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“Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters...”

In 1957, MLK delivered a speech at the Pilgrimage for Freedom Gathering at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. He spoke about the gains that African Americans could accomplish by voting.

He said, “Give us the ballot, and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights.” (We are still fighting for basic rights in everything from education to affordable housing.) We have work to do.

He said, “Give us the ballot and we will no longer plead to the federal government for passage of an anti-lynching law; we will by the power of our vote write the law on the statute books of the South and bring an end to the dastardly acts of the hooded perpetrators of violence.” (Joe Biden just passed the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act on March 29, 2022.) We have work to do.

He said, “Give us the ballot and we will transform the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens.” (The capital rioters proved that the mobs are still here.) We have work to do.

He said, “Give us the ballot and we will fill our legislative halls with men of goodwill and send to the sacred halls of Congress men who will not sign a “Southern Manifesto” because of their devotion to the manifesto of justice.” (The Southern Manifesto rejected integration. Schools now are almost as segregated as the 50’s.) We have work to do.

Between Jan 1st and September 27th, at least 19 states enacted 33 laws that make it harder for Americans to vote. If our vote wasn’t making changes, why would there be such an effort to suppress it? When we speak to the younger generations, we must remind them of the importance of the ballot. The theme of our evening is “Let Justice Roll Down Like Water.” We’ve made a lot of progress, but we have seen dams built to slow us down. We have work to do. We must continue to fight to break down these dams because the water of progress needs a clear path to flow.

Clemon L. Jordan, Jr.

President

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Organization, Inc.

Clem Jordan, Jr., President

Elected Officers

Mr. Clemon Jordan, Jr. - President

Don Peterson - Vice President

Ms. Waynne H. Paskins - Recording Secretary

Mrs. Bernice Edwards - Asst. Recording Secretary

Mrs. Janie M. Miller - Treasurer

  Ms. Grace Satchell - Asst. Treasurer

  Ms. Brenda Milbourne - Parliamentarian

Committee Members Minnie Smith-Burton Rev. Annie J. Custis Linda Duffy Rev. Braven Duffie Ardeth Edwards Merry McRae Rev. Thomas Johnson Bevelene Holloman	Gwen Harris Alphonso Miller, Sr. Sarah Smith Edward Reese, Jr. Rev. George H. Edwards, Sr. Litenia Knight Hattie Bull Manuel Davis
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