Kennedy Civil Rights Speech, June 11th, 1963: Analysis

I took the time to look up and put into historical context a time and speech that meant so much and had so much hope... but that hope was dashed a scant few months later.
John Kennedy speaks of the United States finally upholding Brown v Board, or "Separate but Equal" being made illegal nationally. He had to call out the National Guard to get kids into class!!!

Here is the speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS4Qw4lIckg

Here is the analysis... Enjoy and comment.

(Kennedy in bold blue, summation in normal text)

Key words Kennedy uses are showing what whites have that blacks want. That we are all created the same and it is time to recognize such: "Today, we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. And when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin, we do not ask for whites only. It ought to be possible, therefore, for American students of any color to attend any public institution they select without having to be backed up by troops. It ought to be possible for American consumers of any color to receive equal service in places of public accommodation, such as hotels and restaurants and theaters and retail stores, without being forced to resort to demonstrations in the street, and it ought to be possible for American citizens of any color to register and to vote in a free election without interference or fear of reprisal. It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color. In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case." He cites statistics that show the table is not set the same for each race in the U.S.: "The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the State in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing a high school as a white baby born in the same place on the same day, one-third as much chance of completing college, one-third as much chance of becoming a professional man, twice as much chance of becoming unemployed, about one-seventh as much chance of earning $10,000 a year, a life expectancy which is 7 years shorter, and the prospects of earning only half as much". It is not only an issue of what is right, but what indeed will actually make the United States the free nation it claims to be and people shouldn't have to rise up to get guaranteed rights: "We preach freedom around the world, and we mean it, and we cherish our freedom here at home, but are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other that this is the land of the free except for the Negroes; that we have no second-class citizens except Negroes; that we have no class or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes? Now the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise. The events in Birmingham and elsewhere have so increased the cries for equality that no city or State or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore them. The fires of frustration and discord are burning in every city, North and South, where legal remedies are not at hand. Redress is sought in the streets, in demonstrations, parades, and protests which create tensions and threaten violence and threaten lives". It is also an issue of morality in a nation that claims the highest moral codes: "We face, therefore, a moral crisis as a country and a people. It cannot be met by repressive police action. It cannot be left to increased demonstrations in the streets. It cannot be quieted by token moves or talk. It is a time to act in the Congress, in your State and local legislative body and, above all, in all of our daily lives. It is not enough to pin the blame on others, to say this a problem of one section of the country or another, or deplore the facts that we face. A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all. Those who do nothing are inviting shame, as well as violence. Those who act boldly are recognizing right, as well as reality."
The evidence is overwhelming. He presents statistics cited above; in one respect he cites something that is even happening to whites in today's day who have little means: "The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?" That segregation continues even 9 years after it had been a decided issue by the nation's laws, which in turn hurts black's prospects for jobs, upward mobility or anything of his own because he is naturally playing from behind: "Too many Negro children entering segregated grade schools at the time of the Supreme Court's decision nine years ago will enter segregated high schools this fall, having suffered a loss which can never be restored. The lack of an adequate education denies the Negro a chance to get a decent job." Now it is time for Congress and himself to implement the decisions of so many years prior and he is asking for the entire country to pitch in and help level a playing field that for so long was kept slanted slightly toward the white...

Post Script:
Have things indeed changed? Does a "Black President" truly signify things are better? Even if he is fought tooth and nail at every turn? What do the cries of "I want my Country back" truly harken to? Will people look to see that 10% of the population is currently 80% of the prison population and not "blame them" for their ills? What about the extra 10 to 15% unemployment? It is hard to get a job where there are none to be had.

Just a little food for thought. Have things gotten better?