[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 53 (Friday, April 4, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATION OF DR. MARTIN 
                            LUTHER KING, JR.

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                               speech of

                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 1, 2008

  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to enter into the Record my 
heartfelt support for H. Res. 1061, commemorating the 40th anniversary 
of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. April 4, 1968 was a 
tragic day for America and the world. We lost a visionary leader whose 
conviction that all men and women are created equal, be brought to 
fruition in our time. Today I will not mourn, but celebrate the life 
and legacy of Dr. King.
  Although we have come a long way in remedying the social injustices 
of our country's history, we must continue to be engaged in a dialogue 
of racial and economic equality. and for the peace that Dr. King gave 
his life for. He fought for peace here in America, and he fought for 
peace for all around the world.
  America is currently engaged in a war that has taken the lives of 
over 4,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis. The uncanny 
similarities that the war in Iraq has with the Vietnam war must lead us 
to adhere to Dr. King's message of nonviolence. Dr. King spoke out 
against the Vietnam war even when his colleagues questioned his wisdom.
  On April 4. 1967, a year to the day of his death. Dr. King addressed 
his colleagues at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at the 
Riverside Church in New York City. His speech that day was entitled 
Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. His message was poignant then 
and speaks directly to us today.
  Dr. King stated, ``Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop now. 
I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. 
I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being 
destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of 
America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and 
death and corruption in Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for 
the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an 
American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this 
war is ours. The initiative to stop it must he ours.''
  In order for us to continue Dr. King's legacy of peace and justice, 
we must take a stand to end the illegal and unjust war in Iraq. Today I 
reaffirm my commitment to ending this war and continuing the legacy of 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.




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