[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 134 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 134

Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit 
  to India, and the positive influence that the teachings of Mahatma 
    Gandhi had on Dr. King's work during the Civil Rights Movement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 2009

  Mr. Lewis of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Conyers, Mr. McDermott, Mr. 
 Scott of Virginia, Mr. Schiff, and Mr. Johnson of Georgia) submitted 
 the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit 
  to India, and the positive influence that the teachings of Mahatma 
    Gandhi had on Dr. King's work during the Civil Rights Movement.

Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed America forever in a few short years 
        through his teaching of nonviolence and passive resistance to combat 
        segregation, discrimination, and racial injustice;
Whereas, in 1950, during the pursuit of a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Crozer 
        Theological Seminary in Upland, Pennsylvania, Dr. King first became 
        aware of the success of nonviolent political action employed by India's 
        Mahatma Gandhi in political campaigns against racial inequality in South 
        Africa, and later against British colonial rule in India;
Whereas Dr. King began an extensive study of Gandhi's life and ideas, and became 
        inspired to use Gandhi's theory of nonviolent civil disobedience to 
        achieve social change in America;
Whereas, in 1955 and 1956, Dr. King led the Montgomery Bus Boycott to protest 
        the arrest of Rosa Parks and the segregation of the bus system of 
        Montgomery, Alabama, during which time Dr. King was arrested and his 
        home bombed;
Whereas the Montgomery Bus Boycott was the first large-scale, nonviolent civil 
        rights demonstration of contemporary times in the United States;
Whereas, following the success of nonviolent protest in the Montgomery Bus 
        Boycott, Dr. King desired to travel to India to deepen his knowledge of 
        Gandhi's teachings on nonviolent principles;
Whereas Dr. King, his wife Coretta Scott King, and Lawrence Reddick, then 
        chairman of the history department at Alabama State College, arrived in 
        Bombay, India, on February 10, 1959 and stayed until March 10, 1959;
Whereas Dr. King was warmly welcomed by members of Indian society throughout his 
        visit, and met with Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, land reform 
        leader Vinoba Bhave, and other influential Indian leaders to discuss 
        issues of poverty, economic policy, and race relations;
Whereas, while in India, Dr. King spoke about race and equality at crowded 
        universities and at public meetings;
Whereas followers of Ghandi's philosophy, known as satyagrahis, welcomed Dr. 
        King and praised him for his nonviolent efforts during the Montgomery 
        Bus Boycott, which they saw as a landmark success of principles of 
        nonviolence outside of India;
Whereas the satyagrahis and Dr. King discussed Ghandi's philosophy, known as 
        Satyagraha, which promotes nonviolence and civil disobedience as the 
        most useful methods for obtaining political and social goals;
Whereas the satyagrahis reaffirmed and deepened Dr. King's commitment to 
        nonviolence, and revealed to him the power that nonviolent resistance 
        holds in political and social battles;
Whereas the trip to India impacted Dr. King in a profound way, and inspired him 
        to use nonviolence as an instrument of social change to end segregation 
        and racial discrimination in America throughout the rest of his work 
        during the Civil Rights Movement;
Whereas Dr. King rose to be 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 became a champion of nonviolence, and in 1964, at the age of 
        35, he became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 
        recognition of his efforts;
Whereas through his leadership in nonviolent protest, Dr. King was instrumental 
        in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act 
        of 1965;
Whereas, between 1957 and 1968, Dr. King traveled more than 6,000,000 miles, 
        spoke more than 2,500 times, and wrote five books and numerous articles 
        supporting efforts around the country to end injustice and bring about 
        social change and desegregation through civil disobedience; and
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 peacefully, 
        cooperatively, and courageously to restore tolerance, justice, and 
        equality between people: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages all 
Americans to--
            (1) pause and remember the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin 
        Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India;
            (2) commemorate Dr. King's legacy of nonviolence, a 
        principle that--
                    (A) Dr. King encountered during his study of 
                India's Mahatma Gandhi;
                    (B) further inspired him during his first trip to 
                India; and
                    (C) he successfully used in the struggle for civil 
                rights and voting rights;
            (3) commemorate the impact that Dr. King's trip to India 
        and his study of the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi had in 
        shaping the Civil Rights Movement and creating the political 
        climate necessary to pass legislation to expand civil rights 
        and voting rights for all Americans; and
            (4) rededicate themselves to Dr. King's belief that 
        ``nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral 
        question of our time'' and to his goal of a free and just 
        United States.
                                 <all>