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August 29. 2003 Serving the Carolinas’ Gay & Lesbian Communities Since 1979 Volume 24. Number 18 Tt Os Following are National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman's remarks presented on August 23, 2003 at the 40th Anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream " speech. On behalf of an incredibly diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, and. transgender community, I thank you for inviting us to be here today and — in the words of Dr. King — to walk with you on the road to jobs, peace and freedom. It is an extraordinary privilege and honor to stand here. I'd like to start by lifting up, along with Dr. King, the life and memory of Bayard Rustin — an unsung hero, a dear friend of Dr. King, the prime architect of the 1963 march, and a gay African American man. We also thank and honor Coretta Scott King, who, for years, has spoken out loudly for equal rights for gay people. And, we lift up with gratitude the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who have — time and again — voted against legislation seeking to harm our people. Let's put something on the table right now: there are differ ences between parts of the beloved community. That's because we are people of convic tion. But what we agree on far outweighs our differences. We all agree that all discrimina tion is wrong, that everyone deserves full equality under the law. We agree that hate violence still stains America. I note with sad ness that just one week ago, right here in our nation's capital, Bella continued on page 23 LGBT Community Says We Walk With You' at 40th Anniversary of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of people — including members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgen dered communities — gathered last weekend to remember the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., in a celebration marking the coming 40th anniversary of his moving "I Have a Dream" speech. A "We Walk With You" banner and 100-foot long rainbow pride flag led the LGBT contingent from the northeast comer of the Reflecting Pool to the Bayard Rustin Rally near the Lincoln Memorial. On Friday, civil rights activists com memorated King's eloquent demand of justice for all — on the granite steps of the Lincoln Memorial, from where he addressed a March on Washington crowd of about 250,000 on a hot day four decades ago. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,'" he said. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Those words are not forgotten today, said his son, Martin Luther King in. "I do think people remember because they resonate so clearly." King, now 45, said he hoped that people who visit the inscription at the memorial will not only remember his father's call for justice and equality, but also realize "the work is nowhere near complete. "Components of the dream have been realized, but the entire vision of freedom, justice and equality for all humankind has not been realized yet," he said. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, stood on the steps of the memorial Friday as officials uncovered the words chiseled into the granite of a landing. "The inscription adds a sense of whole ness to this spot," she said. About 1,000 people attended fire cer emony, kicking off two days of obser vances tied to the March on Washington. The inscription, over 2 feet wide, reads: '1 have a dream Martin Luther King Jr. The March on Washington For jobs and freedom August 28,1963." Organizers credited Thomas Williams of Louisville, Ky., who is white, with coming up with the idea of permanently embedding King’s words on the memorial when he visit ed Washington with his wife in 1997. "I looked for the spot where Martin Luther King stood and I couldn’t find it," he said Friday, back in Washington to see his wish come true. Williams wrote to his member of Congress, Republican Anne Northrup, and she pushed legislation providing for the inscription. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia's delegate to continued on pogo 22 _ ' — • • m | 'll mk ■ JilPpi mi 11 I'm 1 'j_ 1 "P'LM North Carolina Pride 2003: www. •org
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