Observing the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
OBSERVING THE BIRTHDAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today in honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.--a man who answered humanity's highest calling and profoundly transformed the world in which we live.
Yesterday, like many of our colleagues here, I had the privilege of joining with my constituents in rejoicing, remembering and giving thanks to God for the wisdom that Dr. King imparted and the enduring spirit he shared with all mankind.
And at an event at St. Mary's College in southern Maryland, I encountered a man who told me that the third Monday of every January isn't just a national holiday--it's a national holy day--and he was exactly right.
The commemoration of Dr. King's birthday and the ideals for which he stood represent a sacred trust--an opportunity to take note of the heights we have reached as a Nation and celebrate the hard-earned triumphs of African Americans, while also demonstrating the courage to accept that we are sill far from perfect and much good work remains undone.
Coretta Scott King, who provided a shining example of strength and determination in her own right, once said, ``Struggle is a never ending process and freedom is never really won. You earn it and win it in every generation.'
I would take that statement a step further and say that it is up to us to win it and earn it in every day, hour, minute and second of our lives.
If we take nothing else from the life and work of Dr. King, it should be that each of us shares the responsibility of preserving the legacies of peace, equality and understanding that were left in our hands.
And if we take nothing else from yesterday's commemoration, it should be that our work is never done, and our mission is never completed.
In his letter from a Birmingham City Jail in April of 1963, Dr. King reminds us all that, ``Human progress never rolls on the wheels of inevitability--it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God.'
One of those co-workers is a distinguished Member of this body, an inspiration to all of those who continue to fight for social justice and equality, and the sponsor of this legislation. I, of course, am referring to our colleague and my very good friend, Congressman LEWIS of Georgia, who I regard as nothing less than a national hero for demonstrating the courage to confront centuries of prejudice and racism and helping to move us toward a day where men and women are judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin.
As we continue to be co-workers with both the American people and the divine spirit that guides them, we should never forget Dr. King's immortal words from that Birmingham jail or the lessons he taught.
We are indebted to men and women like Dr. King and Coretta Scott King and JOHN LEWIS. Through their courage and their fortitude, we are a better Nation today.
While this important day is indeed a day of remembrance, it also is a day of reaffirmation--reaffirmation of the principles that guided Dr. King's life.
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