[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                      MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of a 
great man who did much to change our Nation for the better. Before he 
was struck down by an assassin's bullet, the Reverence Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. awakened the conscience of a nation. His campaign of 
nonviolent protest brought to light the injustices of a racially 
segregated society and played a major role in fostering the legislation 
necessary to do away with many forms of official discrimination.
  Our Nation remains far from perfect, particularly in regard to 
relations between the races. But America is more just and honest 
because of the efforts of this man of God. And, in confronting the 
problems now before us, we still can look to Dr. King for guidance.
  Clearly we have more work ahead of us in order to achieve justice in 
our racial relations. But our greatest challenge in my view is that of 
restoring hope and opportunity to those of us living in our 
impoverished inner cities. Reverend King knew of this tragedy. And the 
spoke out forcefully against it. I myself have seen the poverty and 
isolation of many of our inner-city neighborhoods. These areas are cut 
off from the rest of the city, and suffer from a lack of economic hope 
and the breakdown of the institutions of community on which people 
everywhere must rely. America must address these pockets of 
hopelessness, to bring to them the economic growth and spiritual 
fulfillment necessary for a functioning community life.
  Through his speeches and grassroots activism, Dr. King addressed the 
problem of poverty and the loss of community. He also gave us advice on 
how to face our problems. The key word, I submit, is ``action.'' As 
Reverend King put it:

       We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on 
     wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless 
     efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers 
     with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an 
     ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time 
     creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe 
     to do right.

  Mr. President, I am proud to say that many people in my State of 
Michigan are carrying on Dr. King's work even as we speak. They know 
that the time is ripe for doing right. In Detroit's Martin Luther King, 
Jr. High School, for example, students are participating in the DECA 
Program. These students have dedicated themselves to helping their 
community. They have adopted a local senior center to see to it that 
the resident senior citizens have the comfort and community provided by 
regular visitors. They have participated in walks for the homeless, put 
together a silent auction with proceeds going to the homeless, and 
given up a recent Sunday to assist with the Special Gift Holiday Party 
for Homeless Children held just before Christmas.
  Mr. President, I commend participants in the DECA Program at Martin 
Luther King, Jr. High School in Detroit. I strongly believe that the 
kinds of positive local community action in which they are engaged do 
credit to the memory and legacy of Reverend King, and that their 
efforts can be part of a larger effort to rebuild our inner cities. Now 
that we have celebrated the life of Dr. King in our homes, let us 
celebrate his life by building on his legacy in our 
communities.

                          ____________________