Document 7
President Kennedy's Remarks to Civil Rights Leaders in Response
to the March on Washington, August 28, 1963
This document leaps ahead several years, to when Kennedy and civil rights leaders were assessing the effects of the August 1963 March on Washington. It is interesting to listen to his tone of voice here, which has a quiet tentativeness to it. He proposes not only focusing on national anti-discrimination legislation, but also on asking African-Americans to take the lead on educating the children in their communities, much as the Jews did when they faced discrimination. Which approach would you take first, passing a law in Congress or focusing on education through community organizing, and why?
For the audio clip of this transcript, please go here. You may need to click on the right-hand arrow to find the particular clip.
President Kennedy:
Very fine, but let me just say a word about the legislation. There's one thing that I, on this question of education. We have this juvenile program, as you know, in New York and a lot, and the Attorney General was out in Chicago on it the other day and was shocked by some of the [unclear] crowding of the class, the leaving of the school, the fact that the best teachers [unclear] and there's no visiting by the teachers in their homes. And they won't study, and the children won't study unless [unclear] what their color or their income level is.
Now, isn't it possible for the Negro community to take the lead in committing major emphasis upon the responsibility of these families, even if they're split and all the rest of the problems they have, on educating their children. Now, in my opinion, the Jewish community, which suffered a good deal under discrimination, and what a great effort they made, which I think has made their role influential, was in education: education of their children. And therefore they've been able to establish a pretty strong position for themselves.
This has nothing to do with what you've been talking about. It seems to me that with all the influence, which all you gentlemen have in the Negro community, if you could emphasize there's nothing these adults can do about the education they've lost. They really have to concentrate. But I think the Jewish community's done in educating their children, making their children study, making them stay in school, and all the rest. And all the ministers and all the rest can really make that a major effort in the coming months.
Very fine, but let me just say a word about the legislation. There's one thing that I, on this question of education. We have this juvenile program, as you know, in New York and a lot, and the Attorney General was out in Chicago on it the other day and was shocked by some of the [unclear] crowding of the class, the leaving of the school, the fact that the best teachers [unclear] and there's no visiting by the teachers in their homes. And they won't study, and the children won't study unless [unclear] what their color or their income level is.
Now, isn't it possible for the Negro community to take the lead in committing major emphasis upon the responsibility of these families, even if they're split and all the rest of the problems they have, on educating their children. Now, in my opinion, the Jewish community, which suffered a good deal under discrimination, and what a great effort they made, which I think has made their role influential, was in education: education of their children. And therefore they've been able to establish a pretty strong position for themselves.
This has nothing to do with what you've been talking about. It seems to me that with all the influence, which all you gentlemen have in the Negro community, if you could emphasize there's nothing these adults can do about the education they've lost. They really have to concentrate. But I think the Jewish community's done in educating their children, making their children study, making them stay in school, and all the rest. And all the ministers and all the rest can really make that a major effort in the coming months.