高中英语世界名人演讲词38JesseJackson素材.docx
《高中英语世界名人演讲词38JesseJackson素材.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《高中英语世界名人演讲词38JesseJackson素材.docx(14页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
高中英语世界名人演讲词38JesseJackson素材
三十八、JesseJackson
1988DemocraticNationalConventionAddress
*Thankyou.Thankyou.Thankyou.*
Tonight,wepauseandgivepraiseandhonortoGodforbeinggoodenoughtoallowustobeatthisplaceatthistime.WhenIlookoutatthisconvention,IseethefaceofAmerica:
Red,Yellow,Brown,BlackandWhite.WeareallpreciousinGod'ssight--therealrainbowcoalition.
Allofus--allofuswhoareherethinkthatweareseated.Butwe'rereallystandingonsomeone'sshoulders.Ladiesandgentlemen,Mrs.RosaParks--themotherofthecivilrightsmovement.
Iwanttoexpressmydeeploveandappreciationforthesupportmyfamilyhasgivenmeoverthesepastmonths.Theyhaveenduredpain,anxiety,threat,andfear.ButtheyhavebeenstrengthenedandmadesecurebyourfaithinGod,inAmerica,andinyou.Yourlovehasprotectedusandmadeusstrong.Tomywife
Jackie,thefoundationofourfamily;toourfivechildrenwhomyoumettonight;tomymother,Mrs.HelenJackson,whoispresenttonight;andtoourgrandmother,Mrs.MatildaBurns;tomybrotherChuckandhisfamily;tomymother-in-law,Mrs.GertrudeBrown,whojustlastmonthatage61graduatedfromHamptonInstitute--amarvelousachievement.
IoffermyappreciationtoMayorAndrewYoungwhohasprovidedsuchgracioushospitalitytoallofusthisweek.
Andaspe
cialsalutetoPresidentJimmyCarter.PresidentCarterrestoredhonortotheWhiteHouseafterWatergate.Hegavemanyofusaspecialopportunitytogrow.Forhiskindwords,forhisunwaveringcommitmenttopeaceintheworld,andforthevotersthatcamefromhisfamily,everymemberofhisfamily,ledbyBillyandAmy,IoffermyspecialthankstotheCarterfamily.
Myrightandmyprivilegetostandherebeforeyouhasbeenwon,woninmylifetime,bythebloodandthesweatoftheinnocent.
Twenty-fouryearsago,thelateFannieLouHamerandAaronHenry--whositsheretonightfromMississippi--werelockedoutontothestreetsinAtlanticCity;theheadoftheMississippiFreedomDemocraticParty.
Buttonight,aBlackandWhitedelegationfromMississippiisheadedbyEdCole,aBlackmanfromMississippi;twenty-fouryearslater.
Manywerelostinthestrugglefortherighttovote:
JimmyLeeJackson,ayoungstudent,gavehislife;ViolaLiuzzo,aWhitemotherfromDetroit,called"niggerlover,"andbrainsblownoutatpointblankrange;[Michael]Schwerner,[Andrew]Goodmanand[James]Chaney--twoJewsandaBlack--foundinacommongrave,bodiesriddledwithbulletsinMississippi;thefourdarlinglittlegirlsinachurchinBirmingham,Alabama.Theydiedthatwemighthavearighttolive.
Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.liesonlyafewmilesfromustonight.Tonighthemustfeelgoodashelooksdownuponus.Wesitheretogether,arainbow,acoalition--thesonsanddaughtersofslavemastersandthesonsanddaughtersofslaves,sittingtogetheraroundacommontable,todecidethedirectionofourpartyandourcountry.Hisheartwouldbefulltonight.
Asatestamenttothestrugglesofthosewhohavegonebefore;asalegacyforthosewhowillcomeafter;asatributetotheendurance,thepatience,thecourageofourforefathersandmothers;asanassurancethattheirprayersarebeinganswered,thattheirworkhasnotbeeninvain,and,thathopeiseternal,tomorrownightmynamewillgointonominationforthePresidencyoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
Wemeettonightatthecrossroads,apointofdecision.Shallweexpand,beinclusive,findunityandpo
wer;orsufferdivisionandimpotence?
We'vecometoAtlanta,thecradleoftheOldSouth,thecrucibleoftheNewSouth.Tonight,thereisasenseofcelebration,becausewearemoved,fundamentallymovedfromracialbattlegroundsbylaw,toeconomiccommonground.Tomorrowwe'llchallengetomovetohigherground.
Commonground.ThinkofJerusalem,theintersectionwheremanytrailsmet.Asmallvillagethatbecamethebirthplaceforthreegreatreligions--Judaism,Christianity,andIslam.Whywasthisvillagesoblessed?
Becauseitprovidedacrossroadswheredifferentpeoplemet,differentcultures,differentcivilizationscouldmeetandfindcommonground.Whenpeoplecometogether,flowersalwaysflourish--theairisrichwiththearomaofanewspring.
TakeNewYork,thedynamicmetropolis.WhatmakesNewYorksospecial?
It'stheinvitationattheStatueofLiberty,"Givemeyourtired,yourpoor,yourhuddledmasseswhoyearntobreathefree."NotrestrictedtoEnglishonly.Manypeople,manycultures,manylanguageswithonethingincommon:
Theyyearntobreathefree.Commonground.
