[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 10, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H1107-H1111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR'S VISIT 
                                TO INDIA

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 134) recognizing the 50th Anniversary 
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India, and the positive 
influence that the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi had on Dr. King's work 
during the Civil Rights Movement.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 134

       Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed America forever 
     in a few short years through his teaching of nonviolence and 
     passive resistance to combat segregation, discrimination, and 
     racial injustice;
       Whereas, in 1950, during the pursuit of a Bachelor of 
     Divinity degree at Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, 
     Pennsylvania, Dr. King first became aware of the success of 
     nonviolent political action employed by India's Mahatma 
     Gandhi in political campaigns against racial inequality in 
     South Africa, and later against British colonial rule in 
     India;
       Whereas Dr. King began an extensive study of Gandhi's life 
     and ideas, and became inspired to use Gandhi's theory of 
     nonviolent civil disobedience to achieve social change in 
     America;
       Whereas, in 1955 and 1956, Dr. King led the Montgomery Bus 
     Boycott to protest the arrest of Rosa Parks and the 
     segregation of the bus system of Montgomery, Alabama, during 
     which time Dr. King was arrested and his home bombed;
       Whereas the Montgomery Bus Boycott was the first large-
     scale, nonviolent civil rights demonstration of contemporary 
     times in the United States;
       Whereas, following the success of nonviolent protest in the 
     Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King desired to travel to India 
     to deepen his knowledge of Gandhi's teachings on nonviolent 
     principles;
       Whereas Dr. King, his wife Coretta Scott King, and Lawrence 
     Reddick, then chairman of the history department at Alabama 
     State College, arrived in Bombay, India, on February 10, 1959 
     and stayed until March 10, 1959;
       Whereas Dr. King was warmly welcomed by members of Indian 
     society throughout his visit, and met with Prime Minister 
     Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, land reform leader Vinoba Bhave, and 
     other influential Indian leaders to discuss issues of 
     poverty, economic policy, and race relations;
       Whereas, while in India, Dr. King spoke about race and 
     equality at crowded universities and at public meetings;
       Whereas followers of Ghandi's philosophy, known as 
     satyagrahis, welcomed Dr. King and praised him for his 
     nonviolent efforts during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which 
     they saw as a landmark success of principles of nonviolence 
     outside of India;
       Whereas the satyagrahis and Dr. King discussed Ghandi's 
     philosophy, known as Satyagraha, which promotes nonviolence 
     and civil disobedience as the most useful methods for 
     obtaining political and social goals;
       Whereas the satyagrahis reaffirmed and deepened Dr. King's 
     commitment to nonviolence, and revealed to him the power that 
     nonviolent resistance holds in political and social battles;
       Whereas the trip to India impacted Dr. King in a profound 
     way, and inspired him to use nonviolence as an instrument of 
     social change to end segregation and racial discrimination in 
     America throughout the rest of his work during the Civil 
     Rights Movement;
       Whereas Dr. King rose to be the preeminent civil rights 
     advocate of his time, leading the Civil Rights Movement in 
     the United States during the 1950s and 1960s and earning 
     world-wide recognition as an eloquent and articulate 
     spokesperson for equality;
       Whereas Dr. King became a champion of nonviolence, and in 
     1964, at the age of 35, he became the youngest man to be 
     awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts;
       Whereas through his leadership in nonviolent protest, Dr. 
     King was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act 
     of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965;
       Whereas, between 1957 and 1968, Dr. King traveled more than 
     6,000,000 miles, spoke more than 2,500 times, and wrote five 
     books and numerous articles supporting efforts around the 
     country to end injustice and bring about social change and 
     desegregation through civil disobedience; and
       Whereas the work of Dr. King created a basis of 
     understanding and respect, and helped communities and the 
     United States as a whole to act peacefully, cooperatively, 
     and courageously to restore tolerance, justice, and equality 
     between people: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages all 
     Americans to--
       (1) pause and remember the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin 
     Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India;
       (2) commemorate Dr. King's legacy of nonviolence, a 
     principle that--
       (A) Dr. King encountered during his study of India's 
     Mahatma Gandhi;

[[Page H1108]]

