David A. Harris Sole Jewish Spokesman At Washington Tribute To James Farmer

American Jewish Committee
Friday, 17 September 1999

American Jewish Committee Executive Director David A. Harris joined with President Clinton and prominent African American leaders in addressing a recent ceremony in Washington commemorating James Farmer, the civil rights leader who passed away two months ago.

"James Farmer was a man with a vision who profoundly changed the course of our nation's history," Mr. Harris told the audience at the national tribute. "Even when, in his later years, he lost his sight, he never, ever, lost his vision. That vision was a guide and beacon for us; it was also a constant challenge for us to press ahead and to persevere with heads held high."

Mr. Harris was the only American Jewish speaker at the event, which was held on September 10, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. President Clinton addressed the commemoration by satellite link from the White House.

America has come a long way since Mr. Farmer was born in 1920, a time when the country was "deeply divided along racial lines that were sustained by suspicion, ignorance and hate, not to speak of gross and shameful inequality," said Mr. Harris.

"Certainly we have learned that it's sometimes easier to change laws than to change hearts," said Mr. Harris. "But none of us should underestimate the distance traveled, even as our final objective sometimes seems frustratingly elusive."

James Farmer was one of this century's giants, among people "who never faltered, who never succumbed to despair, who rose up even after they were beaten down, and who unfailingly loved when they had every right to hate," said Mr. Harris. "By never forgetting that the ultimate aim of the civil rights movement was in fact nothing less than the prophetic vision of peace and equality and mutual respect, he never allowed himself to get swept away by the bitterness, even bloodiness, of the fight."

Mr. Farmer was a "moral visionary with his eyes cast aloft and his feet planted firmly on the ground," a towering figure for the 20th century and a "herald for the century that is about to begin," Mr. Harris said.

Indeed, Mr. Farmer's essential message is still relevant today and can be summed up in the words he expressed upon accepting the American Jewish Committee honor: "It is not hate that has won our victories, it is brotherhood."

Turning to the brotherhood between Jews and African Americans, Mr. Harris declared: "I continue to believe profoundly in that brotherhood."

Jews and African Americans can go separate ways or "we can follow James Farmer's lead and stand together in solidarity and common purpose," Mr. Harris said. "Let us not forget that whether we cooperate or not, we do share the same enemies," noting that anti-Semites are also racists.

"Together, we represent a vision of a better America, an America that is both more just and more humane," said Mr. Harris. "Our enemies remind us that what binds us is far more important than those occasional moments when we are apart."

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