U.S. civil rights protester John Lewis (WP) – leader of the  Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and co-organizer of the march on Washington in August, 1963 – made a visit to Dublin, Derry, and Belfast at the end of April (Newsletter | DerryCity.gov.uk). In honour of his visit, the ‘We Can Do It!” (a.k.a. “Rosie The Riveter”) figure at the left edge of the Douglass mural (under Barack Obama) on Northumberland Street was painted over and Lewis’s image – wearing the Presidential Medal Of Freedom – put in its place. For a wide-shot of the mural pre-Lewis, see Liberating Minds, which gives all of the quotes in the mural, including the quote from Abraham Lincoln that provides the title of today’s post.

Previously: Frederick Douglass (2009) | The Only Tired I Was, Was Tired Of Giving In (Rosa Parks) | Prison First, Then President (Nelson Mandela)

Bill Rolston gives some historical context in this video on the Open Hands project.

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Copyright © 2014/2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01825 X01829 X02312 martin luther king bob marley steven biko haitian revolution angela davis muhammad ali abraham lincoln strong children the woman is the slave of that slave swing low sweet chariot why should i drop bombs on brown people in vietnam cast off one’s chains the freedom of others without regard to race i have a dream thank god almighty we are free at last liberating minds society apartheid thank you sister rosa