dr. king and a. phillip randolph, john lewis, dorothy heat, daisy bates, and all the others who led this massive march knew what they were doing on this hallowed ground. in the shadow of lincoln's statue, the burning memory of the fact that he gave his life to preserve the union and end slavery, martin luther king urged his crowd not to drink from the cup of bitterness but to reach across the racial divide because he said, we cannot walk alone. their destiny is tied up with our destiny. their freedom is in inextricably bound to our freedom. he urged the victims of racial violence to meet white americans with an outstretched hand, not a clenched fist. and in so doing to prove the redeeming power of unearned suffering. and then he dreamed of an america where all citizens would sit together at the table of brotherhood, where little white boys and girls and little black boys and girls would hold hands across the color line, where his own children would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the

. >> 50 years ago this week, dr. martin luther king jr. changed history with his "i have a dream" speech. he had a vision for equality and economic progress and issued a challenge to america -- to live up to its democratic ideals. how does america measure up today? i'll ask our guests, civil rights pioneer and georgia congressman john lewis, mayor of newark, new jersey, cory booker, and governor of louisiana, bobby jindal. also, we'll explore the overall state of american dream -- civil rights, the struggle of the middle class, issues at the heart of our political debate. our roundtable weighs in. host of msnbc's "politics nation," the reverend al sharpton, pulitzer prize-winning journalist sheryl wudunn, republican congressman from idaho, raul labrador, and unique perspective from historian doris kearns goodwin as well as "new york times" columnist david brooks. i'm david gregory. all that ahead on "meet the press" this sunday, august 25th. >> announcer: from nbc news in washington, the world's longest-running television show, this is "me

king's ideals. dr. king believed that our destinies are all intertwined, and he knew that our hopes and our dreams are really all the same. he challenged us to see how we all are more alike than we are different. so as the bells of freedom ring today we are hoping that it's a time for all of us to reflect on not only the progress that has been made, and we've made a lot, but on what we have accomplished, and also on the work that still remains before us. it is an opportunity today to recall where we once were in this nation, and to think about that young man with 34 years old stood up here and was able to force an entire country to wake up, to look at itself, and to eventually change. and as we, the people, continue to honor the dream of a man and a movement, a man who in his short life saw suffering and injustice, and refused to look the other way, we can be inspired, and we, too, can be courageous by continue ting to k in the footsteps of the path he forged. he was the one who reminded us that we will

king's ideal. dr. king believed that our destinies are all intertwined, and he knew that our hopes and our dreams are really all the same. he challenged us to see how we all are more alike than we are different. for as the bells of freedom ring today, we are hoping it is a sign for all of us to reflect on not only the progress that has been made, and we have made a lot, but on what we have accomplished, and also on the work that still remains before us. it is an opportunity today to recall where wre once were in this nation and to think about that young man who at 34 years old stood up here and was able to force an entire country to wake up, to look at itself, and o eventually change. and as we the people continue to honor the dream of a man and a movement, a man who in his short and injusticering and refused to look the other way, we can be inspired, and we, too, can be courageous by continuing to walk in the footsteps of the path that he forged. he's the one who remined us, that we will never walk al

to make it clear, i hear references about my contribution to dr. king's speech. dr. king wrote most of his speeches, i was honored together with the very dear, beloved friend of mine and a major adviser to him by the name of stanley levenson. periodically to provide suggested material, in connection with the speech he gave on the march on washington, i had provided him with a summary of ideas and summary of language that he had previously discussed. so it wasn't as if i was providing him with some creative ideas that were solely mine. i was more like a secretary who was summarizing and putting in the form that could be used for the speech, the opening paragraphs, little did i know, until i was sitting listening to him, i was standing some 50 feet behind him, when i was listening very carefully, i said, oh, my god, i guess he decided to use those opening paragraphs. to those paragraphs, which constituted the first seven paragraphs. to those opening paragraphs, he seemlessly added his own additional paragraphs, and it was when he was speaking his own additional paragra

