[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[January 21, 2008]
[Pages 99-100]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks During a Visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library
January 21, 2008

    Thanks for having us. Listen, Laura and I are 
thrilled to be with you. We're honored to be with the Mayor and Councilman Jack Evans. 
We appreciate very much the--Serve DC, that is working to inspire 
volunteerism, and I want to thank this beautiful library for hosting us.
    I just got a couple of comments I want to say. First of all, Martin 
Luther King Day is--means two things to me. One is

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the opportunity to renew our deep desire for America to be a hope--a 
land of promise for everybody, a land of justice, and a land of 
opportunity. It's also an opportunity to serve our fellow citizens. They 
say Martin Luther King Day is not a day off, it should be a day on. And 
so today Laura and I witnessed acts of compassion 
as citizens were here in the library volunteering their time, and that's 
what's happening all across America today.
    But a day on should be not just one day, it really ought to be every 
day. And our fellow citizens have got to understand that by loving a 
neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself, by reaching out to 
someone who hurts, by just simply living a life of kindness and 
compassion, you can make America a better place and fulfill the dream of 
Martin Luther King.
    Martin Luther King is a towering figure in the history of our 
country. And it is fitting that we honor his service and his courage and 
his vision. And today we're witnessing people doing just that by 
volunteering their time.
    So we're honored to be with you. We're proud to be with you on this 
important national holiday. Mr. Mayor, thank 
you for coming. Jack, glad you're here. 
Appreciate you all taking time out of your day to visit with us.
    And thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:42 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty of Washington, DC; and Jack Evans, council member, 
Council of the District of Columbia.