[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 16, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6184-S6185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now 
be a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak 
therein for up to 10 minutes each.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                      The Passing of Yolanda King

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today our nation mourns the loss of Yolanda 
King, the eldest daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 
Coretta Scott King, and the ``first daughter'' of the civil rights 
movement.
  Yolanda King's life moved in the stream of American civil rights 
history. Born in segregated Montgomery,

[[Page S6185]]

AL, in November of 1955, she came into this world only 3 weeks before 
the Interstate Commerce Commission issued its ban on racial segregation 
in interstate commerce and 2 weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up 
her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery. Yolanda was 7 
years old when her father, in his famous ``I Have a Dream'' speech, 
said ``I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in 
a Nation where they will not be judged by the color of the skin but by 
the content of their character.''
  In a 2004 statement entitled, ``The Meaning of the Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Holiday,'' Coretta Scott King recalled that ``Dr. King once 
said that we all have to decide whether we will walk in the light of 
creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. Life's 
most persistent and nagging question . . . is what are you doing for 
others?''
  Yolanda led a life that made her family and her Nation proud. She was 
an actress, an author, and a producer. But she also worked in service 
to others. The world will remember her as an activist for peace, an 
ardent supporter of nonviolence, and a torchbearer for Dr. King's dream 
of racial harmony.
  Through her actions, the King family legacy lives on. Like her 
parents, Yolanda inspired a generation of youths to dedicate their 
lives to service. Her life is a shining example that we all can make a 
difference, and her deeds will continue to inspire generations to come.
  Our thoughts are with the King family today. I salute Yolanda's life, 
and hope that our Nation will continue its march towards a more 
inclusive democracy.

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