{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20131205163612/http://hankjohnson.house.gov/press-release/rep-johnson%E2%80%99s-statement-50th-anniversary-president-kennedy%E2%80%99s-assassination", "Rep. Johnson\u2019s statement on the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy\u2019s assassination", "2013-11-22", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Hank Johnson", "J000288", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "LITHONIA, GA \u2013 Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) released the following statement today on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy:\n\u201cAs I reflect back 50 years ago when I heard the news of President Kennedy\u2019s assassination, I\u2019m struck by the same emotions I felt as a 9-year-old boy growing up in Washington, D.C.\u00a0 That fateful day left an indelible mark on me and certainly left an indelible mark on the country.\n\u201cFor me, just a few days before, my father, accompanied by my mother, was being celebrated at the White House with President Kennedy as one of the highest ranking African-Americans in the Bureau of Prisons. The zenith of my father\u2019s career would become one of the nadirs in America\u2019s history as President Kennedy was assassinated just a few days later.\n\u201cWhen JFK was struck down on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, it shattered our psyche as a country. It was unthinkable that such a despicable\u00a0 act took\u00a0 away our\u00a0 vibrant, forward-thinking leader who inspired us to be ever greater.\u00a0\n\u201cThe Kennedy presidency was an exciting time, and the Kennedys gave us a sense of hope and optimism. President Kennedy and the first lady made an indelible mark on American life, and made us feel that there was nothing we could not do \u2013 that we were a people of limitless possibilities.\u00a0 And through\u00a0 those dark days, we slowly\u00a0 recovered as a nation and in\u00a0 the aftermath of his death we continued to\u00a0 accomplish great things such as the Civil Rights Act,\u00a0 Medicare and fulfilling his promise of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.\u00a0 While we lost a certain innocence that dark day in 1963, we proved that we could overcome and since then through assassinations, wars and economic uncertainty we have persevered.\n\u201cAs we look for common ground, even today, we are still inspired by the\u00a0 words of our young, fallen president.\u00a0 \u2018Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.\u2019 Those words, his life and example continue to inspire us 50 years hence. I will never forget the assassination as it marked one of the lowest points in America\u2019s recent history \u2013 a time marked by success by this country and a time highlighting some of our tragic failures. This country has come a long way in 50 years, in large part due to the measures begun by President Kennedy before his death. This country owes him a tremendous debt of gratitude.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20131205163612/http://hankjohnson.house.gov/press-release/rep-johnson%E2%80%99s-statement-50th-anniversary-president-kennedy%E2%80%99s-assassination"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8748399559408426, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}