In Recognizing The Humanity Of

Some May More Quietly Commemorate The Suffering, Struggle, And Sacrifice That Has Triumphed Over Much Of What Was Wrong With The Original Document, And Observe The Anniversary With Hopes Not Realized And Promises Not Fulfilled. I Plan To Celebrate The Bicentennial Of The Constitution As A Living Document, Including The Bill Of Rights And The Other Amendments Protecting Individual Freedoms And Human Rights.

I Have A Lifetime Appointment And I Intend To Serve It. I Expect To Die At 110, Shot By A Jealous Husband.

We Must Dissent From The Fear.

Today's Constitution Is A Realistic Document Of Freedom Only Because Of Several Corrective Amendments. Those Amendments Speak To A Sense Of Decency And Fairness That I And Other Blacks Cherish.

We Must Dissent From The Indifference. We Must Dissent From The Apathy. We Must Dissent From The Fear, The Hatred And The Mistrust. We Must Dissent From A Nation That Has Buried Its Head In The Sand, Waiting In Vain For The Needs Of Its Poor, Its Elderly, And Its Sick To Disappear And Just Blow Away. We Must Dissent From A Government That Has Left Its Young Without Jobs, Education Or Hope. We Must Dissent From The Poverty Of Vision And The Absence Of Moral Leadership. We Must Dissent Because America Can Do Better, Because America Has No Choice But To Do Better.