Joseph Lowery Quote

On the role of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference:

We've been an umbrella in the 40 years of rain. We saw a fire burning in the souls of Black America. Water hoses couldn't wash it out, billy clubs couldn't beat it out, and jails couldn't lock it out.


Farewell address at SCLC annual meeting, Atlanta, Georgia [August 1997]


We've been an umbrella in the 40 years of rain. We saw a fire burning in the souls of Black America. Water hoses couldn't wash it out, billy clubs...

We've been an umbrella in the 40 years of rain. We saw a fire burning in the souls of Black America. Water hoses couldn't wash it out, billy clubs...

We've been an umbrella in the 40 years of rain. We saw a fire burning in the souls of Black America. Water hoses couldn't wash it out, billy clubs...

We've been an umbrella in the 40 years of rain. We saw a fire burning in the souls of Black America. Water hoses couldn't wash it out, billy clubs...