[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 11 (Thursday, January 18, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     LIVING IN DR. KING'S FOOTSTEPS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Yoder) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. YODER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today during the week of Martin Luther 
King Jr. Day to recognize three of my constituents who are living in 
Dr. King's footsteps.
  Dr. King once said: ``Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light 
can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.''
  In the Third District of Kansas, as well as across the country, we 
continue to see darkness and hate. Just last year, an Olathe resident 
shot two immigrants from India in a local restaurant, telling them to 
get out of his country. One of them, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, was killed.
  In 2014, a white supremacist from Missouri drove to the Jewish 
Community Center in Overland Park and murdered three people as part of 
a mission to kill Jewish residents in our community. Three people were 
killed: Reat Underwood, William Corporon, and Terry LaManno.
  In both of these cases, we saw the very worst of humanity, the very 
racism and bigotry and evil that Dr. King led our Nation so fiercely 
against. In each of these cases, we also see the beauty of humanity's 
power of kindness, endurance, forgiveness, and love.
  Sunayana Dumala, whose husband was killed in that tragedy in Olathe, 
Kansas, has turned this tragedy into an opportunity to spread a message 
of love and acceptance. The heartbreaking loss of her husband, along 
with visa problems due to our broken immigration system, has made this 
a very difficult last year for Sunayana. She questioned, 
understandably, whether she and other Indian immigrants were welcome 
here. However, our community rallied around her with the unmistakable 
answer that, yes, you are loved, you are part of our community, and you 
are welcome here.
  Now Sunayana has become a leading voice against hatred. She is 
leading others in this effort to embrace diversity in race, culture, 
and religion. She is planning a peace walk later this year and has 
launched an initiative called Forever Welcome that promotes 
understanding and acceptance of immigrants. She is a living example of 
love standing up in the face of hatred.
  Another story is Mindy Corporon, who lost both her father and son in 
the attack at the Jewish community center in 2014. She did not let the 
loss of her family members turn her to hatred. Instead, she set out to 
bring light into the darkness left by this event. She launched 
SevenDays: Make a Ripple, Change the World, a weeklong event 
commemorating the tragedy which seeks to turn one ripple of kindness 
into an unstoppable wave of faith and love. SevenDays challenges all of 
us to embrace diversity, to foster hope, and to promote love. Her 
tireless efforts fall right in the footsteps of Dr. King.
  Just recently, I was moved by the story of Sonia Warshawski, who is 
being featured in a documentary, titled, ``Big Sonia.'' As one of the 
last Holocaust survivors in my district, she is telling the story of 
the unspeakable tragedy she endured as a teenager at a concentration 
camp, being split from her father and brother, and literally watching 
her mother being marched to her death in the gas chambers. Yet here she 
is, preaching tolerance, kindness, and, most of all, love for one 
another.
  Mindy, Sunayana, and Sonia are just three members of our community 
who are living out Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy in their 
everyday lives. In each of their stories, extreme racism, bigotry was 
spread through its known weapons--fear and violence--and in each case, 
these women responded with courage, love, and kindness, just as Dr. 
King preached.
  These three women in my district are leading the way in the daily, 
ongoing fight for justice, tolerance, and love. They are an example for 
all of us to follow as we work to make our community a better place.
  Mr. Speaker, let us continue to teach love. Let us continue to be the 
light that drives out the darkness. Let us move forward as a nation and 
as a people together, united, and we will one day achieve Dr. King's 
dream.

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