       (B) further inspired him during his first trip to India; 
     and
       (C) he successfully used in the struggle for civil rights 
     and voting rights;
       (3) commemorate the impact that Dr. King's trip to India 
     and his study of the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi had in 
     shaping the Civil Rights Movement and creating the political 
     climate necessary to pass legislation to expand civil rights 
     and voting rights for all Americans; and
       (4) rededicate themselves to Dr. King's belief that 
     ``nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and 
     moral question of our time'' and to his goal of a free and 
     just United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Johnson) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today, on February 10, 1959, Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., arrived in Bombay, India, to study the principles of 
nonviolence developed and used so skillfully by Mahatma Gandhi, which 
Dr. King himself employed to become this Nation's greatest civil rights 
leader.
  I commend my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia, Congressman John 
Lewis, for introducing this bipartisan resolution that calls upon all 
Americans to rededicate ourselves to Dr. King's belief that nonviolence 
is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time. 
I would also like to acknowledge the many members of the Judiciary 
Committee that join in this resolution and, in particular, the 
gentleman from Texas, our ranking member, Mr. Lamar Smith.
  During his month-long travel to India from February 10 to March 10, 
1959, Dr. King gained a deeper appreciation for the power of nonviolent 
civil disobedience, a practice that Dr. King first discovered reading 
Henry David Thoreau's essay, ``On Civil Disobedience,'' while a student 
at Morehouse College.
  Just as Gandhi had used it successfully in resistance to oppressive 
British colonial rule in India, Dr. King adopted it as a cornerstone of 
the American Civil Rights Movement, holding firmly and faithfully to it 
even when the peaceful demonstrations were met by dogs and fire hoses, 
and worse.
  Nonviolence had already proven successful in the Montgomery bus 
boycott, and so it would be used later successfully in sit-ins used to 
protest segregated lunch counters, and in the freedom rides used to 
challenge segregated public transportation facilities.
  In Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968, the eve of his 
assassination, Dr. King told us that ``it is no longer a choice between 
violence and nonviolence in this world; it is nonviolence or 
nonexistence.'' This remains his challenge to us as we confront the 
evils of our own time, from the police brutality and hate crimes here 
at home, to the threats to freedom emanating from around the world.
  Can we always meet this challenge? Given our human frailties, that 
would be exceedingly difficult. But keeping that challenge in our 
hearts will help us always to look for the peaceful solution whenever 
possible, and to maintain our faith that we will sometimes be able to 
find it even in the most uncompromising situations.
  As Dr. King observed in February of 1967 against the backdrop of the 
Vietnam War: ``Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful 
tomorrows.'' That statement speaks to us as loudly today as it did to 
those who heard it more than 40 years ago.
  Standing on the shoulders of Gandhi, Dr. King called on us to promote 
equality and justice through steadfast nonviolence, and it is on the 
shoulders of Dr. King that we now stand to do our best to live up to 
his dream for us. I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I support House Resolution 134, which commemorates the 
50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's trip to India, in which he 
paid his respects to the methods of nonviolent protest pioneered by 
Mahatma Gandhi.
  Dr. King studied Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent change at 
seminary, and in 1959 he had the honor of visiting the land in which 
the seeds of peaceful protest had been successfully sown by Gandhi.
  Gandhi was the first to employ nonviolent protest on a mass political 
scale. This opposition resulted in national change. Dr. King, inspired 
by Gandhi's organized peaceful action, launched a similar effort to 
fight for racial equality under the law in the United States. That 
inspiration eventually materialized in the Nobel Peace Prize that was 
awarded to Dr. King in 1964, and a year earlier in a 250,000 person 
peaceful march Dr. King led through the streets of Washington, D.C. Dr. 
King was the leader of an historic nonviolent revolution in the U.S. 
Over the course of his life, he fought for equal justice and led the 
Nation towards racial harmony.
  While advancing this great movement, Dr. King's home was bombed and 
he was subjected to relentless personal and physical abuse. Despite 
this violence, Dr. King responded in peace and with strong conviction 
and sound reasoning. As a pastor, Dr. King's religious beliefs were 
essential to the success of his nonviolent efforts.

