President John F. Kennedy's Civil Rights Address

good evening my fellow citizens this afternoon after a series of threats and defiant statements the presence of the national godson of Alabama was required at the University of Alabama to execute the final and unequivocal order of the United States District Court of the Northern District of Alabama that orders called for the admission of two clearly qualified young Alabama residents who were born black, the fact that they were peacefully admitted to campus is due in large measure to the conduct of University of Alabama students who discharged their responsibilities in a constructive manner . I hope every American, regardless of where they live, stops and examines their conscience about this and other related incidents.

This nation was founded by men of many nations and origins, it was founded on the principle that all men are created equal and that the

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of every man are diminished when the

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of one man are threatened today we are engaged in a fight world to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free and when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin we are not asking only for whites Therefore, it should be possible for American students of any color to attend any public institution they choose without having to be supported by troops.

It should be possible for American consumers of any color to receive the same service in places of public accommodation, such as hotels. and restaurants, theaters and retail stores without being forced to resort to street demonstrations and it should be possible for American citizens of any color to register and vote in free elections without interference or fear of retaliation. It should be possible POS in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being an American regardless of race or color; In short, every American should have the right to be treated as one would like to be treated, as one would wish one's children to be treated, but this is not so: the black baby born today in America, regardless of the section of the state in which born, he is about half as likely to complete high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day, one-third as likely to finish college one-third as likely to become a professional man twice as likely of becoming unemployed about the 17th highest chance of earning $110,000 a year a life expectancy that is s years shorter and the prospects of earning only half that is It is not a sectional issue.

Difficulties over segregation and discrimination exist in every city in every state of the Union, producing in many cities a rising tide of discontent that threatens public safety, nor is it a partisan issue in a time of internal crisis. . Men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics this is not even a legal or legislative issue alone it is better to resolve these matters in the courts than in the streets and new laws are needed at all levels, but the law alone cannot make men see true, we are primarily faced with a moral question, it is as old as the Scriptures and as clear as the American Constitution.

The heart of the issue is whether all Americans should be afforded equal rights and opportunities, if we are to treat our fellow human beings. As Americans, how do we want to be treated if an American because he has dark skin cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public if he cannot send his children to the best public school available if he cannot vote for the public officials who represent him if in In short, you cannot enjoy the full and free life that we all want. So who among us would be happy to have their skin color changed and take his place?

Who among us would be content with the advice of patience and delay of 100 years? Many delays have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, but his heirs, his grandchildren are not completely free, they are not yet free from the bonds of injustice, they are not yet free from social and economic oppression and this nation with all your hopes and all your hopes. Its boasts will not be completely free until all its citizens are free; We preach freedom all over the world and we mean it and we celebrate our freedom here at home, but should we tell the world and, much more importantly, ourselves, that this is a land of the free except us black people who don't have second class citizens except blacks we have no class or caste system or ghettos or master race except with respect to blacks now the time has come for this nation to fulfill its promise of the events in Birmingham and other places have increased so much cries for equality that no city, state or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore.

The fires of frustration and discord burn in all the cities of the north and south where there are no legal remedies at hand. Reparation is sought in the streets in demonstrations, parades and protests that create tensions and threaten violence and threaten lives. Therefore, we face a moral crisis as a country and as a people that cannot be confronted with repressive police actions; Demonstrations in the streets cannot be allowed to increase; It cannot be calmed with symbolic movements or conversations it is a time to act in Congress in your state and local legislative body and above all in all our daily lives it is not enough to blame others to say that this is a problem of one section of the country or another or we deplore the facts that we face a great change is near and our task Our obligation is to make that Revolution that changes peaceful and constructive for all those who do nothing are inviting shame and violence those who act bravely are recognizing the right as well as the reality, next week I will ask the United States Congress to act to make a commitment (not fully made in this century) to the proposition that race has no place in life or American law; the federal judiciary has upheld that proposition in In a number of clear cases, the executive branch has adopted that proposition in the conduct of its affairs, including the employment of federal personnel, the use of federal facilities, and the sale of federally financed housing. federal laws, but there are other necessary measures that only Congress can provide and that must be provided in this session.

The ancient code of equity law under which we live demands a remedy for every evil, but in too many communities, in too many parts of the country, it is They inflict evils on black citizens and there are no legal remedies unless Congress acts. Their only remedy is the streets. Therefore, I ask Congress to enact legislation that gives all Americans the right to be served in facilities open to the public - hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores and similar establishments. This seems like an elementary right to me. Denial is an arbitrary indignity that no American in 1963 should have to endure, but many do.

I have recently met with dozens of business leaders urging them to take voluntary action to end this discrimination and I have been encouraged by their response and in the last two weeks, more than 75 cities have seen progress in desegregating this type of facilities, but many are not willing to act alone and for this reason legislation is needed at the national level if we are to take this problem from the streets to the courts. I am also asking Congress to authorize the federal government to participate more fully in lawsuits designed to end segregation in public education. We have been able to persuade many districts to voluntarily desegregate.

Dozens have admitted blacks without violence. Today, one black person attends a state-supported institution in each of our 50 states. the pace is too slow too many black children enter segregated elementary schools at the time of the Supreme Court decision 9 years ago, this fall there will be segregated high schools having suffered a loss that can never be recovered the lack of an adequate education denies the blacks a chance to get a decent job, therefore, the orderly implementation of the Supreme Court's decision cannot be left solely in the hands of those who do not have the financial resources to pursue legal action or who may be subject to harassment .

Other features will also be called for, including greater protection for the right to vote, but legislation, I repeat, cannot solve this problem alone; It must be resolved in the homes of every American in every community in our country. In this regard, I want to pay tribute to those citizens of the North and South who have been working in their communities to improve the lives of all, they are acting not out of a sense of legal duty but out of a sense of human decency, like our soldiers and Sailors everywhere in the world are meeting the challenge of freedom on the front lines, and I commend you for your honor and your courage, my fellow Americans.

This is a problem we all face in all cities north and south. Today there are two or three times more unemployed blacks compared to whites. Inadequate education moving to big cities without power. find work, especially young people without work, without hope, Deni of Equal Rights are denied the opportunity to eat in a restaurant, in a bar or go to the cinema, they are denied the right to a decent education, they are almost today denies them the right to attend a state university, even though it seems nuanced to me, these are issues that concern us all, not simply

president

s, congressmen or governors, but every citizen of the United States, this is a country, has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had the same opportunity to develop their talents.

We cannot tell 10% of the population that they cannot have that right, their children cannot have the opportunity to develop any talent they have, that the only way to obtain their rights is to go out into the streets and demonstrate. I think we owe it to them and we owe ourselves a better country than that, so I'm asking for your help to make it easier for us to move forward and provide the kind of equal treatment that we want to give every child the opportunity. to be educated to the limit of his talents. As I have said before, not all children have the same talent, the same ability or the same motivation, but they should have the same right to develop their talent and their ability and their motivation to do something for themselves, we have the right to expect that the black community be responsible, respect the law, but they have the right to expect that the law is fair, that the constitution is blind like Judge Holland. said at the turn of the century, this is what we are talking about and this is an issue that concerns this country and what it represents and to confront it I ask for the support of all our citizens, thank you very much.