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Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Never Too Late
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Never Too Late

Artifact ID1973.1.2809
Object Type Cartoon Drawing
Artist (United States, 1912 - 1981)
Gifter
Publisher (founded 1829)
Date ca. March 1965
Medium Ink and developer on Craftint paper
DimensionsOverall H 11 5/8 in x W 17 1/2 in (29.5 cm x 44.5 cm )
Physical Description
Physical DescriptionOriginal cartoon drawing. LBJ carries a sign ("We shall overcome") and runs with a small dog to catch up with marchers carrying signs ("Register and vote”, “Civil Rights”, and “Freedom Now!") approaching a courthouse that flies a confederate flag. Caption: “Never Too Late”. Artist signature lower right: "B. Green”.
Inscriptions and MarkingsHandwritten at lower right: [blue] “Journal Wed” “17 Mar 65”. Handwritten at center right: “56”.
Historical NoteIn early 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. helped organize a drive to register Black residents of Selma, Alabama to vote. In February, demonstrators faced police violence, leading to the murder of Jimmie Lee Jackson in the nearby town of Marion. A march from Selma to Montgomery was planned in response on March 7, but state troopers attacked the demonstrators, leading to the event being known as Bloody Sunday. This was heavily covered by the news media and King called on the support of religious leaders, leading to hundreds of clergy and other activists coming to Selma to march with the demonstrators. After the murder of James Reeb, a white minister, Lyndon Johnson pressured Alabama governor George Wallace to protect the protestors when they marched a second time from Selma to Montgomery on March 21. This also led to Lyndon Johnson sending the Voting Rights Bill to congress, which would be signed on August 6. The act banned literacy tests and poll taxes and provided federal oversight to ensure that new voting laws weren’t discriminatory.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteThe item was a gift from the general public to President Johnson during his term in office. It was received by President Johnson, until the President donated it to the Lyndon B Johnson Presidential Library in 1973.
Credit LineGift of Lyndon Baines Johnson
National Archives Catalog CollectionLyndon B. Johnson Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 192413)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 189698395)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Fully
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
Person Referenced Lyndon Baines Johnson (United States, 1908 - 1973)
In Collection(s)
Not on view
Place of Publication
Providence
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