Speech for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Good afternoon:
Thank you for that introduction. I truly appreciate the
opportunity to participate in this celebration of the legacy of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I am both honored and humbled to share a few thoughts
with you on this special day…A day that we pause to
remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his legacy of hope and
the important events of his time that not only transformed our
history, but also every life here today.
You know history is interesting.
While time is concrete and distinct, history transcends
time and transforms people. History tells us a story.
The story can be significant and it can be impactful. Or
the story can be simple, uneventful and frankly forgettable.
But history has meaning.
It shapes who we are and it
influences the legacy that we leave, long after we are gone.
And history sets the stage for generations to come.
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Great African American leaders, past and present, have
been a part of our nation’s history and have set clear examples
that we cannot take for granted.
Through their deeds in
history, they inspire, they motivate, they lead and they
strengthen us.
When I think of the strength that I gained from history, I
think about African American leaders like Rosa Parks who
courageously stood firm on principle equality and redirected
the course of history.
I also think of leaders like Harriet Tubman, the
underground railroad—Booker T. Washington, an advisor to
presidents—and George Washington Carver, a botanist and
inventor.
The lessons of history also tell us about our leaders like
Justice Thurgood Marshall—the first African American
appointed to the Supreme Court of this great country. I think
about his 24 years of service on the Supreme Court and how
he fought to protect the rights of minorities and women, the
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rights of the powerless and the rights of the poor and
downtrodden.
And as you visit the lessons of our nation’s history, no
lesson is greater than the legacy of perhaps one of the greatest
orators and leaders of the African American community, Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. His place in history is inspiring and
motivational.
This man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, born January 15,
1929, shaped the course of history and impacted the lives of
millions.
As a student of Gandhi and Thoreau, Dr. King
introduced concepts of civil disobedience and nonviolence as
vehicles for change. These tools became far more effective in
creating change than any sword or any gunfire could
accomplish.
The practice of nonviolent behavior through civil
disobedience—and Dr. King’s reliance on mere words and
words alone—invoked guilt in his guiltless enemies and
created moral consciousness in the immoral and heartless of
the day. His approach changed the course of history and
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improved the lives of all of us—without swords, gunfire or a
single weapon.
From his famous speech on August 28, 1963 and the
March on Washington before 250,000 people, his words and
words alone challenged America's accountability to the
promises of the Emancipation Proclamation.
His words and words alone shined a light on the
conditions of the Negro and the crippling impacts of
segregation and discrimination at that time.
It raised the
consciousness of the American people.
At that time, his words and words alone challenged the
American people to fulfill the obligations of the United States
Constitution and the Declaration of Independence—its
promises of fairness, equality and unalienable rights of life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.
His words and words alone bespoke the injustices of the
day and the horrors of police brutality in 1968. And,
unfortunately, police brutality and similar injustices remain
today.
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We need only recall Baltimore and Freddie Gray,
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Chicago or New York and Eric Garner. Oh how Dr. King’s
words from 1968 can provide a guiding light now in 2016.
You know Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words and words
alone in 1968 also spoke of the disenfranchisement of the
Negro and the Negro’s inability to vote. Sadly, as he viewed
in the world in 1968, today we experience some of the same
disenfranchisement. Think about—the introduction of Voter
ID
laws
throughout
gerrymandering
of
the
South,
voting
districts
and—the
and—the
intentional
strategic
concentration of certain ethnic groups in Congressional
Districts, and many other examples that each one of you could
name.
His words and words alone created hope and created a
vision for a new and better day.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of that vision, spoke of
that dream, and that vision and that dream created a sense of
promise. It created a course of action that led to an improved
society.
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His words and words alone created a sense of hope, a
sense of accomplishment, a sense of opportunity, a sense of
direction, and indeed in many, a sense of purpose.
His words and words alone inspired us to act and to get
involved and to make a difference for all people.
Through his words and words alone he set a case for us to
become a better nation. A nation that sought love as opposed
to hate. A nation that sought justice as opposed to injustice. A
nation that sought to live together as brothers and sisters and
not to perish together as fools.
So today as we lay this wreath in recognition of the
legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., let’s continue that
promise. Let’s continue that sense of purpose. Let’s continue
that challenge to be more persistent about what we are doing
for others and not just for ourselves.
Let us on this day embrace the dream that as long as you
believe it, you can achieve it.
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Believe that we can make this a world without hatred and
intolerance.
Believe that we can make this a world that accepts people
of all faiths and religions.
Believe that we can free our nation of guns and gun
violence.
Believe that we can make our community a place that
respects individual love regardless of whether it is male
and female or female and female or male and male.
Believe that we can rid our communities of senseless
crime and loss of life.
And, believe, believe that each one of you can make this
world a better place.
I challenge you today to believe and to think about how
you can make this world better through service to others.
Just as the story goes that Dr. King so often told, “The
first question which the priest and the Levite asked was:
'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?'
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But...the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do
not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’”
So, as we lay this wreath in recognition of the life and
legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., let’s stick to the
principles of love because hate is too great of a burden to bear.
And let’s use this gift of love to transform the enemies of
our world and the enemies of our causes into faithful and loyal
friends engaged in the cause of freedom, the cause of equality
and the causes of justice for everyone.
Go forth and BELIEVE‼!
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