Lieberman Commemorates March on Washington

Lieberman Commemorates March on Washington

On the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington, democratic presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman spoke to student leaders and political science students on his memories of the historic march.

In his introduction of Lieberman, Richard English, interim provost and chief academic officer, said that Lieberman worked hard to fight the injustices that plagued the time.

" Lieberman fought hard to knock down the barriers of injustices and inequality," English said. " In 1963, he joined thousands of civil rights activists at the March on Washington."

Lieberman said that his passion for civil rights began with his knowledge of the Bible and the constitution.

" During my lifetime the denial of basic civil rights was prevalent in the nation," Lieberman said. " It was during this time that the knowledge that I had of Biblical stories and the Constitution began the surge of civil rights movement within me."

Lieberman said that the March on Washington was more than just Martin Luther King, Jr.'s " I Have a Dream Speech."

" Many people forget that the reason why we marched was because of jobs and for economic freedom," Lieberman said.

Lieberman recalled that during the March civil rights activist John Lewis said, "by the force of our demands and numbers we shall splinter the segregate South into a thousands pieces and rebuild it again."

" This quote meant to me that it was not just about civil rights freedom, but economic freedom that African Americans would not have to suffer being redlined when buying a house," Lieberman said.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s " I Have a Dream Speech" was also a special moment for Lieberman.

" Dr. King's speech invoked the promises of freedom," Lieberman said. " After that speech it was hard for the government to ultimately reject the call for freedom."

The march's message personally persuaded Lieberman to leave Yale and travel to Mississippi to participate in a freedom vote campaign.

" During that time people said that African Americans did not want to vote," Lieberman said. " During my time in Mississippi we collected over 100,000 votes for gubernatorial candidate Aaron Henry and proved them wrong."

Lieberman said that the march also had a great impact on non-African Americans as well.

" The March on Washington led the way for many other groups in society," Lieberman said. " The march on Washington was the predecessor for the equal rights movement for women and the empowerment of other ethnic groups."

Lieberman said that the march also paved the way for him to become the first Jewish vice presidential candidate in 2000.

At the end of his reflections, Lieberman opened the floor for questions from the audience. Many of the questions were in reference to what Lieberman would do if elected President of the United States.

One student asked Lieberman if he would make sure that every school whether it is the most affluent or the poorest would have the same opportunities.

" It is no secret that defacto segregation still exists in the American public education system, Lieberman said. " The Bush administration made the No Child Left Behind Bill in 2001 to help solve this and other issues facing public schools, but it left off six billion dollars in financing the bill. I planned to put full financial support behind this bill."

Another student asked Lieberman how he planned on helping to restore historic buildings at HBCU's.

" Myself and a Congressman from South Carolina have put together a program that would spend $800 million dollars to help restore these buildings," Lieberman said.

Many students enjoyed the reflections of Lieberman and they appreciated the fact that he did not try to use the event to campaign.

" His [Lieberman's] speech was well organized and throughout it he stuck to the topic and didn't try to campaign," Brooke Hyman, a sophomore political science and history major, said. "As an African American woman, I will vote for him because I can relate to the things that he promised."

Freshman political science major Andrea Johnson said that she would vote for Lieberman because he has great plans for the future.

" His speech told us that when individuals come together we are more powerful than any elected official,' Jacques Purvis, a junior political science and psychology major, said.

The march on Washington drew more than 300,000 people to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to protest the injustices in jobs, housing, and freedom.