                              {time}  1715

  Just as Mahatma Gandhi was a deeply religious man, so too was Dr. 
King. It is doubtful that such a long and enduring movement could have 
survived in either man's country without the power of religious 
inspiration behind it.
  While Gandhi and Dr. King convinced millions of both the morality and 
the effectiveness of nonviolent change, their message, unfortunately, 
was not accepted by all. On the evening of April 4, 1968, while 
standing on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. 
King was assassinated. But a single vicious act could not extinguish 
Dr. King's legacy which endures to this day. And Dr. King's legacy is 
due in large part to the inspiration of Mahatma Gandhi, whose success 
helped endow Dr. King with the courage to lift voices, not weapons, in 
the struggle for equality here in the United States.
  America is a better, freer nation today in large part due to the 
philosophical fellowship of Gandhi and Dr. King.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
resolution. And let me also point out that I know that the two 
gentlemen from Georgia to my left, one who has spoken and one is 
getting ready to speak, as well as the Speaker himself, the gentleman 
from Illinois, have all been leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. And 
we certainly appreciate their leadership, their contributions and their 
success.
  And I will reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I will yield as much time as he 
may consume to the sponsor of this resolution, the Honorable John Lewis 
of Georgia.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Georgia for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his 
wife, Coretta Scott King, took a historic trip to India to travel and 
study the path of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King was deeply influenced by the 
teachings of Gandhi and what he attempted to do in South Africa and 
what he did to liberate and free the people of India from the colonial 
rule of the British.
  It was on Gandhi's preaching of the philosophy and the discipline of 
nonviolence that Dr. King patterned the nonviolent struggle in America 
to tear down the walls of segregation and racial discrimination. The 
great teacher gave us the philosophy of nonviolence, and Gandhi gave us 
the message and showed us the way. So it is fitting for the United 
States Congress to pause and recognize the 50th anniversary of Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s trip to India and the impact that trip had on 
our Nation's struggle for civil rights and voting rights.

[[Page H1109]]

