the reception of all these officials there and, also, the president. the first black president speaking on such a historic day. >> i think what's amazing is how deeply it actually touches people. again, being the first black president and the first black family. people are already excited and then had such a resonance. standing on the foot of the edmund pettus bridge. fighting for american rights and being in a community where people lost their lives. but it also touches home. people have lived here and have family members who suffered greatly, again, for our rights to vote. and, so, as the president and the first family took to the stage, you kind of felt that swell of excitement and every one applauded. now, i'm sure once he's finished talking, people are going to be, you know, dealing with a mix of emotions because this is the anniversary weekend of such a tough weekend. i actually want to bring someone in. sir, i wonder, what brought you here today. we're moments away from hearing the president speak. >> we initiate the movement back

in '63. >> how does it feel to be back here? >> back here, for the feeling to be back here and to go back 50 years and we as kids had we would free america. we didn't know this. we were fighting. racism. just what we were fighting. but coming back today and looking at 50 year and evaluating what we came on 50 years ago, we are still struggling economically and we're still struggling education and right to vote. so, we still got some more bridge to cross. >> how old were you? >> i was 17. >> i'm 70 now. i'm a foot soldier. >> wow, that's amazing, sir. as you mentioned, people who are from this community. people have come from all over the country. most importantly beyond the big names. we all know who john lewis is

and we fought hard. so many foot soldiers who don't get the recognition and filled the ranks and the freedom fighters and so i wonder, when you say there's so much further to go and i don't mean any disrespect at all, has any of it been in vain? you laid it all on the line. >> it's amazing because i think we, see, we were in beaten in '63 and '64. it wasn't on media. ran over by horses. all of it had taken place when dr. king came january 2nd and he brought the media. so what happened on the bridge and so, what happened the fact that when he came across the bridge, he attacked. we needed that. we needed something to and

dealing with the voter. >> i say this, sir. as you say that, it reminds me that 50 years ago it was that attack on that bridge. it was that brought the attention and here we are 50 years later and all the eyes of the world here again and now you have the first black president here. that wouldn't be possible without the struggles. >> take it a step further .furt. >> what was that like the step foot? the long journey to the white house. >> i had three flights canceled. >> wow. >> only one plane flying. somewhere on this plane and to go to the white house and the president and the first lady came in and three women and i was the only man. he said, i want to deal with the people that who did all the

labor. the one would not be in the white house if few people hadn't done what you had to do. that was exciting. >> wow. >> that was hard. >> that's -- thonk you, sir for. that's not lost on anyone. the heavy price people paid. people in this community know all too well the struggles and the fights that people have endured. >> trymaine, also not lost the people on that stage today, as i mentioned. we have been talking about all morning and afternoon long representative john lewis is going to be speaking. the first black president, president obama and he's going to be speaking, as well. you also have there first lady michelle obama. also sitting next to them former president george w. bush and his wife, laura. just looking at that stage and thinking back 50 years uz go. many people might not imagine this view. >> oh, that's right.

you have a white president sitting next to a black president and also last week i sat down with chief riley, the chief of police. he sits in the former's mayor's office another thing people couldn't imagine. >> and we're also very much interested, too, in hearing what representative lewis has to say. i mean, this is a man and, trymaine, you know this all too well. he endured so much to be there today. he has endured so much to do what he's done with politics and try to make a difference. hearing what he has to say seems like one of the most important speeches that i imagined that people want to hear as they anticipate listening to those on that stage. >> oh, that's right. i spoke to john lewis a couple hours ago. and the one thing that struck me was that he said that the ache of that day still sits with him. and that they fight hard so many

battles still worth fighting. he said there are physical scars and also emotional scars. he lives with this every day. so although he is a champion, he's still a foot soldier at heart. i think that was really an amazing take away for me. >> are you seeing many young people in the crowd because i know as president obama's children, malia and sasha walked p up. people were excited to see them. when you think about the future generation and as this information and this day is commemorated and passed on, are you seeing a lot of the younger generation start to understand what has happened? >> you're seeing kind of a mix. a lot of young folks are with their families. but i also saw members of choirs and red sweaters, proud. you had the brown chapel choir, a group of young people up there singing and praising on the big screen for everyone to see. and while the crowd is still mixed age wise, you can tell there is a point of pride.

