[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 38 (Friday, March 1, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN MICHIGAN'S 11TH DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HALEY M. STEVENS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 1, 2024

  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the wisdom of an 
inspiring figure, Dr. Eddie Connor, as we conclude 2024 Black History 
Month. Dr. Connor delivered remarks in observance of Martin Luther King 
Jr. Day in January, and his words inspire me as we continue the 
important work to create a more equitable society.
  It is an honor to learn from so many influential leaders about this 
important history. From the Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in 
Alabama to local leaders in Michigan's 11th District, I am moved by the 
stories and insight that has been shared with me. Dr. Connor is one of 
those figures that I am proud to highlight. He is a 16-time best-
selling author, international speaker, survivor of stage four cancer, 
and founder of the mentoring program Boys 2 Books.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the tapestry of communities in 
Oakland County that make up Michigan's 11th District. It was a pleasure 
to celebrate Black History Month with so many remarkable people, and it 
is my honor to amplify the powerful remarks from Dr. Connor as we close 
Black History Month 2024 and continue our work throughout the remainder 
of the year.

                         (By Dr. Eddie Connor)

                          MLK Jr. Day Remarks

       The question that we must ask ourselves today at the annual 
     Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Celebration is ``What can 
     I do to make the world a better place? '' Not just presently 
     but for future generations. There indeed is a great work for 
     all of us to do. We must labor and be faithful to be fruitful 
     in order to reap a plentiful harvest.
       He expressed that life's most persistent and urgent 
     question must be. ``What are you doing for others? '' Dr. 
     King's ultimate societal goal was the achievement of 
     structuring a nonviolent beloved community that would embrace 
     those of various ethnicities and backgrounds to all be seated 
     at the table of brotherhood.
       Dr. King declared ``Poverty is the bride of crime.'' We 
     look at the disease of violence and mass incarceration but we 
     must unmask it to analyze societal symptoms. The symptoms are 
     poverty, lack of education, dilapidation of communities, 
     unseemly blight, gentrification, and redlining are the 
     symptoms that create the disease and dis-ease that we see.
       His decision to speak out against the tyranny of the 
     Vietnam War made him a marked man more than ever before. Dr. 
     King spoke about the triple evils of racism, militarism, and 
     materialism seeking to redistribute the wealth in the Black 
     community through group economics.
       When Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, 
     Tennessee, his popularity was at its lowest and the threats 
     on his life were at its highest. His name was ran through the 
     streets and now we name the streets after him.
       Dr. King was not killed because he had a dream. He was 
     killed because he spoke out about the nightmare in these yet 
     to be United States of America. He became the moral 
     conscience of America. He challenged our nation and even the 
     world in a greater context, to ``Learn to live together as 
     brothers or perish together as fools.'' He proclaimed ``The 
     true measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of 
     comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of 
     crisis, challenge, and controversy.''
       Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged us despite race, 
     creed, or color to come together, stay together and work 
     together. Simply because coming together is a beginning, 
     staying together is progress but working together is success.

                          ____________________