Freedom Riders and MLK

Readers, on this very special day in American history, I'm proud to feature my first guest blogger.

Hi! I’m Maureen’s son Morgan. I would like to dedicate today’s post to MLK. So here it is. I’d like first to mention the Freedom Riders. One was John Lewis who is now in the US House of Representative. In fact I met him before in D.C. and Atlanta. He showed me pictures of MLK on the March on Washington. Now back to MLK. John Lewis was a great leader but the biggest leader was MLK. He had a dream that all black boys and girls and white boys and girls would come together as friends. That’s the most important thing I remembered from his speech. 

Selma-Montgomery March: Martin Luther King leading march from Selma to Montgomery to protest lack of voting rights for African Americans. Beside King is John Lewis, Reverend Jesse Douglas, James Forman and Ralph Abernathy. March 1965. (Photo Credit: Steve Schapiro/Corbis)    

President John F. Kennedy proposed legislation that redefined civil rights in America. This proposal --which protected citizens from discrimination regardless of their race, religion, gender or national origin--- laid the foundation for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Photo: President John F Kennedy in the White House with leaders of the civil rights 'March on Washington' (right to left) Roy Wilkins (1910-1981), Walter Reuther (1907-1970), Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973), John F Kennedy, A Philip Randolph, Rabbi Joachim Prinz, John Lewis, Martin Luther King and Whitney Young. (Getty Images)

President Obama presents Rep. John Lewis with the 2010 Medal of Freedom.

On this occasion, Rep. Lewis said:

“If someone had told me that one day I would be standing in the White House and an African-American president would be presenting me the Medal of Freedom I would say, ‘Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind?’” Lewis said. “It’s just an impossible dream.”