Speech #880084851

You will note that in the main. those parents who made their families their prime concern have succeeded in overcoming the obstacles placed in their way. and although it took a great deal of selfsacrifice they are responsible for having placed in many positions in Government and in civil life a great number of qualified. capable Negroes who have added immeasurably to the stature of our race. All of us. at one time or another. except the very early settlershave had to come through in a lesser. or greater degreebarriers of prejudice and bigotry and discrimination. I can speak with authority and personal knowledge of the struggles of the early immigrants like my parents. who came from Italy. They were strangers in a strange land with strange occupations. strange habits and customs. It can be said without fear of contradiction that the immigrant peasant class. to which my parents belonged. came to this countrypassed on through their lives in this Nation little known. unheralded. and not too well remembered. They were indeed a lost generation. however. in their own minds. and in their own hearts they knew that they would live on in the next oncoming generations because of the sacrifices they made to educate their children. to protect their welfare. even though it meantin many instancesliving as close to the line of abject poverty as one could live without falling over the abyss into degradation. They worked side by side in the commonest of common labor with the Negro. the Mexican. the Pole. and the Slavand the many others from Central Europe who were the great nonentities who built the industrial and mining strength of this Nation. However. the Negro had an added handicap because on top of the bigotry and prejudice aimed at many of these immigrants because of religion. language and their peculiar customs. the Negro had the added handicap of color. The sons of these immigrants have now. as a result of the faith and sacrifices of their parents. have entered into the lifestream of American politics and business. professors and the clergy. A new sense of responsibility has been awakened and perhaps we shall. in this day and age. witness the emergence of our Negro citizens as equal partners in this Nation of ours which has done so much for so many of the worlds forgotten people. This demonstration today is an effort as I see it to call attention to the awakening of the Negro peoples and many of our white citizens to the needs of the moment. to remedy the wrongs and to push forward with speed and deliberation the reforms that are necessary in order that this Government may serve all. of its peoples. equally. faithfully. without favor for one over the other.