and then i began to listen to dr. king. i realized that dr. king advocated for poor people. if dr. king was here today, i would ask them the question if he was satisfied with the representation of poor people. i came to the conclusion that he would be very upset and very disturbed. he would say that, jobs, we don't have anybody lobbying for poor folks. and it is because of the lack of people who are concerned about the needs of these people who are suffering. he was saying that we must still hit the streets. we must still demonstrate. now we must go back to ground zero. we must continue to march. we must continue to pray. through that experience, the whole world is saying, teachers, my brothers and sisters. teach us how to get free. freedom ain't free because we must still fight for freedom. are you ready to march? are you ready to demonstrate? we must head back to the streets and liberate and free all of god's children. love is what love does. we must free the people. thank you so much. >> today we join elder bernice king in solidarity in her vision of a manifestation of her fathe

if dr. king and dr. height were here today, i would say they will charge us with facilitating the next generational shift. it has already been stated that as we look and listen on this day of commemoration and celebration,ll we have to do to know about what changes, is to look down pennsylvania avenue to the president of the united states. we know that their aspirations were not in vain. their coming together 50 years ago was a search for equality and peace. let us accept that charge also. thank you. >> our next speaker is the national president, miss margo copeland. >> good morning. we stand here today as the beneficiaries and inheritors of a dream it was bequeathed to us 50 years ago. one summer day in 1963 turned into a milestone in the advancement of the african-american community and the nation in general. dr. king's dream was aspirational and inspirational. it was a dream so big that he dared us. he challenged us to work toward the advancement and creation of better day and quality of life for all.

i knew dr. king. it wasn't going to make any difference to me upon to me i just regarded him as just another baptist preacher. so friday evening in february, the doorbell rings in my home and dr. king spriewsd himself saying, "i'm martib king, and this is robert bernard lee with me. let me put this in historical context. dr. king at that time was a celebrity. he had been on the cover of "time," "look," and "life" magazine. my wife, god rest her soul, when i told her dr. king was coming to her home you would have thought an amalgamation of george clooney, michael jackson, and denzel washington were coming to our home. >> rose: tell me about migration. how does that part-- and put it in the context of the civil rights movement. >> this march was, in my view, the culmination of 100 years of frustration and despair. 1963 began with the centennial, the 100th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation, and that means when these people came together, when these quarter of a million people came together, th

if dr. king and dr. height were here today, i would say they will charge us with facilitating the next generational shift. it has already been stated that as we look and listen on this day of commemoration and celebration, all we have to do to know about what changes, is to look down pennsylvania avenue to the president of the united states. we know that their aspirations were not in vain. their coming together 50 years ago was a search for equality and peace. let us accept that charge also. thank you. >> ? >> our next speaker is the national president, miss margo copeland. >> good morning. we stand here today as the beneficiaries and inheritors of a dream it was bequeathed to us 50 years ago. one summer day in 1963 turned into a milestone in the advancement of the african- american community and the nation in general. dr. king's dream was aspirational and inspirational. it was a dream so big that he dared us. he challenged us to work toward the advancement and creation of a better day and quality of lif

dr. king was a moral force. dr. king was a civil rights leader. yes, policy was important in terms of shaping it. but president obama actually implements policy. there's a clear difference between the two. >> earlier hutchinson and char lane haunter gault, thank you both for joining me. coming up, what many speakers on the stage today said about the new generation what must be done next to keep dr. king's dream alive. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] this is claira. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for her, she's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with her all day to see how it goes. [ claira ] after the deliveries, i was okay. now the ciabatta is done and the pain is starting again. more pills? seriously? seriously. [ groans ] all these stops to take more pills can be a pain. can i get my aleve back? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. wh

