[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 3 (Monday, January 28, 2008)]
[Pages 92-93]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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.

[[Page 93]]

    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.
    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, councilmember, 
Council of the District of Columbia.