Lyndon B Johnsons Commencement Address at Howard University

In Lyndon B Johnson’s commencement address at Howard University on June 4^th, 1965, Lyndon B Johnson’s attempts to emphasize a movement for the legal protection of Human rights.  Looking at the speech itself, we get a good understanding of the life for African Americans through the quote, “In far too many ways American Negroes have been another nation: derived of freedom, crippled by hatred, the doors of opportunity closed to hope.” The phrase “crippled by hatred” outlines the clear and conscious attacks inflicted on African Americans by white Americans living in the United States. Grappling with this issue, it was no secret that White Americans continued to kill, injure and intimidate African Americans in order to assert their dominance.  Without legal protection and enforcement, African Americans were victims of countless events of intended race violence.  Where could African Americans turn to? The government? The government was at this time entirely run by white Americans consequently resulting in no immediate hope to quell the unprovoked violence.  Dealing with these issues since the abolition of slavery, this period in time was a culmination of resentment and oppression that built up to the point of no return.  Investigating this primary document further, my favorite excerpt from this speech is the statement, “Freedom is the right to share, share fully and equally in American society—to vote, to hold a job, to enter a public place, to go to school.” While holding a “job, voting and entering a public space” are all inalienable rights, I do not believe this successfully signifies equality.  The reason from this stems from the complexity of Racial discrimination within America.  For example, aspirations for African Americans should not just to be able to “enter a public space” but to rather live in society without deeply engrained racial prejudices.  Whether or not racism can be subtle or overt is another complexity that African Americans must balance in the atmosphere of American society.  Thus, while this speech is adequate in illustrating the issues of society, I do not believe this document outlines the true meaning of equality.