Jerry Brown: “I would just like to say how honored I am to join with all of my colleagues honoring the centennial of the birth of…”

“I would just like to say how honored I am to join with all of my colleagues honoring the centennial of the birth of Marian Anderson. During the long journey of her life, as has been mentioned and despite her unique achievements, Marian Anderson nevertheless encountered bigotry throughout her career. She met it all with unparalleled dignity, quietly refusing to back down from her rights, to forsake her own standard of politeness or to hold any grudges. One can lose a lot of time hating people, she succinctly explained. As you remember, President Clinton urged in his State of the Union Address this year that Americans must continuously fight bigotry and intolerance. To follow the example set by Marian Anderson, I would like to close this special order this afternoon by quoting what she saw was the mission of her life, and I quote: "To leave behind me the kind of impression that will make it easier for those who follow."”