110 HRES 1061 EH: Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the U.S. House of Representatives 2008-04-01 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1061 In the House of Representatives, U. S., April 1, 2008 RESOLUTION Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and encouraging people of the United States to pause and remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and for other purposes.

Whereas 40 years ago on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the moral leader of America, was taken from us all too soon by an assassin’s bullet, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead sanitation workers in protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions; Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while just one man, changed America forever in a few short years through his preaching of nonviolence and passive resistance; Whereas Dr. King was the preeminent civil rights advocate of his time, leading the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s and earning world-wide recognition as an eloquent and articulate spokesperson for equality; Whereas Dr. King dedicated his life to securing the fundamental principles of the United States of liberty and justice for all United States citizens; Whereas Dr. King was a champion of nonviolence who fervently advocated nonviolent resistance as the strategy to end segregation and racial discrimination in America, and in 1964, at age 35, he became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition for his efforts; Whereas through his work and reliance on nonviolent protest, Dr. King was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., broke down walls of racial segregation and racial discrimination in places of public accommodation; Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., opened doors to the participation of all Americans in the political process; Whereas the work of Dr. King created a basis of understanding and respect and helped communities, and the United States as a whole, to act cooperatively and courageously to restore tolerance, justice, and equality between people; Whereas in the face of hatred and violence, Dr. King preached a doctrine of nonviolence and civil disobedience to combat segregation, discrimination, and racial injustice, and believed that people have the moral capacity to care for other people; Whereas Dr. King awakened the conscience and consciousness of the United States and used his message of hope to bring people together to build the Beloved Community, a community of justice, at peace with itself; Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through his persistence, raw courage, and faith brought about a nonviolent revolution in America without firing a single bullet; and Whereas our country and our society are better because of what he did and what he said: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives encourages all Americans to— (1)pause and remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on this, the 40th anniversary of his death; (2)commemorate the legacy of Dr. King, so that, as Dr. King hoped, 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; and (3)remember the message of Dr. King and rededicate themselves to Dr. King’s goal of a free and just United States.

Lorraine C. Miller, Clerk.