you talked to parents and they say it's important for their children, their grandchildren to be here to experience this moment because while we were not alive then, folks. >> thanks for that report. i'll ask you to stand by because i want to bring in clinton yates and professor ogletree. i'll start with you, professor, we're going to get into the details of the speeches and what everyone has to say, but just taking a moment, looking at this stage. looking back at the 50 years and where this country has come, what are your thoughts right now? >> i think they're great. i'm looking at the nation and the governors, the people who are running businesses, running law firms, people who are teaching at schools. i see a lot of progress from what happened 50 years ago. we're proud of that. i'm very happy that we can, in a sense, weigh the fact that whatever people sacrifice. john lewis and many of the people who were beaten like him

and jailed like him, they open up doors that we never imagined. but now those doors are very important going forward in the 21st century. >> clinton, i want to bring you in just to get your thoughts as someone that is watching. this is truly history in the making right now. yes, we're commemorating what happened 50 years ago but looking at that stage today and as we wait for the president to speak. this is history that is made today. >> yeah, but i mean to the point you're saying about progress and so forth. i think this nation is way, way too obsessed with this very self referential notion that things are necessarily getting better. the bottom line is that you look at the report that the justice department put out. still police departments that are actively trying to get money out of communities of color for the sake of just that. it's not, okay, maybe we're not turning water hoses on people the way that we once did. when you look at the systemic problems that are causing people to have issues with the way they're trying to pursue their lives. >> clinton, i have to interrupt you because we are watching

representative john lewis take to the microphone and, of course, we definitely want to hear what he has to say. so, stand by, please. >> thank you, terry. thank you, my dear. thank you, my sister, my colleague, for those kind words of introduction. my beloved brothers and sisters, members of the american family on this day. we as a nation have a great deal to be thankful for. jimmy lee jackson! jimmy lee jackson whose death inspired the selma march along with so many others did not make toee this day. but you and i are here. we can bear witness to the

distance we've come and the progress we made in 50 years and we must use this moment to recommit ourselves to do all we can to finish the work. there's still work to be done. get out there and push and pull until we redeem the soul of america. now i want to thank president barack obama and mrs. obama, president george bush and mrs. bush for being here today. i want to thank all the members of the cabinet and the administration. my colleagues and the congress, all the elected officials, including the great governor robert bentley, including the mayor of selma george evan and

all the american people. i would like for all members of the congress in our delegation just to stand. thank you. i want to thank the faith and politics institute for bringing us together one more time and the co-leaders of our delegation, senator tim scott, senator brown and representative mart martha, thank you so much. it is with our first contact when we first came to selma in 1962. registered people to vote here long before we arrived. also glad to see the daughter of governor george wallace here,

peggy wallace kennedy, thank you for being here, peggy. and i want to thank each and every one of you who marched across the bridge on bloody sunday, you didn't have to do it, but you did it! thank you! i tell youuts it's good to be in selma one more time. just one more time. people often ask me, why do you come back? what purpose does it serve? we come to selma to be renewed. we come to be inspired. we come to be reminded that we must do the work that justice and equality calls us to do. on march 7th, 1965, a few

innocent children of god, some carrying only a plain purse or a backpack were inspired to walk 50 dangerous miles from selma to montgomery. to demonstrate the need for voting rights in the state of alabama. on that day, on that day, 600 people marched into history. walking two by two. not interfering with the traffic.

military we were so peaceful, so quiet. no one saying a word. we were beaten, tear gassed, some of us were left bloody right here on this bridge. 17 of us were hospitalized that day. but we never became bitter or hostile. we kept believing that the truth we stood for would. this city on the banks of the alabama river gave birth to a movement that changed this nation forever. our country will never, ever be the same because of what happened on this bridge. eight days after bloody sunday the president of the united states johnson delivered one of

the speeches ever made. he said the time has come, i believe sincerely that no force can hold it back. it is right eyes in god that is sure to come. he said at time history and fate neither a thing or place a turning point so it was in lexington and concord. so it was in selma, alabama. each of us must go back to our homes after the celebration. and build on a legacy of the

march on 1965. the selma movement is saying today that we all can do something. so i said to you, don't give up great meaning to you. don't get lost in a sea of despair. stand up for what you believe in. because in a fine analysis we are one people, one human family. we all live in the same house. the american house. live life. we are hispanic, asian american, native american. but we're one people. thank you.

my beloved brothers and sisters. it is a great honor for me to return to my home state of alabama. to present to you, not to introduce to you, but to present to you the president of the united states. if someone had told me we would be crossing this bridge. that one day i would be back here introducing the first african-american president i would have said you're crazy, you're out of your mind, you don't know what you're talking about. president barack obama!

