For three days in April, Austin hosted the Civil Rights Summit where four U.S. presidents spoke to commemorate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a volunteer for the event, I was able to attend three of those talks. Presidents Obama and Clinton spoke eloquently of Lyndon Johnson’s determined and skillful efforts to pass the bill, and of the civil rights gains and setbacks since its passing. But it was the interview with President Carter that moved me most. Drawing from his experiences traveling the world on behalf of human rights, he spoke with passion and authority on the shocking injustices women and children in particular still endure. Other memorable moments? Listening to David Boies and Ted Olson speak on gay marriage as a civil right. As they did in The Case Against 8 documentary, the two lawyers paid tribute to the plaintiffs in the case, those two gay couples who put their personal stamp on the issue. What courageous people. Another highlight was speaking with Julian Bond whom I had met thirty years ago, and then meeting Andrew Young and Maria Shriver. I wanted so badly to speak with John Lewis, one of my favorite civil rights heroes. And I have to admit, from a music groupie perspective, it was a thrill to be up close to Graham Nash. The Summit inspired Mark and me to plan visits to the George W. Bush Library in Dallas and the Jimmy Carter Library in Atlanta, though we didn’t make it to the latter due to closing hours. In its place, however, we took in the Martin Luther King Center and attended Sunday service at Ebenezer Baptist Church. That revisiting of King’s legacy rounded out our civil rights journey. At the end, I include photos of Mark’s birthday dinner at the Atlanta Grill and visits with Matthew in Lake Village, with the Claytons in Pawley’s Island, and with Mom and Dad in Houma.