  In a few days, Mr. Speaker, a group of Members of Congress will 
travel to India to walk the path that Dr. King walked. I am hopeful 
that we will have the opportunity to be inspired by this one man to 
carry the message of peace, hope and love to the rest of the world. 
Gandhi once said ``nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is 
also the last article of my creed.'' He said that our choice was 
between nonviolence and nonexistence.
  Dr. King said that we must learn to live together as brothers and 
sisters or perish as fools. The message of Gandhi and Dr. King still 
speaks to us today.
  I call on all Members of the House to support this resolution.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from Arizona (Mr. Franks), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. I certainly thank the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. Speaker, today's resolution marks the 50th anniversary of the 
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King's visit to India and the positive 
influence that the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi had on Reverend King's 
work during the Civil Rights Movement. Likewise, later this month, we 
will also celebrate President Lincoln's birthday because of his work to 
lay the foundation for what would become the greatest of American 
achievements, the recognition of the God-given equal value of all 
individuals regardless of their race, and the consequent and natural 
equal protection of the law for everyone.
  Reverend King and President Lincoln had many things in common. But 
most prominently of all was their life's work to humanize the 
dehumanized, to give value to a human life that the law had previously 
regarded as being lesser than other more politically powerful persons.
  Reverend King reminded us in his 1963 Letter From the Birmingham Jail 
that ``injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are 
caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment 
of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.'' 
Like Gandhi, Reverend King looked to his faith to transform society. 
Reverend King ultimately paid with his life the price for working to 
extend the equal protection of the law to all.
  Mr. Speaker, those were the struggles of the past centuries. And 
those were the heroes of the past centuries. But their work is not 
done. The 21st century has its own civil rights struggle, Mr. Speaker. 
As Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, has 
said, ``The biggest struggle for civil rights today is for the civil 
rights of the unborn child.''
  Last year I joined black activists and black mothers from around the 
country at the corner of 16th Street Northwest in D.C. to protest what 
has been the deadliest form of discrimination in our country's history, 
the systematic elimination of millions, fully one-half of all black 
Americans conceived in this country, primarily at government-funded 
family planning clinics placed in our inner cities. Every day, Mr. 
Speaker, almost 1,500 unborn black children are aborted. Black babies 
are aborted at between four and five times the rate of that of white 
babies. Mr. Speaker, this equates to a genocide against black America. 
And yet our U.S. Government continues to increase the annual 
appropriation to Planned Parenthood and to other abortion providers 
every year.
  Mr. Speaker, I have every conviction that if he were alive today, 
that Reverend Martin Luther King would not be silent in the face of 
such an outrage. Dr. King noted in his Letter From Birmingham Jail that 
the early church ``by their effort and example, brought an end to such 
ancient evils as infanticide.'' He didn't know that in 1973, 10 years 
after he wrote those words, that the U.S. Supreme Court would revive 
the practice of killing the innocent and that the black community would 
pay a higher price in blood than any other. Abortion on demand is 
called sometimes the exercise of hard-won rights. But in reality, Mr. 
Speaker, it is the extinguishing of a legacy.
  The greatest failure of human government is the failure to recognize 
the inherent value of every human life. Unborn children in America are 
the greatest example of that today. It is the civil rights struggle 
before America in this century. Reverend King once said that ``The law 
cannot change a heart, but it can restrain the heartless. The law 
cannot make a man love me, but it can restrain him from lynching me.'' 
This Congress, I will introduce the PreNDA bill, the Prenatal 
Nondiscrimination Act, to end sex-selection abortion and race-selection 
abortion in America.
  It is time to reject the discriminatory disgrace of aborting a child 
based on race or sex. Doing so might remind us all it is also time for 
the equal protection clause to realize its full meaning finally, that 
every human being is a child of God, with the God-given rights of life, 
liberty and the pursuit of their dreams. Nothing, Mr. Speaker, nothing, 
would honor the work of Reverend Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi 
or President Abraham Lincoln more.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the fine 
gentleman from the great State of Washington, Mr. Jim McDermott.
  (Mr. McDermott asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to join my friend and 
colleague, Representative John Lewis, himself a legendary civil rights 
leader, in strongly supporting H. Res. 134 and in carrying a message of 
hope to an upcoming trip to India.
  There is so much that we can learn from the lives of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's principle of 
``satyagraha,'' nonviolent resistance, inspired change for the better 
throughout the world and particularly in the United States. As Dr. King 
said in a radio address in India in 1959 on this trip, ``the spirit of 
Gandhi is so much stronger today than some people believe.'' That 
statement is even truer today.
  These two people changed their countries and the world for the 
better. And the world today would benefit from a new Dr. King or a new 
Gandhi. They taught us that violence begets violence. As Gandhi once 
said, ``An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.'' No one doubts 
that there are serious problems in the world today, violence in the 
Middle East and many other places, the AIDS pandemic and extreme 
poverty where 1 billion people in the world live on less than a dollar 
a day. Missiles will not solve these crises. But people can, people of 
good will with courage and character, people like Dr. Martin Luther 
King and Mahatma Gandhi. We need them now more than ever. And this 
resolution and this upcoming trip by the Congress to India will honor 
their contributions to mankind and rekindle their spirit to seek peace 
by living in peace.
  I urge my colleagues to support H. Res 134.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much 
time is left for each side?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia has 12 minutes. 
The gentleman from Texas has 12\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we don't have any other speakers at 
this time.
  I would like to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would yield 3 minutes to the 
honorable Representative from the great State of Texas, Ms. Sheila 
Jackson-Lee.
  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. It is a privilege, Mr. Speaker, to have the 
opportunity to come to the floor today for such an important 
recognition of two iconic movers of change, individuals who laid the 
underpinnings of the reformation of nations that already had a good 
heart. Let me thank the manager, Mr. Johnson, for his leadership, and 
of course our ranking member, Mr. Smith, my colleague from Texas, and 
the author of this legislation, John Lewis. I know that he wrote this 
legislation from the heart.
  We will be recognizing this historic journey in a few days, the 50th 
anniversary of Martin Luther King's visit to India and the recognition 
of the intertwining of their spirits and their intellect between Martin 
King and Mahatma Gandhi. I had the opportunity to view the years-old 
film that was done on his life. Certainly we know that fictional 
aspects may have been

[[Page H1110]]

included. But the underpinnings of the film was the willingness to 
sacrifice for the greater good.
  And as I reflect upon Martin King's life, having had the opportunity 
to be a student worker of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 
and absorbing the spirit of nonviolence that had been left by Dr. King, 
I know how much he was influenced by the life-changing attitude of 
Gandhi. Gandhi was willing to sacrifice life and limb in order to move 
mountains of change. And what you saw in his determination for freedom 
for the people of India were two things: One, the people of diverse 
faiths and beliefs in this then very large country could come together 
around the idea of freedom, and then at the same time, he was willing 
to sacrifice the times that he spent in the fasts where he was near 
death to show those that violence does not engender anything but 
violence.

