Congresswoman Laura Richardson Recognizes the 44th Anniversary of the Assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Statement

Today Congresswoman Laura Richardson released the following statement recognizing the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"A year ago today I took to the floor to mark the anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history, the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In light of recent incidents such as the Trayvon Martin killing, the words I used then are still applicable today.

On this day 44 years ago the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was struck down by an assassin's bullet as he stood on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee.

He was in Memphis to march in solidarity with African American sanitation workers during their 1968 strike for better working condition.

Although the shock and sorrow of losing the country's most celebrated civil rights leader was great, the march went on and the strike proved ultimately successful.

Today we remember Dr. King, the civil rights activists that he stood with, and the victory they achieved for themselves and working people everywhere.

Over the last 44 years, this country has seen more than its share of tragedies: assassinations, bombings, terrorist attacks and all manner of natural disasters.

It is easy to become desensitized to evil and some of us may drift away from the lessons of the past. We should remember that in 1968 Dr. King's murder threw the country into chaos and threatened the civil rights movement he had labored to build through peaceful protest. But it was not to be, as Dr. King's message was too powerful for hate, and today we remember that nothing eclipses his message that all humanity has dignity and worth.

Dr. King, Jr., recognized that the struggle for civil rights and workers' rights were inextricable linked. Both required that the basic rights of all people are equal and ought to be honored equally, whether by an employer or by the United States government. Organized labor is a cornerstone of our democracy and a guiding force in our nation's history. It is the natural right of a free people, as workers rightly expect a degree of safety, security, and just compensation for the work that they do. We should not sacrifice their quality of life to fuel the myth that doing so will somehow balance the budget.

In closing, I urge my colleagues and my fellow Americans to always remember the significance of this day. Dr. King received criticism from all sides, some saying he was too soft; others saying he was too radical, and many fearing widespread violence and social upheaval in the wake of his death.

It was human nature, some argued, that violence is a more effective means to effect change than passive resistance. They were wrong. Dr. King understood that the moral force of non-violent direct action was so powerful that it could bring down the modern-day walls of Jericho.

And he was right; it brought change to America, and to Poland and the nations of eastern and central Europe. We have also seen it at work across the Arab Spring. As Dr. King said: "The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

On this day 44 years ago, our nation mourned the loss of one of the greats of the age. But while an assassin's bullet may felled the Dreamer; the Dream of Dr. King still lives in the hearts and minds of people of goodwill everywhere in the world."

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