[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E64]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING SIGNIFICANCE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

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                           HON. JOYCE BEATTY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 13, 2017

  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, January 16, 2017, our nation 
will signify the tremendous life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr. Each year, on the third Monday in January, we remember and 
celebrate a man who led a non-violent movement that urged our country 
to become more fair and more just and provide equal opportunity for 
all.
  As our nation honors the life of Dr. King, I call to mind his 
statement, ``Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are 
you doing for others?''
  This year, on what would have been his eighty-eighth birthday, 
countless people in my home state of Ohio are answering his call to 
serve by advocating for civil rights and greater access and equal 
opportunity at the ballot box, inspiring the next generation of 
community and national leaders, helping the sick, elderly, and poor and 
many more profound acts of service.
  Like Dr. King, they understand the power and impact of service--not 
just on our community and State, but on our entire country and across 
the world. We all need to be more and do more for others and to promote 
unity and peace. This is of what Dr. King dreamed.
  Because this day isn't meant to be a ``day off,'' it is meant to be a 
``day on'': a day on of service.
  In that spirit, as we celebrate the thirty-first MLK Day of Service, 
I challenge all Americans to make a difference in their community.
  Indeed, that is how we can best honor Dr. King's legacy and how we 
make his dream--where we are not judged by the color of our skin, but 
by the content of our character--a reality for all people.
  Happy Birthday Dr. King. He should be pleased his legacy endures.

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