[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12608-12609]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE PASSING OF YOLANDA KING

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today our nation mourns the loss of Yolanda 
King, the eldest daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 
Coretta Scott King, and the ``first daughter'' of the civil rights 
movement.
  Yolanda King's life moved in the stream of American civil rights 
history. Born in segregated Montgomery, AL, in November of 1955, she 
came into this world only 3 weeks before the Interstate Commerce 
Commission issued its ban on racial segregation in interstate commerce 
and 2 weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white 
passenger on a bus in Montgomery. Yolanda was 7 years old when her 
father, in his famous ``I Have a Dream'' speech, said ``I have a dream 
that my four little children will one day live in a Nation where they 
will not be judged by the color of the skin but by the content of their 
character.''
  In a 2004 statement entitled, ``The Meaning of the Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Holiday,'' Coretta Scott King recalled that ``Dr. King once 
said that we all have to decide whether we will walk in the light of 
creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. Life's 
most persistent and nagging question . . . is what are you doing for 
others?''
  Yolanda led a life that made her family and her Nation proud. She was 
an actress, an author, and a producer. But she also worked in service 
to others. The world will remember her as an activist for peace, an 
ardent supporter of nonviolence, and a torchbearer for Dr. King's dream 
of racial harmony.
  Through her actions, the King family legacy lives on. Like her 
parents, Yolanda inspired a generation of youths to dedicate their 
lives to service. Her life is a shining example that we all can make a 
difference, and her deeds will continue to inspire generations to come.
  Our thoughts are with the King family today. I salute Yolanda's life, 
and hope that our Nation will continue its march towards a more 
inclusive democracy.

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