. WELCOME BACK TO EYEWITNESS NEWS. THERE IS PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT IN AUSTIN AS PRESIDENT OBAMA IS ABOUT TO ADDRESS THE CROWD AT THE CIVIL RIGHTS SUMMIT. THATS RIGHT, THE THREE-DAY EVENT CELEBRATES THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT AND HES EXPECTED TO TAKE THAT PODIUM IN JUST ABOUT 20 MINUTES. EYEWITNESS NEWS ANCHOR MELANIE LAWSON IS AGAIN IN AUSTIN FOR THE PRESIDENTS SPEECH AND JOINS US LIVE FROM AUSTIN WITH WHAT IS EXPECTED. GOOD MORNING AND HELLO, MELANIE. Reporter: AND GOOD MORNING TO YOU AS WELL, SHARRON AND TOM. I AM COMING TO YOU LIVE ON A BEAUTIFUL WARM AND WINDY DAY IN AUSTIN. WERE RIGHT, OF COURSE, AT THE LBJ LIBRARY. ITS FORTUNATE THE WEATHER HELD UP BECAUSE THERE WERE CLOSE TO 1,000 PEOPLE IN LINE VERY EARLY THIS MORNING TO SEE PRESIDENT OBAMA. THEY WERE LET IN MORE THAN AN HOUR EARLY BECAUSE THE SECRET SERVICE RESTRICTIONS, AND THEY WERE TREATED TO MUSIC OF THE MOVEMENT BY RB SINGER MAVIS STAPLES, AN ACTIVIST IN HER OWN RIGHT. PRESIDENT OBAMA IS SCHEDULED TO SPEAK AT APPROXIMATELY 11:50 PRECEDED BY CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS, WHO WILL INTRODUCE HIM. LEWIS IS ONE OF THE FEW REMAINING FIGURES FROM THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. AS A YOUNG STUDENT, HE TOOK PART IN THE FREEDOM MARCHES AND THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON. NOW, OF COURSE, THE CONGRESSMAN FROM GEORGIA. PRESIDENT OBAMA IS THE THIRD OF FOUR LIVING PRESIDENTS TO SPEAK HERE THIS WEEK. PRESIDENT CLINTON SPOKE LAST NIGHT AGAIN TO A PACKED HOUSE AND PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH WILL SPEAK TONIGHT AT 5:30. HIS FATHER IS HONORARY COCHAIR OF THIS, ALTHOUGH HES NOT ABLE TO BE HERE. ITS A REMARKABLE SHOW OF CONSENSUS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE ISSUE OF CIVIL RIGHTS. THEY MAY DISAGREE ON MANY POLICIES, WE HAVE NOT, HOWEVER, BEEN GETTING ADVANCED COPIES OF THEIR SPEECHES. THIS IS CUSTOMARY IN PLACES LIKE THIS. ITS APPARENTLY BECAUSE THEY ALL WANT TO SPEAK DIRECTLY FROM THE HEART. RIGHT NOW, YOURE LOOKING AT LIVE PICTURES OF THE PODIUM THERE AND IT WILL BE ANOTHER 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE PRESIDENT TAKES THAT PODIUM. AND YOU CAN BE CERTAIN THAT HE WILL TALK ABOUT HIS OWN SIGNIFICANT AND HISTORIC ELECTION AS THE NATIONS FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND HOW ITS A DIRECT RESULT OF MANY THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND HE WILL PROBABLY TALK ABOUT SOME CURRENT ISSUES, LIKE VOTING RIGHTS AND IMMIGRATION REFORM AND TOEZ ARE ISSUING ALMOST CERTAIN TO COME UP AND ON THE LAST POINT, WE HAVE BEEN SEEING A LARGE NUMBER OF PROTESTORS HERE TODAY AND ACROSS THE STREET HERE HELD BACK BY POLICE. OUR UNDERSTANDING IS MOST ARE HERE ON THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION REFORM AND THATTER NOT HERE AT THE SAME TIME YESTERDAY. WE WILL FIND OUT WHY THEY ARE HERE TODAY AND WERE WAITING FOR THE PRESIDENT TO BEGIN AND WELL HAVE MORE ON HIS REMARKS LATER TODAY. MIYA SHAY AND I WILL BE