>> well, you know i love you back. it is a rare honor in this life to follow one of your heroes. and john lewis is one of my heroes. now, i have to imagine that when a younger john lewis woke up that morning 50 years ago and made his way to brown chapel

heroics were not on his mind. a day like this was not on his mind. young folks with bed rolls and backpacks were milling about. veterans of the movement trained newcomers in the tactics of nonviolen nonviolence, the right way to protect yourself when attacked. a doctor described what tear gas does to the body. while marchers scribbled down instructions for contacting their loved ones. the air was thick with doubt, anticipation and fear. and they comforted themselves with the final verse of the final hymn they sung. no matter what may be the test,

god will take care of you. god will take care of you. and then his nap sack stocked with an apple, a toothbrush and a book on government, all you need for a night behind bars, john lewis led them out of the church on a mission to change america. president and mrs. bush, governor bentley, mayor evans, congre congre congresswoman, reverend strong, members of congress, elected officials, foot soldiers, friends, fellow americans.

places and moments in america and this nation's destiny has been decided. many are sights of war. concord and lexington, gettysburg. others are sights that symbolize the daring of america's character. independence hall and seneca falls, kitty hawk and cape canaveral. selma is such a place. so much our turbulent history. the anguish of civil war. the yoke of segregation and tyranny of jim crowe. the death of four little girls

in birmingham. and the dream of a baptist preacher. all that history met on this bridge. it was not a clash of armies, but a clash of wills. a contest to determine the true meaning of america. and because of men and women like john lewis, joseph lowery, jose williams, amelia bunten, diane nash, ralph abernathy, c.t. vivian, andrew young, fred shuttlesworth, dr. martin luther king jr., so many others, the idea of a just america and a fair america, an inclusive america and a generous america.

that idea ultimately triumphed. now as it's true across the landscape of american history, we cannot examine this moment in isolation. the march on selma was part of a broader campaign that spanned generations. the leaders that day part of a long line of heroes. we gather here to celebrate them. we gather here to honor the courage of ordinary americans willing to endure billy clubs and the chastening rod, tear gas and the trampling hoof and splitered bone would stay true to their north star and keep marching towards justice. they did a scripture instructed, rejoice and hope be patient in

tribulation, be constant in prayer. and in the days to come, they went back again and again. when the trumpet call sounded for more to join for more the people came. black and white. young and old. christian and jew. waving the american flag. singing the same anthems full of faith and hope. a white newsman, bill plant, who covered the marches then and who is with us here today quit that the growing number of white people lowered the quality of the singing. to those who marched, though, those old gospel songs must have never sounded so sweet. in time, their chorus would well

up and reach president johnson. and he would send them protection. and speak to the nation. echoing their call for america and the world to hear. we shall overcome. what enormous faith these men and women have. faith in god, but also faith in america. the americans who crossed this bridge, they were not physically imposing. but they gave courage to millions. they held no elected office. but they led a nation. they marched as americans who had endured hundreds of years of brutal violence. countless daily indignities, but they didn't seek special

treatment. just the equal treatment promised to them almost a serce before. what they did here will reverberate through the ages. not because the change they want is preordained, not because their victory was complete. but because they proved that nonviolent change is possible. that love and hope can conquer hate. as we commemorate their achievement, we are well served to remember that at the time of the marches, many in power condemned rather than praised them. back then they were called communists or half breeds or outside agitators. sexual and moral degenerates

and, worse, they were called everything but the name their parents gave them. their faith was questioned. their lives were threatened. their patriotism challenged. and yet what could be more american than what happened in this place? what could more profoundly vindicate the idea of america than plain and hummable pe blbl. unsung. the dreamers not of high station, not born to wealth or privilege. not of one religious tradition, but many. coming together to shape their country's course. what greater expression of faith in the american experiment than this. what greater form of patriotism is there than the belief that

america is not yet finished. that we are strong enough to be self-critical. that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is in our power to remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideas. that's why selma is not some outliar in the american experience. that's why it's not a museum or a static monument to behold from a distance. it is, instead, a creed written into our documents. we, the people, in order to form a more perfect union. we hold these truths to be self-evident. that all men are created equal. these are not just words.

