[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 27 (Friday, February 10, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 TENTH NATIONAL HOLIDAY HONORING DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CITY OF 
                           ANDERSON, INDIANA

                                 ______

                         HON. DAVID M. McINTOSH

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 10, 1995
  Mr. McINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, I commend to your attention a speech given 
by Mr. Rudy Porter, assistant to the mayor of Anderson for community 
affairs, on the occasion of the 10th national holiday honoring Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr. at the city of Anderson, IN, community-wide 
celebration. In the following speech delivered on January 16, 1995, Mr. 
Porter eloquently and plainly shows how the legacy of the late Dr. King 
empowers and encourages us all to serve our fellow man. Mr. Porter's 
words remembering Dr. King should be a guide for us throughout the 
year. Mr. Porter:

       I would like to acknowledge The Honorable Mayor J. Mark 
     Lawler, mayor of the great city of Anderson; Dr. Robert 
     Jackson, Pastor First United Methodist Church, Officers and 
     Members; Dick Vannatta, President of UAW Local 662 and Lennon 
     Brown, Principle of Highland Senior High School, co-chairs of 
     this city-wide celebration; Russell B. Johnson, President 
     Paramount Heritage Foundation; and the entire board of 
     directors; Mr. Tom Snyder, President Delco-Remy America; Kim 
     Blagg who works very hard behind the scene to make this 
     service possible; members of the Martin Luther King Memorial 
     Commission; Rev. J.T. Menifee, President; students who 
     participated in the essay contest, and poster contest from 
     our schools parochial, private, and the Anderson community 
     school system.
       It is indeed an honor and a privileged pleasure for me to 
     be here to share perspective and participate. I am truly 
     honored. I am a firm believer that the ``I will'' is greater 
     than the ``I.Q.'' By that statement I mean, I would rather 
     have a person who did not have as much talent, but was 
     willing, than to have a person who possessed enormous talent, 
     but was not willing. As a keynote speaker, I do not possess 
     enormous talent, but I am more than willing.
       The city of Anderson, Indiana through our mayor J. Mark 
     Lawler allowed me to attend a national planning retreat 
     September 28-30, 1994 in Orlando, Florida hosted by ``The 
     Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.'' This 
     Commission provides guidance to local and State holiday 
     commissions, committees, and organizations. The purpose of 
     this planning retreat was to develop a five-year strategy 
     plan for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday 
     Commission. Mrs. Coretta Scott King and her son Dexter King 
     were present. Also present were representatives from cities 
     all across the country. The general focus was ``Help 
     Somebody!'' through community service.
       Many of the planning sessions centered on how individuals 
     and cities can make a difference. Mrs. Coretta Scott King 
     stated that service, interracial cooperation, nonviolence, is 
     what the King holiday is all about. I learned that Anderson, 
     Indiana was ahead of most cities in the area of total 
     community involvement in the celebration of the national 
     holiday. I was happy to share with the nation's 
     representatives that Anderson, Indiana has a city-wide 
     observance of the King 
        [[Page E322]] Day celebration; that Anderson, Indiana has 
     a full size bronze statute of Dr. King paid for by total 
     community; that Anderson, Indiana provides scholarships to 
     both needy students and students who have demonstrated 
     academic achievement, service to community; that we have a 
     Martin Luther King Memorial Commission that takes the lead in 
     our city-wide clean-up; scholarship drive; and stop the 
     violence efforts; that in all of our efforts, service, 
     interracial cooperation, nonviolence are priorities. The 
     president of the Indiana Federal Holiday Commission, Z. Mae 
     Jemison, was at this planning retreat and she wanted to learn 
     more about our cooperative efforts in Anderson, Indiana and I 
     was more than happy to share our many accomplishments.


     looking at this years theme: ``kingian nonviolence in action: 
               empowering future generations to serve.''