                              {time}  1730

  And Martin King, in the various periods of his life, where the 
younger generation challenged this seemingly hapless and helpless 
method of nonviolence; you weren't accomplishing anything; they were 
taking advantage of you; they weren't respecting you. But he was 
willing to hold his ground and, in that, he was the masterful teacher 
to all of us who looked upon this young man who was willing to lead a 
country into freedom without violence. And so the intertwining of the 
two is a special moment. And I'm so very gratified that John Lewis saw 
fit to allow us to come to the floor of the House and acknowledge that 
we are in partnership with the largest democracy.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. I yield an additional 1 minute to 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. We are in partnership with the largest 
democracy, India, and the longest democracy, the United States. And I 
hope we will take a lesson from this partnership of two men, now 
celebrating 50 years of that coming together, that determination and a 
way of handling people can garner us so much.
  And this new President, who has claimed development and diplomacy as 
key elements to his foreign policy, gets it; that you can work as 
partnerships with those who you would think would be hostile to your 
beliefs.
  I am very gratified to support this legislation, H. Res. 134, 
recognizing the 50th anniversary of the trip of Dr. Martin Luther King 
to India and the work that he did with Mahatma Gandhi, and the two of 
them, peace for ever and for everlasting.
  Mr. Speaker, I rose today in strong support of H. Res. 134 
``Recognizing the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 
visit to India and the point of influence that the leadership of 
Mahatma Gandhi had on Dr. King's work during the civil rights 
movement.'' I would like to thank Representative John Lewis, from 
Georgia, for his leadership in bringing this resolution to the floor. I 
urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. Because of the 
importance of the importance of Gandhi's life teachings on non-
violence, I am participating in a historic CODEL to India, where 
members of Congress will sojourn in the land of Gandhi during the 
recess on next week.
  It was through this experience that Dr. King, with a heart of 
servitude, was transitioned to become the greatest civil rights 
advocate of our century and possibly the greatest leader of our time. 
Mahatma Gandhi was a formative influence upon Dr. King's political 
civil disobedience. Dr. King and Gandhi believed that change would 
occur once Americans acknowledged the humanity of the oppressed in 
America.
  Gandhi became a leader in a complex struggle. Following World War I, 
Gandhi launched his movement of non-violent resistance to Great 
Britain. Satyagraha, which involves utilization of non-violent measures 
to undermine the opponent, and ideally to convert him rather than to 
coerce him into submission, spread throughout India, gaining millions 
of followers. A demonstration against the Rowlatt Acts, which allowed 
certain political cases to be tried without juries and internment of 
suspects without trial, but resulted in a massacre of Indians at 
Amritsar by British soldiers. When the British government failed to 
make amends, Gandhi proclaimed an organized campaign of non-
cooperation. Indians in public office resigned, government agencies 
such as courts of law were boycotted, and Indian children were 
withdrawn from government schools. Throughout India, streets were 
blocked by squatting Indians who refused to rise even when beaten by 
police. Gandhi was arrested, but the British were soon forced to 
release him. His non-violent movement set a new precedent for dealing 
with oppression and violence, no just in India, but the world over.
  Dr. King and Gandhi journey's ironically began in the same fashion. 
It was a train ride in South Africa that created Gandhi. It was a bus 
boycott in Alabama that made Dr. Martin Luther King. They were ordinary 
men only seeking to heighten the moral conscience of the time. These 
men were the spokesmen for the oppressed, unjustly treated, and those 
denied their God given privileges to life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness. Institutionalized racism and bigotry sought to keep the 
