps of the university of alabama and prevented at young black woman and a young black man of from going to college. we had to get the federal

government to open the doors. that young black girl had little sister. and that little sister watched as they threatened her sister going to that school as a black woman for the first time. little sister'girl's grew up. she married a man who is now the attorney general of the united states, eric holder. when we announced this gathering, they said to me why go to school? because we must close the education gap. they told me that others will be applicabat the mall, standing w. king stood. well, they may have the mall, but we have the message. they may have the platform,

but we have the dream. the dream was not about states' rights. in fact, if you read the dream, martin luther king talked about the governor's whose lips were dripping with the words of nullification, and those that tried to take his place are trying to nullify the law. look at arizona. they are trying to interfere with civil rights. just because you have the spot, does not mean you are standing up for the dream. if you understood dreaming, you can dream anymore. we do not have to be at the spot. all we need to be is who we are. we can dream from jail cells. we can dream from hospital beds. we can dream wherever we are. but while they are down there, they should ask aabkee

lincoln about why he stood for states rights for the union. will there be trouble today? there is no trouble. we would not disgrace the day by allowing you to provoke us. no matter what you say or do, we will celebrate those that laid down their lives to give us a chance. [applause] this is not about -- this is about ddr. king. we will walk together, black,, white, straight, gray. those that bleed int h the drea, we will march together.

we will march until we get statehood for d.c. and close the education gap. as we get ready, i want you to hear -- we are going to line up. and i want you to follow the march. don't rush, because there was already act like there is not but 2000 of us in here. let the lines stretch so they can show the world the real dreamers in town. do not be stepping on each other's heels. we will do this orderly. if people start heckling, smile at them. if they tried to distract you, keep your eye on the prize. we are going to where they will

build the king of monument. martin luther king iii will speak to us there. three people come out. sister jenkins, brandon harris, head of student government for howard university, and gregory flores of the teamsters, are what neyou toc come out. they represent how we will get the education and jobs bill to work. labor, use, and independence -- youth and independent. how many are you are ready to march? how many of you thank god for martin luther king? how many of you thank god -- if you so mad, you cannot do what i

am asking, stay here. do not get out there on dr. king. this is not your march. you ain't that mad, you ain't done nothing till today, don't do it today. don't get a temporary fit now. they want to disgrace the state. we are not giving them this day. this is our day and we are not giving it away. listen to these three and we will live up. >> thank you, everybody for being here to represent a march on behalf of martin luther king jr. i represent stand up for democracy in d.c., otherwise known as free d.c. i welcome you to the last plantation, the last column, the

nation's capital. as long as you have 600,000 people living in the nation's capital paying the highest federal taxes per person in the nation who do not have representation in the house or senate and can not get that $2.30 billion that we lose every year because we cannot tax people that work here and do not live here. we need your help. go back home. tell your senators and your congressperson, free d.c. make us the 51st state. sisters arers arnd here waiting for your help. free d.c. >> before i would begin i would be remiss if i did not a knowledge the 300 students from howard university. >> thank you. >> my name is brandon harris.

i am the executive president of the howard university students association. today, we are here not just to reclaim a dream but to realize the vision. the last 47 years -- in the last 47 years, advances have been made. but every struggle reaches a turning point. we find a world on the brink of monumental change. as society unsure of how to cope with the issue of race. but if there's anything that king's speech taught us is the only way to deal with race is directly. we cannot let -- allow the concept of race to strip us of our humanity. in spite of technological progressions, we have begun to socially regressive as we are