Political Quotes

“And still I rise. I rise here in the House of Representatives because many persons made great sacrifices so that I would have this opportunity to stand and speak today. Many of these persons were the persons who protested. They faced Bull Connor's dogs and Jim Crow's laws. They know what a billy club hurts like. They know what losing a loved one to a cause feels like. These were the protestors that made it possible. I can only imagine what would have happened had the Honorable John Lewis, Hosea Williams, and Jimmy Lee Jackson, those persons who protested--Jimmy Lee Jackson lost his life; Reverend C. T. Vivian was there on the Edmund Pettus Bridge--if they had assaulted the police, if they had confronted the police and met them with force, would I be standing here today? I think not. I believe that peaceful protest has made it possible for a good many Members of Congress to be here. Not all of us are here because we are so smart. A good many of us are here because others made great sacrifice so that we would have these opportunities. This is why I stand here today to say that we can peacefully protest; we can be disruptive without being destructive. If you are being destructive, you are not helping the cause. Peaceful protest is the best protest.…”