Kennedy and King Quotes

“King had to overcome White House mistrust, disregard, and stonewalling before his message sank in. As he observed: “It’s a difficult thing to teach a president.”
― Steven Levingston, Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights

“THE PROTESTS CHANGED national sentiment. Before Birmingham, only 4 percent of Americans polled believed civil rights was the country’s most urgent issue; after Birmingham, that figure jumped to 52 percent.”
― Steven Levingston, Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights

“In the past, Jack was noticeably tense around his father. In Joe’s presence the son fidgeted, tapped his front teeth and stroked his jaw, signs of his anxiety that were familiar to friends and associates. Now the president was as tender with his father as he was with his children; if Caroline and John Jr. taught Jack to express affection in surprising new ways, his father’s debility stirred unexpected depths of consideration and empathy.”
― Steven Levingston, Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights

“despite the inconvenience, the blacks stayed off of public transport; they took to their feet or to car pools. As one seventy-year-old woman famously sighed, “My feets is tired, but my soul is rested.”
― Steven Levingston, Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights