President Barack Obama and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter were among the speakers at Wednesday’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
Carter was the first to speak of the three Democratic leaders. He noted that if it weren’t for Martin Luther King Jr., it would be “highly unlikely” that he, Clinton and Obama would have made it to the White House.
Clinton noted that we need to open the “stubborn gates” that are holding us back as a nation from progress.
President Clinton, as well as Carter, noted the key provision of the Voting Rights Act that the Supreme Court recently struck down.
“We cannot be discouraged by a Supreme Court decision that said we don’t need this critical provision of the Voting Rights Act,” Clinton said. “But a great democracy does not make it harder to vote than to buy an assault weapon. We must open those stubborn gates.”
President Obama paid tribute to MLK and the thousands of followers who participated in the March 50 years ago.
Obama acknowledged how far we’ve come since 1963, but also added that, “We would dishonor those heroes as well to suggest that the work of this nation is somehow complete.”
Watch Clinton, Carter and President Obama’s speeches below and tell us who’s speech you found the most powerful in the comments.
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