[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 28-29]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY, 2004

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, throughout California and across America, 
millions of people gathered yesterday to celebrate the 75th anniversary 
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth. Each year, thanks to a 1983 
Federal law that I was proud to vote for, we take the third Monday of 
January to commemorate Dr. King's birthday.
  In his immortal ``I Have a Dream'' speech, Dr. King shared his vision 
of a land where people of every religion, race, and creed could realize 
the American dream of freedom and opportunity. In the words of his 
wife, Coretta Scott King, we honor Dr. King's dream of ``a vibrant, 
multiracial nation that has a place at the table for children of every 
race and room at the inn for every needy child.'' On Martin Luther King 
Day, we take this opportunity to reflect on the dream of an inclusive 
society in which all people are truly created equal.
  On this day and all year long, Americans share in Dr. King's 
extraordinary commitment to improving the lives of others. We remember 
his dream and take an active role in making it a reality. Throughout 
our Nation, people help those in need: they feed the hungry, house the 
poor, heal the sick, and offer a guiding hand to at-risk youth.
  This week, as we mark the national celebration of Dr. King's 
birthday, let us not merely reflect on his work, let us live his 
legacy. On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I ask you to join me in 
vowing to make Dr. King's dream a reality. Let us come together to take 
positive--yes, affirmative--action to give every American a real shot 
at the dream.
  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, yesterday, we celebrated Martin Luther King 
Day. For many of us, this day was a time to reflect on the progress we 
have made in protecting civil rights and the work that remains. Dr. 
King once said:

       Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

No matter how far our Nation has come, we must never rest contented 
with the mistaken notion that we have done enough to protect our fellow 
citizens.
  In 1998, a young man named Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and 
left for dead simply because he was gay. He lived for 6 days in the 
hospital, just long enough for his family to gather and say goodbye. 
Matthew's story, and the heinous dragging murder of James Byrd 6 months 
earlier, brought hate crimes to the forefront of the national 
discourse. It taught us a profound lesson about the hatred that still 
lives in some of our citizens.
  Hate crimes are violent acts intended by their perpetrators to send a 
message of animus and intimidation towards those whose religion, race, 
or sexual orientation might differ from their own. They are a violation 
of everything our country stands for. As Attorney General Ashcroft has 
said:

       Criminal acts of hate run counter to what is best in 
     America--our belief in equality and freedom.

  Sadly, the number of reported hate crimes continues to grow at an 
alarming rate. The FBI catalogued over 9,700 hate crimes in 2001. That 
is an average of 26 hate crimes a day. At that pace, in the last 5 
years, more than 47,000 hate crimes have been committed.
  The current hate crimes law was enacted after the assassination of 
Dr. King, and it is woefully outdated. It does not apply to hate crimes 
based on sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Even in cases of 
crimes based on race, religion, or ethnic background, the law only 
protects victims who were attacked when engaged in ``federally 
protected activities'' such as jury service, interstate travel, or 
voting.
  It is time to update this law, and I believe we have finally 
developed compromise legislation that can pass Congress. The Local Law 
Enforcement Enhancement Act, LLEEA, is a bipartisan

[[Page 29]]

bill that will provide support to local authorities investigating and 
prosecuting hate violence.
  LLEEA requires the Attorney General to appoint a Federal prosecutor 
to promote cooperation between Federal and local law enforcement. In 
addition, the bill recognizes that not all violence constitutes a hate 
crime, and provides that only those motivated by bias, with the intent 
to terrorize the victim, may be prosecuted as hate crimes.
  LLEEA has been endorsed by more than 175 law enforcement, civil 
rights, and religious organizations, including attorneys general for 22 
States, the National Sheriffs' Association, the International 
Association of Chiefs of Police; and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
  Nobody should live in fear because of who they are. Congress cannot 
continue to sit silently by while hatred spreads. And as Americans, it 
is time for us to send a message that we are prepared to confront this 
national plague and take another step closer to making Dr. King's dream 
a reality.
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, yesterday we celebrated the life and legacy 
of a great man, a bold leader who inspired courage, unity and 
compassion. He changed the path of America's conscience, and he left 
his mark on Arkansas in so many ways. Dr. King time and time again came 
to the aid of Arkansans and supported others who were making 
significant sacrifices for civil rights.
  In May of 1958, Dr. King stood in the audience at Central High School 
to witness the graduation ceremony of Ernest Green from Little Rock 
Central High. Ernest was the first of the nine black teenagers who 
integrated Central High School in 1957. Ernest, along with Elizabeth 
Eckford, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown 
Trickey, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Thelma Mothershed Wair and 
Melba Pattillo Beals shaped history by valiantly attending a previously 
all-white school.
  Of her experience, Melba Pattillo Beals recalls:

       I had to become a warrior. I had to learn not how to dress 
     the best but how to get from that door to the end of the hall 
     without dying.

  These students' selfless act of courage changed history for all 
Americans in a tale that continues to have immediacy today.
  As a student of Central High, I can tell you the impact of the Little 
Rock Nine is felt in the halls and in the hearts of its student body 
and teachers today.
  Central High was designated as a unit of the national park system in 
1998. In 2002, over 24,000 people visited the historic site with 
estimates of a potential 60,000 visitors by 2007. Incidentally, 2007 
will be the 50th anniversary of the 1957-1958 Little Rock desegregation 
crises.
  Dr. King was a man of eloquent and powerful words, and he exemplified 
his principles of love, tolerance, reconciliation and equality. As we 
all know, he sacrificed his life to usher in opportunity and freedom 
for all individuals. I remind my colleagues that we must do more than 
quote the empowering words of Dr. King. We must do more walking and 
less talking. As we honor Dr. King, I must approach a subject that has 
been so heavy on my mind.
  I am disappointed to learn that the $267,000 that I requested for 
planning the National Park Service's Little Rock Central High School 
Visitors Center was not funded in the Interior Appropriations bill, as 
I and other members of the Arkansas congressional delegation had hoped 
it would be.
  The conference report notes that Central High was authorized in 1998 
and that the general management plan was completed in 2002 and 
recommended a visitor facility. But then it goes on to say generally 
that this project is not a construction priority.
  I am putting my colleagues on notice that I am going to fight for 
funds for not only planning but building this visitors center in this 
year's budget, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting a 
proposal that will complete the Little Rock Central High Visitors 
Center in time for the 50th anniversary in 2007.
  The Little Rock Nine brought us closer to realizing Dr. King's dream 
of ``the promised land,'' but we are not there yet. The visitors center 
will remind us where we once were, but also how much farther we need to 
go if we are to truly open the doors of opportunity for all 
individuals. Join me in supporting a message that is as important today 
as it was in 1957. Join me in supporting Dr. King's teachings and the 
bravery of nine black children.

                          ____________________