[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 325]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        IN CELEBRATION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., DAY 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 25, 2012

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, an appropriate reminder of Dr. King's 
legacy, the civil rights struggle and the importance of serving one's 
community to make the country stronger.
  Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy is a symbol of the American values of 
progress, peace, and equality that have come to define American 
exceptionalism. Although we still have a long way to go to reach Dr. 
King's promised land, the strides taken toward racial equality since 
his March on Washington are a testament to the power of his non-violent 
message.
  On this day, we not only celebrate the legacy of Dr. King, but we 
commit ourselves to giving back to our communities. Dr. King's spirit 
compels us to use this day to volunteer our time in service of our 
neighborhoods. This year, millions of Americans across the country 
demonstrated their commitment to Dr. King's vision of a better world by 
offering their help to countless service projects and activities 
nationwide.
  Dr. King once said ``the moral arc of the universe is long, but it 
bends toward justice.'' It is on this day--nearly 44 years after his 
death--that we remember his words and continue our struggle toward 
racial, social, and economic justice. While an assassin may have felled 
the Dreamer; the dream of Dr. King still lives in the hearts and minds 
of people of goodwill everywhere in the world.
  In these tough economic times, it is important to remember the 
message Dr. King espoused--non-violence, determination, peace, and 
justice. These values have seen us through the tumultuous uproar of the 
1960s and continue to persevere today.
  Dr. King's words not only inspired social movements in the United 
States, but were a heavy influence in Poland, the nations of eastern 
and central Europe, and more recently in Egypt and Tunisia.
  Dr. King, Jr., recognized that the struggle for civil rights and 
workers' rights were inextricably linked. Both required that the basic 
rights of all people are equal and ought to be honored equally, whether 
by an employer or by the United States government. It is by the light 
of his example that we should confront the hardships that face this 
generation of American citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating the gift 
of hope that Dr. King gave to so many and to remember the dream that he 
so eloquently articulated. We remember Dr. King's sacrifice and resolve 
to keep his dream alive through tolerance, altruism and community 
service.

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