(Modited) everv American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case... we are confronted primarily with a moral issue, it Is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American constitution. the heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rents and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated, an American, oecause his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, it he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who ww represent him, it, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his placer One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully tree. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice. They are not yet freed rom social and economic oppression. And this Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are free. We face, therefore, a moral crisis as a country and as a people. it cannot be left to increased demonstrations in the streets...It is time to act in the Congress, in your State and local legislative body and, above all, in all of our daily lives. But there are other necessary measures which only the congress can provide in too many communities, in too many parts of the country, wrongs are inflicted on Negro citizens and there are no remedies at law. Unless the congress acts, their only remedyis in the street. lam, therefore, asking the Congress to enact legislation giving all Americans the right to be served in facilities which are open to the public- hotels, restaurants, theaters, retail stores, and similar establishments..

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