John Speaking At The March On Washington #1


“To those who have said, “Be patient and wait,” we have long said that we cannot be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now! We are tired. We are tired of being beaten by policemen. We are tired of seeing our people locked up in jail over and over again. And then you holler “Be patient. How can we be patient? We want our freedom and we want it now. We do not go to jail.”

Credited To: Lewis, John. “Text of Speech to be Delivered at Lincoln Memorial.”  28 August 1963. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Papers, Martin Luther King, Jr. Library and Archives.