[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 13 (Monday, February 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S845-S846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SARBANES (for himself and Mr. Warner):
  S.J. Res. 41. A joint resolution approving the location of a Martin 
Luther King, Jr., Memorial in the Nation's Capital; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.


    LEGISLATION ON PLACEMENT OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, the 104th Congress passed legislation, 
introduced by myself and my distinguished colleague Senator Warner, to 
authorize the establishment of a monument to Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr. on federal land in the District of Columbia.
  Today I rise, once again for myself and Senator Warner, to introduce 
legislation that would give effect to the recommendation of the 
Department of Interior that this Memorial be situated in Area I of the 
Capital. Area I comprises, in the words of the Interior Department, 
``the central Monumental Core of the District of Columbia and its 
environs,'' that is, the Mall and its surrounding areas. The Department 
has determined that a commemorative work belongs in Area I only if it 
is determined to be of preeminent historical and lasting significance 
to the Nation. It comes as no surprise that the King memorial has been 
found to meet these criteria, and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
approving the Department's recommendation. I ask unanimous consent that 
the text of a January 29, 1998 letter from Don Barry, Acting Assistant 
Interior Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, to Vice President 
Gore transmitting this recommendation be included in the Record.
  Mr. President, it is particularly apt that Senator Warner and I 
introduce this legislation in February, which has been designated Black 
History Month. To place the King Memorial alongside monuments to 
America's greatest leaders would acknowledge the nation's historic debt 
to Dr. King, to his philosophy of nonviolence, and to his dream of 
Americans living together in racial harmony. The National Capital 
Memorial Commission agrees. After holding a hearing on July 29, 1997, 
on the question of the location of the King Memorial, the Commission 
informed Assistant Secretary Barry that, in his words:

       Dr. King, the central figure of the Civil Rights movement, 
     a man who strove to advance the cause of equality for all 
     Americans, and a man who dedicated himself through nonviolent 
     means to promote the principles of justice and equality, who 
     paid the ultimate price for his beliefs, has had a profound 
     effect on all Americans which will continue through history.

Situation of the King Memorial in Area I would also place Dr. King's 
legacy in historical context. Americans are already aware of the 
achievements of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the veterans of our foreign wars, and other 
Area I honorees in preserving the liberties, freedoms, and rights that 
Americans hold dear. Dr. King and his legacy hold a vital place along 
this continuum, and fully deserve the honor that the Secretary of the 
Interior seeks to accord them.
  Mr. President, while we have come a long way since Dr. King's death 
toward

[[Page S846]]

the goals of equality and racial harmony for which he lived, and gave, 
his life, we still have a long way to go. A King Memorial in Area I 
would serve as a signpost along the road toward these goals for those 
who were not alive when Dr. King lived, and as a reminder that the 
goals toward which he strove must be attained in order for America to 
remain strong and true to its governing principles.
  In closing, let me pay tribute to Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest 
African-American fraternity in the United States, to which Dr. King and 
many other prominent African-Americans, such as former Supreme Court 
Justice Thurgood Marshall, belonged. Under the King Memorial plan 
enacted into law last Congress, Alpha Phi Alpha will coordinate the 
funding and design of the King Memorial, which will be funded entirely 
through private donations, at no cost to the public. Alpha Phi Alpha's 
efforts in this area--and its support of this legislation--reflect its 
desire that Dr. King's legacy remain alive. I urge the Senate to carry 
its burden in this effort, and to pass the Interior Department's 
recommendations into law as soon as possible.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                       Department of the Interior,


                                      Office of the Secretary,

                                 Washington, DC, January 29, 1993.
     Hon. Albert Gore, Jr.,
     President of the Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: Public Law 104-333, Section 508, 110 
     STAT. 4157, (1996), authorized the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity 
     to establish a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., in the 
     District of Columbia pursuant to the Commemorative Works Act, 
     40 U.S.C. Sec. Sec. 1001-1010 (1994 & Supp. I 1995).
       The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has requested that the 
     memorial be located in Area I, the area comprising the 
     central Monumental Core of the District of Columbia and its 
     environs, which is defined in section 1002(e) of the 
     Commemorative Works Act by a referenced map. Section 1006(a) 
     of that Act provides that the Secretary of the Interior, 
     after consultation with the National Capital Memorial 
     Commission, may recommend locating a commemorative work in 
     Area I only if the Secretary determines that the subject of 
     the memorial is of preeminent historical and lasting 
     significance to the Nation. If a determination of preeminence 
     and lasting significance is made, this section further 
     provides that the Secretary shall notify the Congress and 
     recommend that the memorial be located in Area I.
       Following its public meeting on July 29, 1997, the National 
     Capital Memorial Commission advised me that Dr. King, the 
     central figure of the Civil Rights movement, a man who strove 
     to advance the cause of equality for all Americans, and a man 
     who dedicated himself through nonviolent means to promote the 
     principles of justice and equality, who paid the ultimate 
     price for his beliefs, has had a profound effect on all 
     Americans which will continue through history.
       I have considered the advice and find the subject to be of 
     preeminent historical and lasting significance to the Nation. 
     The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity should be granted the 
     authority to consider locations within Area I as potential 
     sites for the memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr.
       In accordance with section 1006(a) of the Act, notice is 
     hereby given that I have, through my designee, consulted with 
     the National Capital Memorial Commission, and recommend that 
     the memorial be authorized a location within Area I. Under 
     section 1006(a) of that Act, my recommendation to locate the 
     memorial in Area I shall be deemed disapproved unless, not 
     later than 150 days after this notification, the 
     recommendation is approved by law.
       No sites have been considered in advance of this 
     recommendation. Enclosed is a draft of a joint resolution to 
     authorize location of this memorial in Area I. We recommend 
     that it be referred to the appropriate Committee for 
     consideration.
       The Office of Management and Budget has advised that there 
     is no objection to the enactment of the enclosed draft joint 
     resolution from the standpoint of the Administration's 
     program.
           Sincerely,

                                                    Don Barry,

                                    Acting Assistant Secretary for
     Fish and Wildlife and Parks.

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