Rev. Peter Johnson, Civil rights leader, introduces himself and peruses memories of his time in the civil rights movement alongside the likes of Cesar Chavez...
The Rev. Ralph Abernathy, the former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said these words to me on his deathbed: “Hoss, I need you to tell our story. You’re the youngest one and you may outlive all of us. Talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of America. But mostly, talk about the hope we have for a better tomorrow. Tell your story, Hoss. TellSo, here I am at 79 years of age wanting to tell the stories of the America I know.
But I’ve also seen the best of what America has to offer. I shed tears of joy when I remember the marches and protests and how I could look to my left or right and see white Catholic priests and nuns, Methodist pastors, Hollywood celebrities and men and women of all ethnicities, socio-economic statuses and religions holding hands, singing, praying and hoping for a better America.
I can hear Cesar Chavez’s voice and laughter as we organized migrant workers in California to join the United Farm Workers Union. I also can see the pain in his face as we heard babies and children at night crying from hunger or illness. It was at those moments I saw that babies don’t cry in a race or color, but they cry in hunger and pain. I heard the same cries with Mexican, Native American, Appalachian white and Asian children.
I’ve seen the courage of women who were on the front lines of the movement. There would not have been a civil or human rights movement without women. Women of every race and religion sacrificed their time, many lost their jobs, and some were berated by their husbands for being involved in a movement that was totally against their tradition or belief.
And when that day comes when I meet my maker, and I hear a voice — “Hoss!” — I want to be sure to tell my mentor and my friend Rev. Abernathy that I fulfilled my promise and told our story and reminded America that together, we can make a difference., Contributing Columnist. Peter Johnson has been a civil rights leader in Dallas since 1969. He is a Dallas Morning News contributing columnist.
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