[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 3, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H4842-H4844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., POST OFFICE

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1734) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 630 Northeast Killingsworth Avenue in 
Portland, Oregon, as the ``Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:


[[Page H4843]]



                               H.R. 1734

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 630 Northeast Killingsworth Avenue in 
     Portland, Oregon, shall be known and designated as the ``Dr. 
     Martin Luther King, Jr. Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Post 
     Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such 
time as he might consume to the sponsor of this resolution, 
Representative Blumenauer from the State of Oregon.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy.
  I rise today in asking my colleagues to join me in this legislation 
to designate the facility of the postal service on Northeast 
Killingsworth in Portland as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Post 
Office.
  Dr. King, as a powerful symbol of racial justice and social equality 
in our country, is a fitting designation for this facility. I have had 
some experience in the community dealing with recognition for Dr. King. 
Some 20 years ago as Portland's Commissioner of Public Works that I 
worked with the community, notably of my friend Bernie Foster, the 
publisher of The Scanner newspaper, and others, to designate Union 
Avenue after Dr. King. It was an eye opening experience for me, a 
reminder of the troubled racial past of our community and our State. 
While Oregon has a rich cultural heritage for black Americans, it had a 
rocky path towards racial equality.
  While slavery was declared illegal early in Oregon's history, in 
1848, the provisional government had exclusionary laws surrounding land 
ownership. And when Oregon was admitted to the Constitution, it had 
exclusionary laws then. It was only after a long and aggressive 
struggle that progress was made.
  In 1914, the NAACP opened a chapter in Portland, and continues to be 
the oldest continually chartered chapter west of the Mississippi. This 
movement was bolstered by the independent black owned weekly newspaper, 
The Advocate, that dated back 105 years in Portland that tirelessly 
featured articles and editorials dealing with the evils of segregation, 
lynching, employment opportunities, and other issues that kept the 
reality of Jim Crow and the pressing need for civil rights in the 
State, local, and national agenda in the forefront. Sadly, it wasn't 
until 1927 that the Oregon State Constitution was finally amended to 
remove the clause denying blacks the right to vote, even though Oregon 
had ratified the 14th amendment in 1868.
  We have been, in our community, trying to come to grips with that 
past. And, as I mentioned, it was a tumultuous experience we had 20 
years ago in the renaming of Union Avenue after Dr. King. But it did 
come to pass. In the course of the 20 years, we have watched steady 
progress as we have dealt with our past and as we look forward to the 
future.
  I find the renaming of this post office after Dr. King to be 
significant on so many different levels. First of all, it came about as 
the result of a grassroots community effort led by local letter 
carriers, Jamie Partridge and Isham Harris, that epitomized the service 
from that particular post office, something that people in the 
community remark to me as sort of an island, one of these 37 outposts 
of the post office where half the world's mail is delivered every day. 
But this is a linkage to people, and it is a very special office 
signified by the leadership of letter carriers themselves.