. >> 50 years ago this week, dr. martin luther king jr. changed history with his i have a dream speech. he had a vision for equality and economic progress and issued a challenge to america -- to live up to its democratic ideals. how does america measure up today? i'll ask our guests, civil rights pioneer and georgia congressman john lewis, mayor of newark, new jersey, cory booker, and develop nor of louisiana, bobby jindal. also, we'll explore the overall state of american dream -- civil rightses, the struggle of the middle classes, issues at the heart of our political debate. our roundtable weighs in. host of msnbc's "politics nation," the reverend al sharpton, pulitzer prize-winning journalist sheryl wudunn, republican congressman from idaho, raul labrador, and unique perspective from historian doris kearns goodwin as well as "new york times" columnist david brooks. i'm david gregory. all that ahead on "meet the press" this sunday, august 25th. good sunday morning. thousands of people gathered here in washington saturday to re-create the

dr. king and wilkin. then dr. king said to me, john, can we change that? he said that doesn't sound like you. i know you. he said we come this far together. let's stay together. can we make those changes? i couldn't say no to a. phillip randolph. i couldn't say no to martin luther king jr. >> as you walk to the podium to speak, what was going through your mind? you'd been in the trenches. you'd been arrested. you faced all of that. what were you thinking when you stood here and looked out at the crowd? >> when i stood here and looked out and saw the sea of humanity, i was gratified. i was deeply moved and inspired that so many people had turned out. some people said it was 250,000 people. i think it was many more. i think it was a great undercount. i looked to my right and i saw all of these young people standing there just cheering. and then i looked to my left. i saw young men black and white up in the trees trying to get a better view of the podium. and the lincoln memorial. and i looked straight ahead with so many people with their feet in the water tr

dr. king and wilkin. then dr. king said to me, john, can we change that? he said that doesn't sound like you. i know you. he said we come this far together. let's stay together. can we make those changes? i couldn't say no to a. phillip randolph. i couldn't say no to martin luther king jr. >> as you walk to the podium to speak, what was going through your mind? you'd been in the trenches. you'd been arrested. you faced all of that. what were you thinking when you stood here and looked out at the crowd? >> when i stood here and looked out and saw the sea of humanity, i was gratified. i was deeply moved and inspired that so many people had turned out. some people said it was 250,000 people. i think it was many more. i think it was a great undercount. i looked to my right and i saw all of these young people standing there just cheering. and then i looked to my left. i saw young men black and white up in the trees trying to get a better view of the podium. and the lincoln memorial. and i looked straight ahead with so many people with their feet in the water tr

you know, dr. king skipped two grades here. will it create more dr. king's? are they able to jump through the system as did he? >> this is a mix and match here, richard. number one, the common core, if it was done correctly, not as it's done right now which is so testing stated, if it's done correctly it's important because all kids have to be prepared about problem solving and critical thinking. what we also must do is we have to actually invest in schools and make sure that there's music and that there is art. the other things that are on that list what parents and teachers are saying stop focusing on testing! let's focus on teaching and bringing the joy of teaching back! let's focus on bringing the joy of learning back! so what is happening look at philadelphia. this is a big, big test case. philadelphia has created a manufactured crisis. governor corbett has cut schools all throughout that country -- i'm sorry. all through that state. in philly schools are opening four days from now without guidance counselors and class sizes exploding. we need to stop th

king and dr. height were here today, i would say they will charge us with facilitating the next generational shift. stated thatdy been as we look and listen on this day of commemoration and celebration, all we have to do to know about what changes, is to look down pennsylvania avenue to the president of the united states. we know that their aspirations were not in vain. ir and together 50 years ago was a search for equality and peace groups let us except that charge also. thank you. >> ♪ >> our next speaker is the miss margoesident, copeland. >> good morning. we stand here today as the beneficiaries and inheritors of a dream it was bequeathed to us 50 years ago. in 1963 turned into a milestone in the advancement of the african- american community and the nation in general. dr. king's dream was aspirational and inspirational. it was a dream so big that he dared us. he challenged us to work toward the advancement and creation of a better day and quality of life for all. history was for everyone re

