[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE'S FIRST MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY 
                              CELEBRATION

  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today in observance of the 20th 
anniversary of New Hampshire's first Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After 
legislation was enacted the previous summer, Martin Luther King Jr. Day 
in the year 2000 was the culmination of a years-long struggle to add 
Dr. King's name to the State's official Civil Rights Day holiday. I ask 
my colleagues and all Americans to join me in celebrating this 
recognition of such an influential figure and saluting the men and 
women who prompted this important and permanent change.
  This anniversary is personal for me. I fought alongside so many when 
I served in the New Hampshire State Senate for an appropriate way to 
honor Dr. King, the preeminent leader of the civil rights movement. 
Years later, as Governor, I was proud to sign the bill into law that 
ended New Hampshire's status as the only State not to recognize his 
birthday as an official holiday. There were setbacks leading up to that 
triumphant June day, including many failed votes in the State 
legislature; yet with a sense of resilience typical of the movement 
that Dr. King inspired, we persevered and kicked off the new millennium 
in the Granite State by celebrating our first Martin Luther King Jr. 
Day on January 17, 2000.
  It was an exciting time that reflected the positive change that many 
of us had seen in our lifetimes. As a child growing up in southern 
Missouri and attending segregated schools, I saw the daily injustices 
of life under Jim Crow segregation. We have made great strides since 
then in the march toward full equality, and these advancements are the 
product of Dr. King's leadership and the peaceful, nonviolent protest 
movements that he championed.
  Whether writing from inside a jail cell or speaking from the steps of 
the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King delivered a stirring message with hope 
that Americans could come together and fully realize one of our 
country's founding principles, that all are created equal. He pledged 
himself and inspired others to work toward a more perfect union and 
embrace a belief in freedom and opportunity for all. He held a faith 
that engaged citizens--from the thousands who stood with him on the 
National Mall in 1963 to the many who worked tirelessly years later to 
establish a holiday in his name--are the most powerful promoters of 
positive social and economic change.
  One of those engaged citizens was Rev. Dr. Arthur Hilson of New Hope 
Baptist Church in Portsmouth, NH. A beacon of wisdom and grace, 
Reverend Hilson was instrumental in garnering the public support to 
establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He understood that the people we 
choose to revere can send a powerful message to future generations and 
that the lifework and message of Dr. King must be a part of the 
heritage we leave to our children. We lost Reverend Hilson last year, 
but we still hold on to cherished memories of a man who, when asked how 
he was doing, would always answer, ``Too blessed to complain.'' We are 
all blessed to have known such a loving neighbor, determined activist 
and living embodiment of Dr. King's teachings.
  On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I ask my colleagues and all 
Americans to join in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and in 
recognizing Reverend Hilson who was so dedicated to building Dr. King's 
``Beloved Community'' of justice, equality and love for all.

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