people of India, African Americans, and others from achieving those God 
given virtues.
  Dr. King's journey to India came at a vital time in American history. 
The Montgomery boycott had ended and had proven to be a great success. 
The nation's leaders were now dealing with a new challenge, one it had 
not seen before, non-violent social disobedience. People, both black 
and white, were looking to the newly famed leader from Georgia as the 
conscience of the nation. While they looked to Dr. King, he looked to 
the east for inspiration. It was Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of non-
violence that helped achieve success in Alabama. He knew that it would 
be Gandhi's teachings that would help the movement to achieve greater 
success in his quest for civil equality in the United States.
  On the trip to India, Dr. King was surprised to find the extent to 
which the bus boycott was covered in India and throughout the world. 
King recalled, ``We were looked upon as brothers, with the color of our 
skins as something of an asset. But the strongest bond of fraternity 
was the common cause of minority and colonial peoples in America, 
Africa, and Asia struggling to throw off racism and imperialism.''
  Dr. King's meetings with satyagrahis deepened his commitment to 
nonviolent resistance. His interactions with the Gandhi family 
ingrained in him the power of nonviolent resistance and its potential 
usefulness throughout the world, even against totalitarian regimes.
  While discussing non-violence to a group of students in India, Dr. 
King said, ``True nonviolent resistance is not unrealistic submission 
to evil power. It is rather a courageous confrontation of evil by the 
power of love, in the faith that it is better to be the recipient of 
violence than the inflictor of it, since the latter only multiplies the 
existence of violence and bitterness in the universe, while the former 
may develop a sense of shame in the opponent, and thereby bring about a 
transformation and change of heart.''
  The trip to India affected Dr. King in a profound way, deepening his 
understanding of nonviolent resistance and his commitment to America's 
struggle for civil rights. ``Since being in India, I am more convinced 
than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is the most 
potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for 
justice and human dignity. In a real sense, Mahatma Gandhi embodied 
certain universal principles that are inherent in the moral structure 
of the universe, and these principles are as inescapable as the law of 
gravitation,'' Dr. King said.
  The contributions of Gandhi and Dr. King are many. The roles that 
these two humanitarians traveled to arrive at their respective 
destinations in history were long and difficult, but they deserve all 
the respect and admiration that history can bestow upon them. As 
Members of Congress, we have to respect and acknowledge the work of 
Gandhi and the teachings he left behind that greatly influenced and 
changed Dr. Martin Luther King.
  Dr. King's trip to India further solidified his belief in nonviolence 
and peaceful resistance. Gandhi and Dr. King embodied the belief of 
doing unto others as you would have them to do unto you. They also 
believed in becoming the visible change you want to see in the world. 
They believed that men could live together peacefully despite their 
religious, racial, and cultural differences. Mohandas changed the way 
Indians were treated in South Africa and in India. Overthrowing the 
imperial British rule was no easy task, but Gandhi was able to do it. 
Through his Satyagraha teachings and non-violent protest, Gandhi put 
forth an example that vicariously aided in the liberation of African 
Americans in the United States.
  It is imperative that we commemorate Dr. King's trip to India. It 
would be shameful of this Congress to pass on an opportunity to 
acknowledge the contributions of Gandhi and Dr. King to America's 
history.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to join 
my friend and colleague Representative John Lewis in support of H. Res. 
134. This resolution commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the 
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit to India, and the role 
played by the revered leader of Indian independence Mahatma Gandhi--and 
those who followed in his footsteps--in influencing Dr. King's non-
violent approach to achieving