king with roy wilkins. to david's point, you saw dr. king so poised and unflappable facing questions of potential violence in washington. but there was tension about the value of that kind of demonstration, mass demonstration in the street, and how it made african-americans look and appear to a largely white america. >> it's ironic that people don't understand mrs. king, who i've got to know well -- i was too young to know dr. king -- talked about how controversial he was during his lifetime and those tactics of randolph and rustin. people always said you're causing violence, stirring things up, and you're moving too fast, and i think that upon his death people gave him credit for things that he never heard in life. and in many ways we hear today some of the same kinds of attacks. certainly no one's on the scale that they were, but the same kinds of things, that why don't y'all do it another way, when these are the ways you dramatize the problem. marches are not set to solve a problem. they're set to show the problem and force someone t

king's new york lawyer. so the parents, as i went in to see dr. king, they were shouting at me. attorney jones get our kids out of jail. and the reason they were upset was that we didn't have the money, sufficient money to bail at that time. at the end of the day, they would say, well, dr. king he lead this demonstration, got these kids in jail, and then his organization didn't even have the resources to bail them out. i went in to tell dr. king, we have a major issue on our hands, martin -- doctor, i said. well, much to my surprise, he virtually dismissed me. he said have you seen this? i said what is this? and he holds up a newspaper, and in that newspaper there's a full page ad signed by eight prominent white clergymen from birmingham. he was angry. he was hurt. but he was motivated like i had never seen him motivated. he had an old newspaper and all of the blank spaces where there's not text or ads, he has written, and he's so frenetic about it that he has written on paper towels and toilet paper. and he said take these out and get these typed. take them to dr. walker to get

after dr. king's speech, nothing was really ever the same. within months, the civil rights act was passed, followed the next year by the voting rights act. king won the nobel peace prize in '64. he was assassinated in '68. as president obama praised peace today, he also prepared for war. the pentagon is awaiting the president's order to retaliate against the syrian dictatorship for what the u.s. says was a poison gas attack on syrian civilians. the president talked about his plan this evening in an interview with the pbs newshour. >> if we are saying in a clear and decisive but very limited way, we sent a shot across the bow saying "stop doing this" that can have a positive affect on our national security over the long term and may have a positive impact on the sense that chemical weapons are not used again on innocent civilians. >> pelley: the chemical weapons attack killed more than 300 people last week, mostly women and children. the syrian dictatorship has been fighting a popular rebellion for two years. david martin has the latest develo

dr. king spoke number ten. and out of the ten people that spoke that day, i'm the only one still around. >> congratulations. >> what's that? >> congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> it was a great moment in american life. >> you were his friend? >> yeah. i got to know dr. king. i met him in 1958 when i was 18. but i first heard of him when i was 15 years old in the 10th grade. we worked together. we marched together. we got arrested together in selma, alabama. >> have you ever heard this story before? >> yes, i have. >> you have? >> i watched it on tv. >> you did? >> so you know about the sit-ins? the freedom ride? >> yeah. >> people marching for the right to vote? you know, i was on the march from selma to montgomery. i was beaten. on march 7th, 1965, a group of us, about 600 people, black and white, many young people, some people who had just left church, decided to march from selma to montgomery, about 50 miles away, because people of color, black people in alabama, couldn't register to vote simply bec

where dr. martin luther king called for equal rights for all. thank you so much, i'm morgan radford. [[voiceover]] every sunday night, al jazeera america presents gripping films from the world's top documentary directors. >>thank god i didn't suffer what he had to go through. next sunday, the premiere of google and the world brain. >>this is the opportunity of our generation. [[voiceover]] it would be the world's greatest library under one digital roof. but at what cost? >>google could hold the whole world hostage. [[voiceover]] al jazeera america presents google and the world brain. can you say stocktopussy? g102 2 more news. ♪ >>> and welcome back. late summer heat wave has prompted many schools across the events. heat stroke is a leading cause of death among athletes, and it is a particular concern for high school football players and their parents at this time of year. one high school in georgia set up new rules after a devastating loss for their team. >> reporter: it's at the edge of locust grove high school football field just out of atl

