The Duty to Vote, The Duty to Protest

January 27, 2021 | 6:30pm

One of the difficult lessons we have learned is that you cannot depend upon American institutions to function without pressure.  Any real change in the status quo depends on continued creative action to sharpen the conscience of the nation and establish a climate in which even the most recalcitrant elements are forced to admit that change is necessary.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Civil Right No. 1: The Right to Vote"
A picture of an older White man smiling at the camera. He is wearing glasses and has a medium length grey beard that matches his grey hair. He is wearing a dark suit and sits in front of a dark blue drop cloth.
The Duty to Vote, The Duty to Protest

Rabbi Saul J. Berman, Professor of Jewish Law at Yeshiva University and at Columbia University Law School, was arrested in Civil Rights demonstrations in Selma, AL in 1965. In this recording he shared with us a Biblical perspective on a Citizen's Duty to Vote and Duty to Protest in a democratic society.

(Learn more about Selma, '65)

Watch it here!

This short clip of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in March of 1965 speaking on living a life of conviction in Selma Alabama can also be found on the Huntley Film Archives along with other longer speeches.