       I would like to quote a scripture found in the Book of 
     Nehemiah chapter 4 verse 6 reads: So built we the wall, and 
     all the wall was joined together to half of its height; for 
     the people had a mind to work.
       For a few minutes, I'd like to talk briefly on the topic 
     ``What Are You Doing to Empower Future Generations to 
     Serve?'' If you want to be remembered in history loved and 
     admired by your fellow man you have to ``do something.'' You 
     have to ``do something'' meaningful and worthwhile and what 
     ever you do should be of benefit to others. Not just for 
     yourself, but for others.
       The late Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, president emeritus of 
     Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, who was president when 
     Dr. King was an undergraduate student there wrote and I 
     quote: ``To be able to stand the troubles of life, one must 
     have a sense of mission and the belief that God sent him or 
     her into the world for a purpose, to do something unique and 
     distinctive and that if he or she does not do it life will be 
     worse off because it was not done.'' When Nehemia learned 
     that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down and its gates 
     burned with fire he did something. First he prayed to God, 
     used his influence with the king to receive the necessary 
     materials to rebuild the wall, and he used his God-given 
     talents to unite the people to rebuild the wall. Dr. King was 
     not a dreamer, he was a doer. Dr. King did something. Dr. 
     King was a great student, having skipped both the ninth and 
     twelfth grades. Dr. King entered Morehouse College at the age 
     of fifteen. That's doing something. Dr. King was quoted as 
     saying ``Education without social action is a one-sided value 
     because it has no true power potential. Social action without 
     education is a weak expression of pure energy.
       Dr. King was committed to the improvement of his community, 
     the ``beloved community'' for he said, ``I can never be what 
     I ought to be, until you are what you ought to be; and you 
     can never be what you ought to be, until I am what I ought to 
     be.'' This is the interrelated structure of reality. What are 
     you doing to empower future generations to serve? I sincerely 
     believe that ``Service to humanity, not self service is the 
     price we pay for the space we occupy.'' It would not be fair 
     for me to ask such a question without offering a few 
     suggestions.
       No. 1. You can work as a committee of one to cultivate 
     ``Unity in the community. . .'' And by community I am 
     referring to the entire city, where you live, work, play, 
     socialize, worship, everybody matters. Unity has no 
     boundaries, unity excludes no one; is all inclusive; unity in 
     the community is key.
       To truly have unity in the community we must strengthen our 
     hands to rebuild walls in Anderson, Indiana torn down by envy 
     . . . Envy will tear down unity; jealousy . . . jealously 
     will tear down unity; hate . . . hate will tear down unity; 
     lies . . . lies will tear down unity; illegal drugs . . . 
     illegal drugs will tear down unity; apathy . . . apathy will 
     tear down unity; racism . . . racism will tear down unity.
       No. 2. Bigotry . . . bigotry will tear down unity. You can 
     work as a committee of one to do those preventative things to 
     help ``stop the violence'' in our community. . .
       A couple of months ago I telephoned the Herald-Bulletin 
     newspaper sound-off number and left this message . . . I feel 
     it is appropriate for this occasion and I will admit publicly 
     that I made the call. End violence now! was the title. It 
     read: There are three words in the English language I would 
     like to use to describe what I would like to see take place 
     in Anderson, Indiana . . . our community.
       The first word is all. I would like to see all violence 
     end.
       The second word is here. I would like to see all violence 
     end here in Anderson, Indiana, our community.
       The third word is now. I would like to see all violence end 
     in our community now. I would like to see all violence end. I 
     want to see it end in Anderson, Indiana, our community, and I 
     want to see it end now.
       You can use your influence, energy, talent, resources, in 
     the prevention mode to help ``Stop the violence in our 
     community.'' Young people . . . you have influence--use it to 
     help stop the violence in our community. Adults you can use 
     your wisdom; energy; to help ``Stop the violence'' in our 
     community. Business community--you have resources and 
     talented employees . . . allow them to help ``Stop the 
     violence'' in our community. Our city, county, State, 
     national law enforcement agencies have the skills and 
     training but they need our help in the area of community 
     policing . . . give it!
       Third, be tolerant of individual differences, recognizing 
     that sociologically speaking different things, have different 
     meaning, to different people, in different places at 
     different times . . . deal with it!
       First, unity in the community; second, help stop the 
     violence in our community; third, tolerance of individual 
     differences. Issues may differ, whether we're talking about 
     more recreational activities for youth . . . better paying 
     jobs for parents . . . better education for all students . . 
     . but both the task and the challenge remains ever before 
     each and everyone of us--do something!
       Dr. King warned us of ``The triple evils . . . the triple 
     evils of poverty, racism, and violence. The triple evils are 
     interrelated and all inclusive. They are barriers that stand 
     in the way of our living in the beloved community. Dr. King 
     taught that if the work to remedy on evil, we effect all 
     evils. The issues change in accordance with the political and 
     social climate of our nation and world, but the model of the 
     interconnected triplets remain true throughout time.'' What 
     are you doing to empower future generations to serve.
       We must take every possible opportunity to remind ourselves 
     and share with young people the words of Dr. King's college 
     president Dr. Benjamin E. Mays ``You are what you aspire to 
     be and not what you now are; you are what you do with your 
     mind, and you are what you do with your youth.''
       We can't all do the same things, nor should we want to but 
     we can all do something to empower future generations to 
     serve. And if we do there is compensation . . . you see 
     millionaires have lived and died and no one ever remembered 
     their names, but just carve you name on human hearts for they 
     alone are immortal. Do something; and remember whatever you 
     do should be of benefit to others, not just for yourself, but 
     for others . . .

                              Compensation

     I'd like to think when life is done
     That I had filled a needed post.
     That here and there I'd paid my fare
     With more than idle talk and boast;
     That I had taken gifts divine,
     The breath of life and manhood fine,
     And tried to use them now and then
     In service for my fellow men.

     I'd hate to think when life is through
     That I had lived by round of years
     A useless kind, that leaves behind
     No record in this vale of tears;
     That I had wasted all my days
     By threading only selfish ways,
     And that this world would be the same
     If it had never known my name.

     I'd like to think that here and there,
     When I am gone, there shall remain
     A happier spot that might have not
     Existed had I toiled for gain;
     That some one's cheery voice and smile
     Shall prove that I had been worthwhile;
     That I had paid with something fine;
     My debt to God for life divine.

       Thank you very, very, much and may God bless each and every 
     one of you.
Vol. 141


WASHINGTON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1995

No. 27


House of Representatives