“To the extent we have violence at home, I think one might well conclude we have not created the conditions in which the good life can be lived. I suggest that there are at least two fundamental things we must do to create those conditions. We must have unity of purpose as a people and justice among the people. And today, we have too little of both.”
Sargent Shriver| Wilberforce, OH | January 25, 1968
Our Quote of the Week is from Sargent Shriver’s 1968 Winter Convocation Address at Wilberforce University. Like many of Sargent Shriver’s speeches, it is reflective of the time in which it was given, and yet transcends the era, providing insights that are relevant for us today in 2017. Addressing the problems of inequality, discrimination, and systemic poverty, Sargent Shriver asserts that it impossible to eradicate violence without addressing the desperation that millions of people feel due to lack of opportunity, justice, and freedom. This was one of Sarge’s main messages throughout his time leading the War on Poverty, a key component of President Johnson’s Great Society.
