[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 23, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E5]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     REVEREND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: LEADER, VISIONARY, HERO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 23, 2002

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, each year, we Americans commemorate the 
birthday of one of the outstanding citizens of the 20th century, Rev. 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many years ago, I was pleased to be one of 
the original sponsors of the legislation making his birthday a national 
holiday, and I urged all Americans to commemorate January 15 with 
appropriate ceremonies, sharing Dr. King's message, vision, and legacy.
  We should all avail ourselves of this opportunity to once again honor 
the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. more than thirty 
years since his life was senselessly snuffed out by an assassin in 
Memphis, Tennessee. It is more important than ever that all Americans, 
especially our young people, are reminded of his significant 
contributions and his message.
  Regrettably, many Americans view Martin Luther King Day as a holiday 
just for African Americans. Rev. King would have been the first person 
to repudiate that attitude, for his message was for ALL people, of all 
races, creeds, colors and backgrounds. His message of equality in both 
government and economic opportunity is universal and should be heeded 
by all citizens of America and, in fact, all citizens of the world.
  Dr. King contributed more to the causes of national freedom and 
equality than any other individual of the 20th century. His 
achievements as an author and as a minister were surpassed only by his 
leadership, which transformed a torn people into a beacon of strength 
and solidarity, and united a divided nation under a common creed of 
brotherhood and mutual prosperity.
  It was Dr. King's policy of nonviolent protest which served to open 
the eyes of our nation to the horrors of discrimination and police 
brutality. This policy revealed the discriminatory Jim Crow laws of the 
South as hypocritical and unfair, and forced civil rights issues into 
the national dialectic. It is due to the increased scope and salience 
of the national civil rights discussion that the movement achieved so 
much during its decade of our greatest accomplishment, from 1957 to 
1968.
  It was in 1955 that Dr. King made his first mark on our nation, when 
he organized the black community of Montgomery, Alabama during a 382-
day boycott of the city's bus lines. The boycott saw Dr. King and many 
other civil rights activists incarcerated in prison as ``agitators,'' 
but their efforts were rewarded in 1956, when the U.S. Supreme Court 
declared that the segregational practices of the Alabama bus system 
were unconstitutional, and demanded that blacks be allowed to ride with 
equal and indistinguishable rights. The result proved the theory of 
nonviolent protest in practice, and roused our nation to the 
possibilities to be found through peace and perseverance.
  In 1963, Dr. King and his followers faced their most ferocious test, 
when they set a massive civil rights protest in motion in Birmingham, 
Alabama. The protest was met with brute force by the local police, and 
many innocent men and women were injured through the violent response. 
However, the strength of the police department worked against the 
forces of discrimination in the nation, as many Americans came to 
sympathize with the plight of the blacks through the sight of their 
irrational and inhumane treatment.
  By August of 1963 the civil rights movement had achieved epic 
proportions, and it was in a triumphant and universal air that Dr. King 
gave his memorable ``I Have a Dream'' speech on the steps of the 
Lincoln Memorial. In the following year, Dr. King was distinguished as 
Time magazine's ``Man of the Year`` for 1963, and subsequently, in 
1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
  Throughout his remaining years, Dr. King continued to lead our nation 
towards increased peace and unity. He spoke out against the Vietnam 
War, and led our nation's War on Poverty. To Dr. King, the 
international situation was inextricably linked to the domestic, and 
thus it was only through increased peace and prosperity at home that 
tranquility would be ensured abroad.
  When Dr. King was gunned down in 1968 he had already established 
himself as a national hero and pioneer. As the years passed his message 
continued to gather strength and direction, and it is only in the light 
of his multi-generational influence that the true effects of his ideas 
can be measured.
  Dr. King was a man who lacked neither vision nor the means and 
courage to express it. His image of a strong and united nation 
overcoming the obstacles of poverty and inequality continues to provide 
us with an ideal picture of the ``United'' states which still fills the 
hearts of Americans with feelings of brotherhood and a common purpose 
for years to come.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to bear in mind the 
courageous, dedicated deeds of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to 
join together on Martin Luther King Day, in solemn recollection of his 
significant contributions for enhancing human rights throughout our 
nation and throughout the world.

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