we have trivialized and romanticized dr. king. we need not just to celebrate him him a we need to follow him. we need to sacrifice ourselves and understand that if our children go down, we are going down with them. this happen on our watch, shame on us. was famouslyng understood balis most of his life. now it seems like all the blacks in america are understood balis by the government. i saw a poll the other day that so many americans shrug their shoulders about being -- about the government snooping in digging. what do you make of polls like that, that some americans don't even care about this? >> when you look at polls and you ask americans about most questions, the disappointing thing is they give answers that make you wonder, did they teach civics in school? people say all the time, i'm not doing anything, so i don't care if the government has me under surveillance. if you are complaining about it, that means you have a problem. there needs to be more public education, awareness, or something, because we are really going down t

what would dr. king say? >> i think dr. king would be pragmatic. we need those services at all times, so not everyone has to be out at all times. but each minister must find a way they serve the cause of justice which is the central ethic of the biblical edition. >> are you surprised that no one has talked about the war on crack and so many people lost theirtheir lives because of it. >> no, i'm not surprised by it because the churches are not at the forefront addressing social issues at this point. dr. king would be speaking out about it. what we have is commemoration and celebration, no really speaking to legislation, no real speaking to the future in the way that dr. king did. >> i want to bring in right now daniel marrie, the leader of the million hoodies march. trayvon martin is being spoken of at the mall, but what about others who have been involved in justice over the last 50 years. >> there is no doubt that trayvon martin is here today but you're right, there are so many trayvon martins, and the list goes on and on, there is definitely a wi

king's ideals. dr. king believed that our destinies are all intertwined, and he knew that our hopes and our dreams are really all the same. he challenged us to see how we all are more alike than we are different. so, as the bells of freedom ring today, we are hoping that it is a time for all of us to reflect on not only the progress that has been made -- and we have made a lot -- but on what we have accomplished and also on the work that still remains before us. it is an opportunity today to recall where we once were in this nation and to think about that young man who at 34 years old stood up here and was able to force an entire country to wake up, to look at itself and to eventually change. and as we the people continue to honor the dream of a man and a movement, a man who in his short life saw suffering and injustice and refused to look the other way. we can be inspired and we, too, can be courageous by continuing to walk in the footsteps of the path that he forged. he's the one who reminded us that

dr. king understood this. he understood that this was a fight about civil rights, this was a fight about human rights, this was a fight about labor rights, economic rights, workers rights. and he was able to merge all of those kinds of arguments and all of those kinds of segments in our society and we came together. that coalition came together we must never, ever forget that. that's why we're commemorating the 1963 march tomorrow but we're going to work towards a future and ensure that we have quality jobs, quality education, workers rights, civil rights, and human rights and voting rights. >> dennis, when they left 50 years ago by the next year they had the civil rights ak t. by '65 the voting rights act. what do you hope we can accomplish in the next couple years? >> wouldn't it be wonderful just to have them introduced in this congress. but we've got to get congress to understand the road forward in this country is about economic rights and voting rights and engaging all citizens, not just some. as we look

and then i began to listen to dr. king. i realized that dr. king advocated for poor people. if dr. king was here today, i would ask them the question if he was satisfied with the representation of poor people. to the conclusion that he would be very upset and very disturbed. wewould say that, jobs, don't have anybody lobbying for poor folks. and it is because of the lack of people who are concerned about the needs of these people who are suffering. he was saying that we must still hit the streets. we must still demonstrate. now we must go back to ground zero. we must continue to march. we must continue to pray. experience, the whole world is saying, teachers, my brothers and sisters. teach us how to get free. free because we must still fight for freedom. are you ready to march? are you ready to demonstrate? streetshead back to the and liberate and free all of god's children. love is what love does. we must free the people. thank you so much. >> today we join elder bernice in her visionrity of a manifestation of her dream, thetream -- freedom to prosper in life, the freedom to peace

dr. king spoke number ten. and out of the ten people that spoke that day, i'm the only one still around. >> congratulations. >> what's that? >> congratulations. >> thank you very much. >> it was a great moment in american life. >> you were his friend? >> yeah. i got to know dr. king. i met him in 1958 when i was 18. but i first heard of him when i was 15 years old, in the 10th grade. we worked together. we marched together. we got arrested together in selma, alabama. >> have you ever heard this story before? >> yes, i have. >> you have? >> i watched it on tv. >> you did? >> so you know about the sit-ins? the freedom ride? >> yeah. >> people marching for the right to vote? you know, i was on the march from selma to montgomery. i was beaten. on march 7th, 1965, a group of us, about 600 people, black and white, many young people, some people who had just left church, decided to march from selma to montgomery, about 50 miles away, because people of color, black people in alabama, couldn't register to vote simply be

