JFK SPEAKS TO STUDENTS OF OPERATION CROSSROADS AFRICA
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On the morning of June 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy spoke to members of Operation Crossroads Africa* on the South Lawn of the White House.
The President told the students that he "brought along as a reserve" Senator Hubert Humphrey (D-Minnesota) "who has been very interested in this program and who is a member of the African subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee."
JFK, who referred to OCA as "the progenitors of the Peace Corps," said that the students can begin to "change the face of Africa." He continued...
"In going to Africa you represent the best of our country & I know they will welcome you. And I think that you will have the feeling of having served this country & in a broader sense, the free community of people in a very crucial time."
*Operations Crossroads Africa is a student organization of volunteers who are bound for Africa to work in schools & hospitals & on roads. There were 292 students in the group. OCA is a privately financed interracial, non-denominational organization.
SOURCE
"Remarks to Student Volunteers Participating in Operation Crossroads Africa, June 22, 1962," Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, January 1 to December 31, 1962. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 1963.
