I am happy to join you tonight in an evening of consequence. An evening that may go down in history as a turning point in a Civil Rights movement dedicated to Restoring Justice for all.
In 1787, the founders of our country created and adopted a constitution which established the United States of America. Four years later, the founders amended the constitution by adding protections for individuals’ rights and liberties. 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights.
But more than two hundred years later, the promises of the constitution and of the bill of rights are being denied to a group of citizens who languish in the corners of society and finds themselves exiled in their own land.
That group of individuals has been labeled by some as "sex offenders". I shall henceforth refer to them as "registered citizens".
Registered citizens have made a mistake. They have broken a law. And they have paid their debt to society by going to prison or serving time on probation.
Despite the payment of their debts to society, registered citizens continue to be punished by being denied jobs, a home in which to live, credit, access to parks, beaches, and libraries as well exiled from some or all members of their families.
Some registered citizens are unemployed. Some are homeless. And some are murdered by vigilantes for no other reason than their label. This is punishment!! Despite what the U.S. Supreme court has ruled. The requirement to register is not the same as -- or even similar to -- becoming a member of costco!
In a sense we have come to this Conference in L.A. to cash a check. A promissory note signed by the founders of this nation.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as registered citizens are concerned. Instead of honoring the sacred obligations of the constitution, America has given registered citizens a bad check. A check which has been returned and marked "insufficient funds".
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice in America is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to L.A... The city which created the nation’s first registry in 1947. To cash this check. A check that will give us the riches and security of justice. We have also come to remind America of the need to act now.
It would be unconscionable for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment when civil rights are denied and citizens such as Charles and Gretchen Parker are murdered by vigilantes in South Carolina last month. This sweltering summer of the registered citizen’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom for registered citizens. 2013 is not an end, but a beginning.
Today there are more than 750,000 American citizens who are being denied their constitutional rights every day. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This must stop! Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of injustice to the solid rock of justice. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all citizens. But we cannot move forward alone.
Instead, we must include our loved ones. Our parents. Our children. Our nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends. Who will be serve as objective witnesses to the plight of registered citizens.
I am mindful that some of you have come here from faraway states. Maryland, Massaschusetts, Florida. I am also mindful that some of you have recently been released from prison and some of you remain on probation or parole.
Go back to Maryland. Go back to Massachusetts. Go back to Florida. Go back to the slums where some homeless registered citizens live. Knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
I say to you tonight, friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out for all citizens the true meaning of its creed, "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal."
I have a dream that one day in the parks of Maryland registered citizens can have a family picnic.
I have a dream that one day in the libraries of New Mexico registered citizens can read a book.
I have a dream.
I have a dream that one day in the state of Florida registered citizens will be allowed to enter emergency shelters when a hurricane arrives.
I have a dream that one day in the state of Tennessee registered citizens will be able to live with all the members of their families.
I have a dream.
I have a dream that one day in the state of Ohio registered citizens can celebrate Halloween in their own homes without fear of arrest.
I have a dream that one day in the state of California registered citizens can live in any city or county they wish to live in.
I have a dream.
I have a dream that one day in America registered citizens will no longer be required to wear GPS monitors.
I have a dream that one day in America armed police officers will no longer show up on the doorsteps of registered citizens.
I have a dream.
I have a dream that one day the names, photos and home addresses of registered citizens will no longer be published on the internet.
I have a dream that one day in America elected officials will no longer pass laws that deny the civil rights of registered citizens in order to increase their chance of re-election.
I have a dream.
I have a dream that one day registered citizens will not be treated like lepers and will not be publicly disgraced, humiliated and shamed.
I have a dream that one day in America registered citizens will not be hunted down and murdered by vigilantes.
I have a dream
I have a dream that one day in America the U.S. Supreme court will recognize that registration is a form of punishment.
I have a dream that one day in America registered citizens will live in a nation where they will not be judged by a mistake they made decades ago but by the content of their current character and actions.
This is our hope. This is the faith with which i will continue my work to restore justice for registered citizens. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
That will be the day when we all will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My Country ‘tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty". And if America is to remain a great nation this must be true.
So let justice ring from mount rainier in Washington state. Let justice ring from the Mississippi river in Louisiana. Let justice ring from the rocky mountains in Colorado. Let justice ring from the beaches of California.
Let justice ring.
And when these things happen, justice will ring. From every village and hamlet. From every state and city. And that will in turn speed up the day when all citizens. Registered and unregistered. Join hands and repeat together the ultimate goal of this movement to live as citizens. As expressed clearly in the last six words of our nation’s pledge of allegiance. "With Liberty and Justice for All."
How do we get there? By showing up – standing up – and speaking up.
Thank you.
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