Observing the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Rahm Israel Emanuel

OBSERVING THE BIRTHDAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

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SPEECH OF

HON. RAHM EMANUEL

OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to remember a great American and civil rights leader, a man committed to uniting people and healing the wounds inflicted by injustice and segregation.

Dr. King embodied the spirit of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. As a teacher, a preacher, and a leader, he tuned his membership of the board of directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and his role with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help shape the nonviolent philosophy of the movement.

The 1956 Supreme Court decision declaring Alabama's segregation laws unconstitutional was one early victory in his fight for equality and justice. This victory had a tremendous personal cost for Dr. King, as he was arrested, threatened, and his house was bombed. Throughout these arduous times, Dr. King remained strong.

In 1957, Dr. King helped found and became the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. This organization was formed to provide new leadership to the growing civil rights movement. Like Dr. King, the SCLC was committed to achieving its goals through nonviolent means.

He further refined his philosophy of nonviolence during a journey to India in 1959. He saw nonviolent protest as the key to achieving his goals of racial equality and social justice in the face of a sometimes violent opposition.

Despite the obstacles, Dr. King continued his struggle and spoke at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was during this event that he delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, proclaiming: "I have a dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"

The following year, Dr. King saw his hard work come to fruition with passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That same year, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest person awarded the Peace Prize at that time. He chose to donate the prize money he received to further the cause of the civil rights movement.

Tragically, Dr. King's life was cut short on April 4, 1968 by a sniper's bullet. His stirring words from his speech at the Lincoln Memorial still echo today and provide us with a goal we all share, that our "children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Madam Speaker, I urge everyone to remember and reflect on his words as we commemorate Dr. King's birthday and honor his tireless work in making America a country where the rights of all people are respected and protected.

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