they're a living thing. a call to action. a road map for citizenship and an insistence in the capacity of free men and women to shape our own destiny. for founders like franklin and jefferson and leaders like lincoln and fdr, the success of our experiment in self-government rested on engaging all of our citizens in this world. and that's what we celebrate here in selma. that's what this movement was all about. one leg in our long journey toward freedom. american instipth that led these young men and women to crossed this bring choose revolution over tyranny. drew immigrants from across oceans and the rio grande.

the same instinct that led women to reach for the ballot and workers to adjust against an unjust status quo and the same instinct to plant a flag on ni held by generations of citizens who believe that america is a constant work in progress. who believe that loving this country requires more than singing its praises or avoiding uncomfortable truths. it requires the occasional disruption. the willingness to speak out for what is right. to shake up the status quo. that's america. that's what makes us unique! that's what some men saw reputation as a beacon of opportunity. young people behind the iron curtain would see selma and eventually tear down that wall.

young people would hear bobby kennedy talk about ripples of hope and eventually banish apartide. young people went to burma rather than submit to military law. from the streets of tufen tos, s generation of young people can draw strength from this place. where the powerless could change the world's greatest power. and push their leaders to expand the boundaries of freedom. they saw that idea made real right here in selma, alabama. they saw that idea manifest itself here in america. because of campaigns like this. voting rights act was passed. political and economic and social barriers came down. and the change these men and women brought is visible here

today in the presence of african-americans who run boardrooms. who sit on the bench. who serve in elected office from small towns to big cities. from the congressional black caucus all the way to the oval office. because of what they did. the doors of opportunity swung open, not just for black folks, but for every american. women marched through those doors. latinos marched through those doors. asian americans, gay americans, americans with disabilities, they all came through those doors! their endeavors gave the entire south the chance to rise again. not by reasserting the past, but by transcending the past. what a glorious thing dr. king might say.

what a solemn debt we owe. which leads us to ask just how might we repay that debt. first and foremost, we have to recognize that one day's commemoration, no matter how special is not enough. if selma taught us anything, it's that our work is never done. the american experiment and self-government gives work and purpose to each generation. selma teaches us, as well, that action requires that we shed our cynicism. for when it comes to the pursuit of justice, we can afford neither complacency nor despair. just this week i was asked whether i thought the department of justices ferguson report shows that with respect to race

little has changed in this country. and i understood the question. the report's narrative was sadly familiar. evoked the kind of abuse and disregard for citizens that spawned the civil rights movement. but i rejected the notion that nothing's changed. what happened in ferguson may not be unique, but it's no longer emdemic and no longer sanction by law and custom and before the civil rights movement it most surely was. we do a disservice to the cause of justice by intimating that bias and discrimination are immutable. that racial division is inherent in america. if you think nothing's changed in the past 50 years, ask somebody who lived through the selma, chicago or the los angeles of the 1950s. ask the female ceo who might

once have been assigned to the sectarial pool if nothing's changed. ask your gay friend if it's easier to be out and proud in america now than it was 30 years ago. to deny this progress, this hard won progress, our progress would be to rob us of our own agency, our own capacity. our responsibility. to do what we can to make america better. of course, the more common mistake is to suggest that ferguson is an isolated incident. that racism is banished. that the work that drew men and women to selma is now complete and that whatever racial tengs remain is a consequence of those seeking to play the race card for their own purposes. we don't need a ferguson report to know that's not true. we just need to open our eyes

and our ears and our hearts to know that this nation's rals history still cast its long shadow upon us. we know the march is not yet over. we know the race is not yet won. we know that reaching that blessed destination where we are judged all of us by the content of our character requires admitting as much. facing up to the truth. we are capable of bearing a great burden, james baldwin, once wrote. once we discover that the burden is reality and arrive where reality is. it's not america can't handle it if we look squarely at the problem. and this is work for all americans. not just some. not just whites. not just blacks.

