PRESS RELEASE
Amelia Boynton Robinson Receives an Award from the Republic of San Marino
May 10, 2015 (EIRNS)—Liliana Gorini, chairwoman of Movisol, LaRouche’s movement in Italy, visited the Republic of San Marino May 8 to receive an award for Amelia Boynton Robinson, the heroine of civil rights recently celebrated in the movie "Selma," from the Secretary of Culture of the San Marino government, Giuseppe Maria Morganti. During the brief ceremony in the government building, which appeared on prime time TV that evening, the Minister of Culture remembered meeting Amelia Boynton Robinson in San Marino in 2002, when she was received by the reggenti (governors). In giving Gorini the ceramic plate hand made by the Cooperativa il Libeccio, in the tradition of the ancient ceramics of San Marino, he read the silver inscription on the back:
"The Republic of San Marino to Amelia Robinson, angel of civil rights, who fought next to Martin Luther King for equal rights in America, in order to emphasize the friendship which unites us with her since November 2002 when she visited the Capitani Reggenti."
Gorini gave the secretary Robinson’s autobiography in Italian, Un Ponte sul Giordano (Bridge over Jordan), and read her message of acceptance (see below).
RTV San Marino had interviewed Gorini about Amelia Boynton Robinson and her many visits to San Marino and Italy, and that evening, during the 7:30 prime time news, RTV aired the following report, starting off with Gorini saying: "Her message to the youth here in Italy was never to despair, to have faith in ideas and fight for them and to never give in to hate."
The reporter then shows recent photos of Amelia Boynton Robinson, and also the famous one of her left for dead after the police riot on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the Bloody Sunday march on March 7, 1965, and comments:
"This is the lesson of Amelia Boynton Robinson, charismatic leader with Martin Luther King of the Afro-American civil rights movement, since the marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Liliana Gorini, chairwoman of the Movimento Solidarietà knows her well, and she will make sure she receives the ceramic plate made by hand by the cooperative Libeccio, and donated by Culture Secretary Morganti. Amelia Robinson is 103 but her commitment goes on. In a message of acceptance she emphasized, ‘let them know that what they did, that we are trying to carry it on now—so they are a part of what we are doing here, now.’
Asked about Boynton Robinson’s view on the danger of war, Gorini reminded viewers that last time she visited Italy she "denounced very strongly Bush’s attempt to start a war with Iran" and that "now she has endorsed an international petition of the Schiller Institute against sanctions towards Russia and for cooperation with the BRICS." Here is the link of the report and interview in Italian: http://www.smtvsanmarino.sm/video/cultura/san-marino-omaggio- amelia-robinson-eroina-lotta-diritti-civili-08-05-2015.
Statement of Amelia Boynton Robinson in Acceptance of the Award from San Marino
Dennis Speed: The people in Italy, in San Marino have given you this award, Amelia, because they love you, and because of what you did when you went to Italy, so I think that they will be very grateful for what you are doing now.
Amelia Boynton Robinson: Well, I very much appreciate it, I accept it, and I would like to let them know that what they have done, through what I have done since I have been back in the United States, that the goodness that they had there, was transferred here, and I appreciate it so much. So the goodness in me, which caused me to help people get registered to vote for the first time [in Selma, Alabama, from 1930 to 1965] and the Village of Hope which is going on now, that it is because of what they gave me, and what I gave them. But let them know that what they did, that we are trying to carry it on now—so they are a part of what we are doing here, now.
Dennis Speed: That’s great. That’s beautiful. We will tell them.