dr. martin luther king had a niece, i wish she had spoken. i wish there was more representation from the other side of the political aisle, like his niece and hear different messages. john lewis, we'll take a look in the next block at what he said, when he talked about what he went through, he said you don't know unless you walked in my shoes. i've never walked in his shoes, so i don't know. i hear these stories, makes my blood boil about the discrimination that happened against african americans. it really is a really dark spot on our history. >> are we a country that's forgotten about that? >> i don't think we have forgotten. if you look at the statistics, kimberly, it was unfortunate that people didn't weigh in on these more. bill clinton touched on it. we have 26% of black americans with high school diplomas when martin luther king gave the speech in 1964. 85 did last year, 85%. huge number, not good enough. 21% of black americans completed four year colleges last year compared to 4% in 1964. kimberly, great improvement, but 21% of four y

dr. king and a. phillip randolph, john lewis and ruston and all the others who led this massive march knew what they were doing on this hallowed ground. in the shadow of lincoln's statue, the burning memory of the fact that he gave his life to preserve the union and end slavery, martin luther king urged his crowd not to drink from the cup of bitterness. but to reach across the racial divide. because, he said, we cannot walk alone. their destiny is tied up with our destiny. their freedom is inextri cably bound to our freedom. he urged the victims of racial violence to meet white americans with an outstretched hand, not a clenched fist. and in so doing, to prove the redeeming power of unearned suffering. and then he dreamed of an american where all citizens would sit together at the table of brotherhood. where little white boys and girls and little black boys and girls would hold hands across the color line. where his own children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of th

king stood and gave thanks to dr. king and everyone who joined him there 50 years ago. >> because they marched, the civil rights law was passed. because they marched, a voting rights law was signed. because they marched, doors of opportunity and education swung open so their daughters and sons could finally imagine a life for themselves beyond washing somebody's laundry or shining somebody else's shoes. because they marched, the city councils changed and state legislatures changed. and congress changed. and yes, eventually the white house changed. >> the organizers of the march on washington 50 years ago called it "the march on washington for jobs and freedom." the president reminded us of that today. >> for the men and women who gathered 50 years ago, we're not there in search of some abstract idea. they were there seeking jobs as well as justice. not just the absence of oppression. but the presence of economic opportunity. for what does it profit a man, dr. king would ask, to sit at an integrated lunch counter if he

i would like to leave you with these words by dr. king. whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be. may god bless you. may we remain connected in love. thank you. >> forest whittaker, the actor currently appearing in "the butler." eleanor holmes norton, in watching all of this as you.out it's very different than it was 50 years ago. there san important message to try to continue the impetus behind action. jesse jackson told me he thinks the president has to lay out an actual plan for action on votin. >> it's really -- there's really such pressure on the president. here we have three presidents, an achievement of its own. caroline kennedy just spoke. before the march, her father and his administration were terrified. people like me, young people who had just come out of the south, were insulted. we had been the ones who had been peaceful. i didn't think it was anything to be afraid of us about. but the president, i think, president kennedy, became a believer af

he was a good friend of dr. king. he joined dr. king's activist group in 1961 and he also helped draft the civil rights act and the voting rights act of 1965. it was in 1977 that he was confirmed ambassador to the united nations. our chris matthews is standing by with our coverage and watching just there. chris, what did you make of how ambassador young did? he got the crowd going singing front and back there. i thought it was interesting, though, probably the most known line for mlk he quoted was the ark of the universe is long but it bends toward justice. >> well, there is so much -- first of all, when you reach a certain age like he has, the ambassador, i guess you can let it hang out a little bit. that guy is totally cool. i mean, he wasn't afraid of his singing voice which is, obviously, very good. the black church obviously played a big part in the big speech here 50 years ago. my country 'tis of thee. martin luther king started off his speech talking about five score, years ago which is a hundred years, using the language of