if we want to honor the courage of those who march that day, then all of us are called to possess their moral imagination. all of us will need to feel as they did the fierce urgency of now. all of us need to recognize as they did that change depends on our actions. on our attitudes. the things we teach our children. and if we make such an effort, no matter how hard it may sometimes seem, laws can be passed. and consciousness can be stirred. and consensus can be built. with such an effort, we can make sure our criminal justice system serves all and not just some. together we can raise the level of mutual trust that policing is built on. the idea that police officers are members of the community, they risk their lives to protect and citizens in ferguson and new york and cleveland, they just

want the same thing young people marched for here 50 years ago. the protection of the law. together we can address unfair sentencing and overcrowded prisons. and the stunted circumstances that rob too many boys of the chance to become men. and rob the nation of too many men who could be good dads and good workers and good neighbors. with effort, we can roll back poverty and the road blocks to opportunity. you know, americans don't accept a free ride for anybody. nor do we believe in equality of outcomes, but we do expect equal opportunity. and if we really mean it, if we're not just giving lip service to it but we really mean it and willing to sacrifice for it. then we can make sure that every child gets an education suitable to this new century. one that expands education and

lifts sights and gives those children the skills they need. we can make sure every person willing to work has the dignity of a job. and a fair wage. and a real voice. and sturdier wrung ieier rungs ladder into the middle class. and with effort, we can protect the foundation stone of our democracy for which so many march to cross this bridge and that is the right to vote. right now, in 2015, 50 years after selma, there are laws across this country designed to make it harder for people to vote. as we speak, more such laws are being proposed. meanwhile, the voting rights act, the callmanati atculminati

sweat and tears and the product of so much sacrifice in the face of violence and the voting rights act stands weakened. its future subject to political rancor. how can that be? the voting rights act was one of the crowning achievements of our democracy. the result of republican and democratic efforts. president reagan signed its runewel when he was in office. president george w. bush signed his renewal when he was in office. 100 members of congress came here today to honor people who are willing to die for the right to protect it if we want to honor this day, let that hundred go back to washington and gather 400 more and together pledge to make it their mission to restore that law this year! that's how we honor those on this bridge.

of course, our democracy is not the task of congress alone. or the courts alone or even the president alone. if every new voter suppression law was struck down today, we would still have here in america one of the lowest voting rates among. 50 years ago, registering to vote here in selma and much of the south meant guessing the number of jellybeans in a jar. the number of bubbles on a bar of soap. it meant risking your dignity and sometimes your life. what is our excuse today for not voting? how do we so casually discard the right for which so many fought? how do we so fully give away our

power, our voice in shaping america's future? why are we pointing to somebody else when we could take the time just to go to the polling places. we give away our power. fellow marchers so much has changed in 50 years. we have endured war and we fashioned peace. we've seen technical wonders that touch every aspect of our lives. we take for granted conveniences that our parents could have scarcely imagined. but what has not changed is the imperative of citizenship. that willingness of a 26-year-old deacon or a unitarian minister or a young mother of five to decide they love this country so much that

they'd risk everything to realize its promise. that's what it means to love america. that's what it means to believe in america. that's what it means when we say america is exceptional. for we were born of change. we broke the old, not by blood line, but endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. we secure our rights and responsibilities to a system of self-government. of and by and for the people. that's why we argue and fight with so much passion and conviction because we know our efforts matter. we know america is what we make of it. look at our history. we are lewis and clark and

pioneers who brave the unfamiliar. followed by a stampede of farmers and minors. and entrepreneurs and hucksters. that's our spirit. that's who we are. women who could do as much as any man and then some. and we're susan b. anthony and shook the system until the law reflected the truth. that is our character. we're the immigrants who stowed away on ships to reach these shores. the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. soviet defectors, the lost boys of sudan. we're the hopeful strivers who cross the rio grande because we want our kids to know a better life. that's how we came to be. we're the slaves who built the white house. and the economy of the south. we're the ranch hands and

cowboys who open up the west. the countless labors who lay rail and skyscrapers and organize for workers' rights. we're the fresh face gis who fought to liberate a continent. and we're the tuskegee airmen and the japanese americans who fought for this country, even as their own liberty had been denied. we're the firefighters who rushed into those buildings on 9/11. the volunteers who signed up to fight in afghanistan and iraq. we're the gay americans whose blood ran in the streets of san francisco and new york just as blood ran down this bridge. we are story tellers, writers, poets, artists who despise hypocrisy and give voice to the voiceless and tell truths that need to be told. we're the inventors of gospel

and jazz and blues. blue grass and country and hip-hop and rock 'n' roll and our very own sound with all the sweet sorrow and reckless joy of freedom. we are jackie robins enduring scorn and pitches coming straight to his head and stealing home in the world series anyway. we are the people lankstone hughes wrote of to build our temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how. we are the people emerson who for truth and honor sake stood long. never so tired so long as we can see far enough. that's what america is. not stock photos or airbrushed history or feeble attempts to define some of us as more american than others.

