Courage can be an act of great physical bravery, but it can also be something as simple as speaking up, saying something at a time when it would be easier to let an injustice pass.
Sometimes the greatest act of courage is looking in the mirror and acknowledging what you see. That is what a man named Dan Ponder did. He stood in front of the Georgia Legislature, a white Republican representing a conservative rural district. He spoke, not as some of his own colleagues did, repeating the political lines of the past, but he spoke about the pervasive nature of hatred and racism. It was a speech that changed the tone of one political debate, but it also changed the course of Dan Ponder’s life.
Guests:
Dan Ponder Jr., former Georgia State Representative, 2003 recipient of the John F. Kennedy Library’s “Profile in Courage” Award
U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), 2001 recipient of the “Profile in Courage for Lifetime Achievement” Award.