dr. king knew what was coming. he knew that the promised land was -- had a lot of people pulling you back, trying to hold you back. what we need to do is register. you got a bunch up there and right here in washington who are working against you. you've got a bunch -- they is working five days per week trying to hold you back and these are some of the main reasons that minimum wage is what it is today. the president wants to give it to you but he has so many people that is against him and working against him and they don't want to pass nothing that he is for. what i suggest is get to everybody you can, that's what i am doing, get to everyone you can and try to get them registered to vote. until we do something about these people who are against others, until we do something about that, we will still be in a slump. we are going to overcome. we are going to overcome it. keep the faith. we are going to overcome it and just like i told brother that i am with you. i will be with you anyway i can help. that was the way o

in 1963, dr. martin luther king, jr. was arrested and put in jail in birmingham, alabama, the charge, protesting without a permit. there he writes the famous letter from the birmingham jail that was the moral duty to break unjust laws that images of brutality of broadcast around the world, gaining sympathy thought civil rights movement. naacp field operator medgar evers is murdered outside his home. dr. king gives the speech, that famous i have a dream speech. on july 2, 1964, president johnson signs the civil rights act of 1964, which was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since reconstruction. later today, history will come full circle. president obama is going to address the nation. he is the nation's only black president, and he will speak at the very moment that dr. martin luther king gave his speech. joining us now to assess the king legacy is dr. thomas jackson, a king biographer and associate professor at the university of north carolina. more black men are in jail now than when dr. king was alive, the un

one of those continuing dr. king's work is his son, dr. martin luther king iii, reflecting earlier on how much work we still have to do to achieve his father's vision from 50 years ago. let's take a listen. >> the vision preached by my father a half century ago was that his four little children would one day live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. however, sadly, the tears of trayvon martin's mother and father remind us that far too frequently, the color of one's skin remains a license to profile, to arrest, and to even murder with no regard for the content of one's character. >> let's bring in our guests this afternoon. stan was here 50 years ago as a member of the original local organizing committee for the march in 19 63. he's also the author of "the edge of politics." edith lee payne attended the march on her 12th birthday 50 years ago with her mother. this iconic photo of her as a young girl will dprfr be part of our history. and eugene robinson, a pulitzer pri

dr. king cried. i was sitting next to him. i cried. he introduced that deal. and the congress passed it. and 48 years later, the supreme court gutted,. put a dagger in the heart of the voting rights act of 1965. >> schieffer: you know, justice scalia said that provision amounted to a-- these are his two words-- "racial entitlement." >> i was shocked. i was shocked. i couldn't believe that a member of the united states supreme court providing a way, making it possible for people to participate in a democratic process would be described as a racial entitlement. >> schieffer: final question, what do you think martin luther king would say today if he could look at america, see where it was, where we are have come? >> 50 years later, dr. king, if we could speak to us, would say we've made a lot of progress. you're in the process of laying down the burden of race. but we're not there yet. he'd be grateful to see an african american as president of the united states. it's almost unreal, unbelievable, dr. king, would say that 150 years since the emancipation proclamat

kean to march -- dr king -- dr. king -- we never dreamed we would be here 50 years later. we never dreamed we would see an african american president. thank god we live not only long enough to see the march on washington, but to see an african-american president. i was looking through some old sermons. i am going to preach it again. found one i dusted off and i willthe name of it was,preach it again. "everything has changed and nothing has changed." that is where we are in america. everything has changed and nothing has changed. as we look at the parents of the young man from florida, as we look at people like johnny ford and others on the platform -- i am not sure what they are doing, but they are getting ready to do something. i want to say to you that everything has changed and nothing has changed. we have come up here for two reasons. not just to come to washington, we come to washington to commemorate. we go back home to agitate. i do not think you heard me. we come to washington to commemorate. we are going back home to agitate. because while many things have changed