we respect the past, but we don't pine for the past. we don't fear the future. we grab for it. america is not some fragile thing. we are large in the words of whitman. containing multitudes. we are boisterous and diverse and full of energy perpetially young in spirit. that's why someone like john lewis at their ripe old age of 25 could lead a march. and that's what the young people here today and listening all across the country must take away from this day. you are america. unconstrained by habit and convention. unencumbered by what is because you're ready to seize what ought to be.

for everywhere in this country there are first steps to be taken. there's new ground to cover. there are more bridges to be crossed. and it is you, the young and fearless at heart. the most diverse and educated generation in our history who the nation is waiting to follow. because selma shows us that america's not the project of any one person. because the single most powerful word in our democracy is the word we. we the people. we shall overcome. yes, we can. that word is owned by no one. it belongs to everyone! oh, what a glorious task we are given. to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.

50 years from bloody sunday, our march is not yet finished. but we're getting closer. 239 years after this nation's founding, our union is not yet perfect. but we are getting closer. our job is easier because somebody already got us through that first mile. somebody already got us over that bridge. when it feels the road's too hard. when the torch we've been passed feels too heavy. we will remember these early travelers and draw strength from their example and hold firmly to the words of the prophet isaiah. those who hope in the lord will renew their strength. they will soar on the wings like eagles and run and not grow weary and walk and not be! we honored those who walked so we could run. we must run so our children

soar! and we will not grow weary for we believe in the power of an awesome god and we believe in this country's sacred promise! may he bless those warriors of justice no longer with us and bless the united states of america. thank you, everybody. >> we have just been watching president barack obama giving a rousing speech from the foot of the bridge in selma, alabama, where 50 years ago today was bloody sunday. there he is shaking hands with president george w. bush and former first lady laura bush. also in the crowd today as you just saw, president obama shaking hands, congressman john lewis who was there, an organizer of this event 50 years ago today. in the crowd today is msnbc's

tremaine lee. what do you think of the crowd's reaction to the president? >> the crowd was obviously excited following the president's speech but some folks thought that it was actually too celebratory. a group if ferguson, missouri were chancing "ferguson is here, we want change" while the president was speaking and other folks around them took umbrage with that. but otherwise folks are -- you heard the applause. i want to ask you, sir. what did you think of the poot's speech? >> i think it was great. i think it was one of his greatest speeches. i really do. very inspirational. kind of a blueprint of my past i grew up in an era where i'm part of what he's talking about. my grandparents sacrificed during that era. i'm a product of the '60s. i was born during world war ii. i know jim crew. i knew everything he possibly talked about today. i'm affected by have been

affected by and still have to live with it today and i still try to make a difference today with young people to make sure we still push these things further into our past. it may not happen in my time but i try to tell my children who are all educated in the medical field and the legal field that you have to make a change. they have to make a change. i've carried my baton. >> president obama during his speech said they didn't hold elected office but still they led the nation and that what happened on that bridge, the protesting and marching was as american as it gets. he did reference ferguson and the doj's report that found systemic racism in the police department and he said "we didn't need a report to see that. we hope our hearts and minds." but he said it's a disservice to say that not much has changed and discount the hard-fought victories. i want to ask a few other people. how are you brothers doing? i'm with msnbc. the president just stepped off of the stage.

i'm wondering, what did you think of the speech? >> i thought his speech was realistic. it was inspiring. it was challenging. each and every american will take their place and to make a difference in our country. to make sure that we're going out and doing our civil duty as americans to make this country better. >> now, he mentioned at one point that we can't diminish the sacrifice that people made just because we haven't reached the progress we want do you think young people understand the sacrifices and do you think the fighting and promises they did in the past, do you think that's been realized? >> we do now. [ laughter ] >> i think some young people get it. some don't. even as older people i don't know if f we all get the sacrifice. just understanding the importance of being able to vote. they're understanding the importance that we didn't have that as -- that that wasn't

