The CBC "Message to America" is distributed nationwide to the American Urban Radio Network's (AURN) affiliate stations.

            WHO:        U.S. Representative John Lewis (D-GA)

            WHEN:      Saturday, June 17, 2006; 12:06 p.m. EST

            WHERE:   American Urban Radio Network Affiliate Stations

"Hello. This is Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, and I am delighted to bring you the Congressional Black Caucus Message to America.

"We are facing some challenges in America today. We are concerned about why gas prices are so high, and why our electric bills are going up. We want to know why some of our children are failing in the public schools we pay for and what the real truth is about the war in Iraq. We have questions about the honesty of our government and whether our vote is really counted when we go to the polls.

"We want to know why we can not afford better healthcare, and how we can gain equal justice in the economic and judicial systems. These are important questions that require knowledge, commitment, and persistence to resolve.

"These are tough times, but the future of our families and the survival of our community is at stake. You must not give up. You must not give in. You must not give out. You must not get lost in a sea of despair. But you must use the opportunities afforded by our democracy to make a difference in our society.

"The vote is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic nation. You have a mission and a mandate as the descendants of Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Thurgood Marshall, Fannie Lou Hamer and thousands of countless and nameless individuals who gave all they had so you could exercise the right to vote.

"You have a mission and a mandate to make sure that they did not die in vain. They were just ordinary people with extraordinary vision who made a commitment to change America. You can do it too. You can change this nation, if you get involved.

"Use the power you have and decide not to accept failure as an outcome. If you find your passion and make a commitment, you can help build what I like to call the Beloved Community, an all inclusive world society based on simple justice that values the dignity and the worth of every human being.

"We used to say in the Civil Rights Movement that our struggle was not for a month, a season or a year. Our struggle is not for one presidential term or one period of history. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime and each generation must do its part to help build the Beloved Community, a nation and a world at peace with itself.

"This is Congressman John Lewis speaking for the Congressional Black Caucus. Thank you."