[[Page H1111]]

social and political justice. I embrace this opportunity to look back 
at the men and the movement which pressed this nation forward in its 
journey towards the fulfillment of our founders' creed, and look 
forward as the march toward opportunity, justice, and freedom for all 
continues.
  When Dr. King left for India in February 1959, he was just beginning 
to make his mark as a leader of the national movement for civil rights. 
He had organized the successful boycott of Montgomery, Alabama's public 
transportation system in 1955, and founded the Southern Christian 
Leadership Conference two years later. His burgeoning success had 
provided his non-violent movement with the momentum and potential to 
become a truly powerful force in the pursuit of equal rights for all 
Americans. This momentum became entrenched during Dr. King's trip to 
India, where his immersion in the world of Mahatma Gandhi's own non-
violent success led King to commit himself in his philosophical 
entirety to the principle of meeting hate and injustice with persistent 
non-violence.
  Though Gandhi had passed away eleven years prior to Dr. King's 
journey, King was no less attentive to the followers of the great 
shanti sena--the ``non-violent army'' that Gandhi led in his successful 
effort to free his country from the grasp of colonialism. He 
encountered those who had stood with Gandhi through the long, arduous 
struggle for India's sovereignty, and came to deeply understand the 
necessary commitment and purpose of which believers in non-violence 
must never lose sight. Dr. King came to believe that if India can 
assert its independence from the bonds of the British Empire without 
violence, then the United States of America can achieve racial equality 
with the same approach. He took the lessons of a people half a world 
away and applied them to the struggle of his own nation, illustrating 
that a righteous cause pursued by means which justify its ends holds 
universal promise. Perhaps it is best articulated by Dr. King himself: 
``As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism 
concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see 
for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.''
  Now, with the passage of five decades, let us commemorate this 
historic journey of our beloved Dr. King, focusing on the lessons it 
taught him and the strength it provided him as he met the challenges of 
his day. Let us not only remember the past, but rather carry its 
lessons into a brighter future of promise and freedom. I once again 
express my heartfelt appreciation for Congressman Lewis, a man whose 
own journey and career follow closely the principles and vision laid 
out by these two men, and urge all my colleagues to take this 
opportunity to honor those who refuse to allow the forces of hate and 
oppression to provoke them to lose sight of their vision for justice by 
embracing the nonviolent path.
  Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 134, 
which recognizes the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 
visit to India.
  It will be my honor to co-chair a delegation led by Congressman John 
Lewis, a colleague of Dr. King and true hero of the civil rights 
movement, that is going to New Delhi to commemorate his historic trip.
  The lessons that Dr. King drew from Mahatma Gandhi's teachings of 
nonviolence came at a pivotal time in American history.
  A century earlier, the issue of race and equality tore the United 
States apart. President Abraham Lincoln, whose 200th birthday we 
celebrate this year, prophetically said, ``I believe this government 
cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free.'' Unable to resolve 
this fundamental issue of human rights either politically or 
peacefully, the United States descended into an awful Civil War. After 
four bitter and bloody years, slavery was abolished and America's soul 
saved, but the undressed wounds of injustice and intolerance were deep 
and raw.
  Several lifetimes later, amid a crescendo for full civil rights from 
millions still denied, leaders like Dr. King faced a choice. Was the 
way again through armed conflict, with all of its suffering, or through 
nonviolent resistance relying on the power of morality over mortar?
  The principles of Gandhi helped show the way.
  We know that Dr. King's gracious welcome and textured experiences in 
India served to guide him more surely down the path he had chosen for 
his people and country. He said, ``Since being in India, I am more 
convinced than ever before that the method of nonviolent resistance is 
the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle 
for justice and human dignity.''
  Those beliefs would be put to the test during the civil rights 
struggles of the 1960s, including in my home state in Alabama. 
Sometimes, the challenges were visible and shocking, as they were with 
the church bombings in Birmingham and beatings at the Pettus Bridge in 
Selma. More often, there were the subtle slights born of fear and 
prejudice.
  But whatever the indignity or assault suffered, the response was 
never hate. In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. King set the 
direction: ``I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that 
the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.''
  It is now 2009, 50 years since Dr. King's visit to India. I believe 
the U.S. has come farther in these last 50 years than in the preceding 
100 years.
  Providing all of our citizens with true equal protection under the 
law has made us a better, stronger nation. We will recognize the 
lasting legacy of the movement for nonviolent change next month when 
the Faith and Politics Institute holds its biennial Civil Rights 
Pilgrimage to Alabama. It has been my privilege to be associated with 
the Institute and this event, which brings citizens of all ages and 
races together to reflect on the lessons of the civil rights movement 
and retrace the steps of its courageous pioneers.
  One mark of how far we've come is the creation of the Birmingham 
Civil Rights Institute, which overlooks the same park where fire hoses 
and police dogs were unleashed against peaceful citizens in 1963.
  But what will be remembered in American history for all time is the 
inauguration of President Barack Obama. There is a small vignette from 
that day that perfectly illustrates the healing that has transpired in 
America and gives hope for the future. About 30 constituents from 
Congressman Danny Davis's Chicago District was in the hallway where my 
office is located, unable to squeeze into a hearing room to view the 
President's speech on television. My staff invited them in and they all 
watched the speech together, a group of African-American constituents 
in the office of a Southern conservative. That is a mighty 
transformation since the racial turmoil in Birmingham.
  We were united in celebration of the hope and promise that is 
America. Hope and faith is what inspired Dr. King during his mission 
and it is what brings us together today.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time as well.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 134.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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