This great, rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all, all black and white all North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. Theyre our enemies, not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too - poverty, disease, and ignorance: we shall overcome Now let none of us in any section look with pr idef ul righteous ness on the troubles in another section or the problems of our neigh bors. There's really no part of America where the promise of equa lity has been fully kept. In Buf falo as well as in Birmingham in Philadelphia as well as selma, Americans are struggling for the fruits of freedom. This is one nation What happens in Selma or in Cincinnati is a matter of legitimate concern to every American. But let each of us look within our own hearts and our own communities and let each of us put our shoulder to the wheel to root out injustice wherever it exists As we meet here in this peaceful, historic chamber tonight men from the South some of whom were at Iwo Jima, men from the North who have carried old glory to far corners of the world and brought it back without a sta in on it, men from the East and from the West, are all fighting together without regard to religion, or color, or region in Vietnam. Men from every region fought for us across the world twenty years ago And now in these common dangers and these common sacrif ices, the South made its contribution of honor and gallantry no less than any other region in the great Republic - and in some instances, a great many of them, more And i have not the slightest doubt that good men from everywhere in this country from the great lakes to the gulf of mexico from the golden gate to the harbors along the atlantic, will rally now together in this cause to vindicate the freedom of all Americans For all of us owe this duty and i believe that all of us will respond to it. Your President makes that request of every American The real hero of this struggle is the American Negro. His actions and protests, his courage to risk safety and even to risk his life have awakened the conscience of this nation. His demonstrations have been designed to call attention to injustice, designed to provoke change designed to stir reform He has called upon us to make good the promise of America. and who among us can say that we would have made the same progress were it not for his persistent bravery and his faith in American For at the real heart of battle for equality is a deep seated belief in the democratic process. Equality depends not on the force of arms or tear gas but depends upon the force of moral right not on recourse to violence but on respect for law and order.This great, rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all, all black and white, all North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. They're our enemies, not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too -- poverty, disease, and ignorance: we shall overcome. Now let none of us in any section look with prideful righteousness on the troubles in another section, or the problems of our neighbors. There's really no part of America where the promise of equality has been fully kept. In Buf falo as well as in Birmingham, in Philadelphia as well as Selma, Americans are struggling for the f ruits of f reedom. This is one nation. What happens in Selma or in Cincinnati is a matter of legitimate concern to every American. But let each of us look within our own hearts and our own communities, and let each of us put our shoulder to the wheel to root out injustice wherever it exists. As we meet here in this peaceful, historic chamber tonight, men f rom the South, some of whom were at Iwo Jima, men f rom the North who have carried Old Glory to far corners of the world and brought it back without a stain on it, men f rom the East and f rom the West, are all fighting together without regard to religion, or color, or region, in Vietnam. Men f rom every region fought for us across the world twenty years ago. And now in these common dangers and these common sacrifices, the South made its contribution of honor and gallantry no less than any other region in the Great Republic -- and in some instances, a great many of them, more. And I have not the slightest doubt that good men f rom everywhere in this country, f rom the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, f rom the Golden Gate to the harbors along the Atlantic, will rally now together in this cause to vindicate the f reedom of all Americans. For all of us owe this duty; and I believe that all of us will respond to it. Your President makes that request of every American. The real hero of this struggle is the American Negro. His actions and protests, his courage to risk safety and even to risk his life, have awakened the conscience of this nation. His demonstrations have been designed to call attention to injustice, designed to provoke change, designed to stir reform. He has called upon us to make good the promise of America. And who among us can say that we would have made the same progress were it not for his persistent bravery, and his faith in American democracy. For at the real heart of battle for equality is a deep seated belief in the democratic process. Equality depends not on the force of arms or tear gas but depends upon the force of moral right; not on recourse to violence but on respect for law and order