                              {time}  1500

  Starting with their fellow workers, moving out through the Piedmont 
and Concordia Neighborhood Associations, the Sabin Neighborhood 
Association, showing deep community pride in its heritage.
  I find today, Mr. Speaker, that it is particularly noteworthy because 
we are going to make history, in all likelihood, tonight or tomorrow, 
where there will be enough votes for the nomination of the first 
African American nominee of a major party for President of the United 
States, and one who I sincerely hope is elected.
  Having the opportunity to reflect on that great national achievement, 
while we have the recognition locally for Dr. King and his achievements 
and the progress that has been made in our community gives me great 
pride. I'm pleased that we take a small step forward with the 
designation of this Post Office in the honor of Dr. King, and hope that 
my colleagues will join me in supporting it.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support of this bill 
designating the post office located at 630 Northeast Killingsworth 
Avenue in Portland, Oregon as the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Post 
Office.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the most important public 
figures of our times. His leadership during the civil rights movement 
helped to make America the country it is today, a country that strives 
for equality, justice and liberty for all its citizens. Dr. King is an 
American icon and, as such, deserves this honor and recognition.
  Dr. King, a southern Baptist minister, was instrumental in leading 
the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 60s. After his march on 
Washington in 1963, Dr. King's memorable and often quoted I Have a 
Dream speech established him as one of the greatest public speakers of 
his time.
  In over 2,500 speeches over the course of his career Dr. King cried 
out against segregation and other forms of racial inequity, bringing 
discrimination to the forefront of people's minds and making civil 
rights a primary concern.
  His ceaseless efforts to end racial discrimination and segregation 
through nonviolent means earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, making 
him the youngest recipient in history. He has also been honored with a 
Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Congressional Gold Medal. In 1983 
Congress established a national holiday as a tribute to his memory.
  Widely recognized as one of the most pivotal figures in the battle to 
end bigotry and discrimination on the basis of race, Dr. King led the 
Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, helped to found the Southern Christian 
Leadership Conference in 1957, and was instrumental in orchestrating 
the famous Birmingham, Alabama protests.
  Towards the end of his life, Dr. King expanded his message to apply 
to impoverished Americans. The Poor People's Campaign focused on the 
economic injustice and tried to reach out to poor people of all races 
and cultures. Dr. King dedicated his life to ensuring the principles 
this country holds so dear, those of liberty and justice for all 
citizens.
  I thank my respected colleague, Earl Blumenauer, for introducing this 
legislation, and reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, it is my unique pleasure to join my colleagues in 
the consideration of H.R. 1734, which designates the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 630 Northeast Killingsworth 
Avenue in Portland, Oregon as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Post Office.
  The naming of a postal facility in Northwest America, hundreds of 
miles from Dr. King's civil rights battlefield in the Deep South, is a 
strong testimony to the far-reaching impact this pivotal figure had on 
our Nation as a whole.

[[Page H4844]]

  H.R. 1734 was introduced by Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon 
on March 28, 2007, and was considered by and reported from the 
Oversight Committee on April 9, 2008, by voice vote.
  Mr. Speaker, we're all well aware of the activism of Dr. Martin 
Luther King during his lifetime on this Earth. From his leadership in 
helping to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, to his riveting 
I Have a Dream speech, Dr. King reminded our country of its fundamental 
responsibility to safeguard the natural, God-given rights of all men so 
that we are free to pursue our goals and aspirations without the 
artificial walls of skin color, religious affiliation, sexuality or any 
other pointless barrier that separates us from our fellow human 
persons.
  Mr. Speaker, let us join our colleagues from the great State of 
Oregon, and once again pay tribute to the life and work of the great 
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by renaming this postal facility 
at 630 Northeast Killingsworth Avenue in Portland, Oregon in honor of 
this great American hero. I strongly urge passage of this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my 
distinguished colleague from the State of Idaho (Mr. Sali).
  Mr. SALI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill to designate 
this Portland post office in the name of and memory of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr.
  While I support this designation, I note with some disappointment 
that we are not also addressing rising fuel prices on this week's 
schedule. Dr. King spoke passionately about our Nation's moral 
obligation to make sure that the needs of the poor and the elderly are 
met.
  American senior citizens and low-income households have been 
disproportionately affected by higher energy costs. In 2006, before the 
skyrocketing and record-breaking fuel price increases we are seeing 
today, low-income households in America spent nearly 20 percent of 
their income on energy-related expenditures.
  This is a moral issue, an issue which, for many low-income families, 
senior citizens and hardworking families, affects their access to 
education, and even to their doctors. It's time for Congress to act on 
that moral obligation to take care of the poor and the elderly, and 
lift the restrictions on America's energy rich public lands to increase 
exploration for and production of American crude oil and natural gas, 
and do so in an environmentally friendly manner.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of 
H.R. 1734.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of our 
time and urge support for this resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1734.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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