TonightinAtlanta,forthefirsttimeinthiscentury,weconveneintheSouth;astatewhereGovernorsoncestoodinschoolhousedoors;whereJulianBondwasdeniedaseatintheStateLegislaturebecauseofhisconscientiousobjectiontotheVietnamWar;acitythat,throughitsfiveBlackUniversities,hasgraduatedmoreblackstudentsthananycityintheworld.Atlanta,nowamodernintersectionoftheNewSouth.
Commonground.That'sthechallengeofourpartytonight--leftwing,rightwing.
Progresswillnotcomethroughboundlessliberalismnorstaticconservatism,butatthecriticalmassofmutualsurvival--notatboundlessliberalismnorstaticconservatism,butatthecriticalmassofmutualsurvival.Ittakestwowingstofly.Whetheryou'reahawkoradove,you'rejustabirdlivinginthesameenvironment,inthesameworld.
TheBibleteachesthatwhenlionsandlambsliedowntogether,nonewillbeafraid,andtherewillbepeaceinthevalley.Itsoundsimpossible.Lionseatla
mbs.Lambssensiblyfleefromlions.Yetevenlionsandlambsfindcommonground.Why?
Becauseneitherlionsnorlambswanttheforesttocatchonfire.Neitherlionsnorlambswantacidraintofall.Neitherlionsnorlambscansurvivenuclearwar.Iflionsandlambscanfindcommonground,surelywecanaswell--ascivilizedpeople.
Theonlytimethatwewiniswhenwecometogether.In1960,JohnKennedy,thelateJohnKennedy,beatRichardNixonbyonly112,000votes--lessthanonevoteperprecinct.Hewonbythemarginofourhope.Hebroughtustogether.Hereachedout.HehadthecouragetodefyhisadvisorsandinquireaboutDr.King'sjailinginAlbany,Georgia.Wewonbythemarginofourhope,inspiredbycourageousleadership.In1964,LyndonJohnsonbroughtbothwingstogether--thethesis,theantithesis,andthecreativesynthesis--andtogetherwewon.In1976,JimmyCarterunifiedusagain,andwewon.Whendowenotcometogether,weneverwin.In1968,thedivisionanddespairinJulyledtoourdefeatinNovember.In1980,rancorinthespringandthesummerledtoReaganinthefall.Whenwedivide,wecannotwin.Wemustfindcommongroundasthebasisforsurvivalanddevelopmentandchangeandgrowth.
Todaywhenwedebated,differed,deliberated,agreedtoagree,agreedtodisagree,whenwehadthegoodjudgmenttoargueacaseandthennotself-destruct,GeorgeBushwasjustalittlefurtherawayfromtheWhiteHouseandalittleclosertoprivatelife.
Tonight,IsaluteGovernorMichaelDukakis.Hehasrun--Hehasrunawell-managedandadignifiedcampaign.Nomatterhowtiredorhowtried,healwaysresistedthetemptationtostooptodemagoguery.
I'vewatchedagoodmindfastatwork,withsteelnerves,guidinghiscampaignoutofthecrowdedfieldwithoutappealtotheworstinus.I'vewatchedhisperspectivegrowashisenvironmenthasexpanded.I'veseenhistoughnessandtenacitycloseup.Iknowhiscommitmenttopublicservice.MikeDukakis'parentswereadoctorandateacher;myparentsamaid,abeautician,andajanitor.There'sagreatgapbetweenBrookline,MassachusettsandHaneyStreetintheFieldcrestVillagehousingprojectsinGreenville,SouthCarolina.
Hestudiedlaw;Istudiedtheology.Therearedifferencesofreligion,region,andrace;differencesinexperiencesandperspectives.ButthegeniusofAmericaisthatoutofth
emanywebecomeone.
Providencehasenabledourpathstointersect.HisforeparentscametoAmericaonimmigrantships;myforeparentscametoAmericaonslaveships.Butwhatevertheoriginalships,we'reinthesameboattonight.
Ourshipscouldpassinthenight--ifwehaveafalsesenseofindependence--ortheycouldcollideandcrash.Wewouldloseourpassengers.Wecanseekahighrealityandagreatergood.Apart,wecandriftonthebrokenpiecesofReagonomics,satisfyourbaserinstincts,andexploitthefearsofourpeople.Atourhighest,wecancalluponnobleinstinctsandnavigatethisvesseltosafety.Thegreatergoodisthecommongood.
AsJesussaid,"NotMywill,butThinebedone."Itwashiswayofsayingthere'sahighergoodbeyondpersonalcomfortorposition.
ThegoodofourNationisatstake.It'scommitmenttoworkingmenandwomen,tothepoorandthevulnerable,tothemanyintheworld.
Withsomanyguidedmissiles,andsomuchmisguidedleadership,thestak
esareexceedinglyhigh.Ourchoice?
Fullparticipationinademocraticgovernment,ormoreabandonmentandneglect.Andsothisnight,wechoosenotafalsesenseofindependence,notourcapacitytosurviveandendure.Tonightwechooseinterdependency,andourcapacitytoactanduniteforthegreatergood.
Commongoodisfindingcommitmenttonewprioritiestoexpansionandinclusion.AcommitmenttoexpandedparticipationintheDemocraticPartyateverylevel.Acommitmenttoasharednationalcampaignstra
tegyandinvolvementateverylevel.
Acommitmenttonewprioritiesthatinsurethathopewillbekeptalive.Acommongroundcommitmenttoalegislativeagendaforempowerment,fortheJohnConyersbill--universal,on-site,same-dayregistrationevery