something that our -- that they had back in in that particular time frame. they were fighting for that. they were making sure they were standing up for it so that we could have the opportunity to vote. sometimes we can lose sight of that. >> reporter: the president said so much of the struggles cannot be forgotten. i want to turn to these sisters over here. how are you doing. >> we're fine, zblaung you said "we do now." do you believe the promises that were fought for were achieved saying "we do now?" >> i think with all the things coming to pass, i think before a lot of young people got comfortable because we didn't see as much. now that things are coming back in the light like with trayvon, what's happening with ferguson it's waking us up not to get comfortable, to continue to fight for what the people before us did to vote we're giving away our rights. >> reporter: one thing he said if you think there weren't

victories won, asked someone who lived in the jim crow era. >> yes. >> reporter: now 50 years ago they were fighting for voting rights. equal rights of all americans, black and white but today there seems to be an assault on voting rights across the country legislatures are pass iing to me it harder to vote. are you aware of that and is that something we can overcome given the gridlock in congress? >> i think we can overcome but like he said we have to work together and educate our younger people to get them to understand what sacrifices have been made. people lost their lives. they gave up their safety so we can have this right and so many of us take it for granted or don't see the importance of it. we need to get out there and vote but we have to educate our youth so we can know what was sacrificed with them. even with education we're able to obtain, we can do it.

>> like you said, they paved the way to make us change those things. >> and like the congressman said, that lady said get off her shoulders. >> reporter: it's not lost on anyone here that this conversation and this speech and all we're talking about happening here on the edmund pettus bridge which was meant to be a bridge from this town where so many rights were being withheld from these people to montgomery to let us know black folks weren't going to stop pushing black and white, clergy aund community groups were pushing and fighting. it's not lost that that's happening here at the edmund pettus bridge. >> thank you very much. we're going to keep watching president obama in the crowd there shaking hands at the food of the edmund pettus bridge. he just gave a very passionate speech on the 50th anniversary of bloody sunday. let's bring in harvard professor and also friend of the president and an advisor as well, charles ogletree. thank you for being here with us. what were you thinking ahead of

the president's speech and did it meet your expectations? >> well, i was hoping he would talk about hope and change and opportunity and he had all those points. i have to say that i was very impressed with this speech and i think it's the best speech that president obama has ever given. and i've been a critic of his as a former teacher and current mentor but i have to say that hi made everybody understand, children, black, white, men, women, everything is under consideration and everybody has to have the same opportunities. that was from my point of view a landmark speech and i hope it will stick with us. it had a little reverend in him, a little sense of justice in him and i was very impressed with everything that he had to say and what we have to do to make things happen. >> you know, one of the things that i was watching earlier, msnbc's joy reid and melissa harris perry were talking about in advance of the president's

speech and they were hoping to see him be passionate today, not as cerebral, as they put it. do you think they did that? >> are you talking to me? >> i think he did because i think that people didn't expect that but when you see him having the sense of reverence, presentation, giving this intensity, this energy, this sense of focus that was a really impressive part of him and i hope that's the barack obama when he leaves the white house that we're going to see as the world's ambassador because he can open up doors. he can in a sense create bridges, he can make people have these conversations. he can solve these problems. and what was most important, i have to say, was he did what i was hoping he would do. a lot of focus not just on the generation -- the moses generation or even the joshua generation but on children, on grandparents and made them

realize that they, too, have to carry this place to the next toerp operation. i've been very impressed with everything that was said and done and we have to move in the right direction because president obama has said he's willing to make those sacrifices, he's learned a lot from john lewis, learned a lot from the civil rights movement and now it's his turn to pass this on to the next generation of children who need to understand that. >> charles, one more quick question before we go because i think one of the most power. images that we saw today was president george w. bush sitting there in the crowd watching america's first black president give this incredible speech today. 50 years ago, a lot of people probably would not have thought they'd ever see that. >> i think that's right. i think both george bush and george bush the son made a big impact on that and it shows you also the important role with michelle obama and laura bush that made a big difference. >> well, thank you very much. we do appreciate you being here

with us today and we're going to wrap it up now. thank you very much for watching our special coverage of the 50th anniversary of the march on selma. you're watching msnbc. don't forget to join us tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. eastern for a special presentation of "selma: 50 years later." >> amazing action, unbelievable rescues. a mother and her children trapped inside the twisted wreckage of a car. >> it did go through our minds that this vehicle could possibly go over the edge. >> firefighters who demonstrate courage any time, any place. >> you're basically hanging 80 feet beneath the helicopter which was not the plan i had in my mind. >> when we first got on scene and looked over the edge, and it was like, oh, this is bigger than we thought. >> acts of bravery from everyday