FLOOR STATEMENT
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Prepared for
The Honorable Jennifer L. McClellan

Virginia House of Delegates
January 15, 2007


Seventy-eight years ago today on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, a man was born whose calling and gifts, guided by the hands of the Eternal, enabled him to revolutionize the world. I rise today, as Vice Chairman of Virginia's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, to join with the citizens of this great Commonwealth, the nation, and the international community, in paying tribute to "the people's prophet," Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

At age fifteen, Dr. King entered Morehouse College where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in June 1948. He received his divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, PA, in 1951, and a Ph.D. in theology from Boston University in 1955. He would go on as a young minister, after the arrest of Rosa Parks, a tired and weary domestic worker who refused to give up her seat to a white man on December 1, 1955, to lead a successful protest against segregated public transportation in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1957, he organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization devoted to the cause of civil rights.

His stand against Jim Crow laws culminated in the August 28, 1963, March on Washington, where he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, an often quoted speech, which convicted the soul of this nation.

Among all of the awards and tributes that he received during his short lifetime, of particular significance is the Nobel Peace Prize that he received in 1964, for his leadership as a civil rights leader. Dr. King’s commitment to racial equality, justice, and peace through peaceful demonstrations resulted in numerous arrests, vicious attacks by dogs, and high-pressure water hoses against the marchers. The tragic events in Birmingham and Washington, D.C., galvanized support for federal legislation against segregation, which led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing racial discrimination throughout the land. On April 4, 1968, an assassin’s bullet ended his life, but not his dream for America.

Many communities, states, the nation, and the world have planned celebrations to remember his legacy on today. The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King resonates throughout the nation and internationally. If he were alive today, I believe that he would be proud that we are closer to his “Beloved Community,” where peace, justice, equality, love, and the respect for the dignity of all persons prevail, than we were during his lifetime. I believe that he would also exhort us to go the distance to annihilate discrimination, extend the promises of the Constitution to all Americans, and accept the challenge to actualize his vision of the “Beloved Community” for our brothers and sisters around the world.

It is unfortunate that too many people know Dr. King only as a great civil rights leader, due in part to the media's shaping of personalities and events.

He was much, much more than a great civil rights leader. Dr. King was a noted scholar, prolific writer, peacemaker, humanitarian, the consummate pulpiteer, theologian, philosopher, and servant who decided early to give his life to "something eternal and absolute." These are the qualities, characteristics, and accomplishments of Dr. King with which our Commission and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Living History and Public Policy Center are striving to acquaint the public.

On last Friday, many of my colleagues in this august body joined the Governor, representatives of business and industry, federal and local elected officials, educators, people of diverse races, faiths, professions, occupations, and backgrounds at the Annual Community Leaders Breakfast, of which the Commission is a sponsor, to inaugurate this year's commemorative programs, activities, and events to honor Dr. King. At that event, the keynote speaker Dr. John Kenney, Dean of the School of Theology at Virginia Union University, raised the question, "Are We There Yet?" I submit to you, "Have we arrived at Dr. King's destination—the fulfillment of the "Beloved Community," where people are judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin? "Are We There Yet?" Are the inalienable rights of all Virginians equally protected? "Are We There Yet?" Do all Virginians have equal access to the basics of life—high quality education, housing, employment, health care, and equality before the law—that dignify human existence? Dr. King said, “The time is always right to do what is right.” Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a "political panderer." My colleagues, as we conduct the people’s business, let it be said of us that we, too, did what was right.

As we celebrate the birth of Dr. King this year, I challenge this body and the people of the Commonwealth to remember the circumstances and social conditions in our nation and Commonwealth that thrust Dr. King—"the people's prophet"—into the social consciousness of America. Moreover, Virginia, the "cradle of democracy," gave birth and nurtured the ideas and ideals that have made this nation and the Commonwealth great. Therefore, on this day, let us accept the challenge and vow sincerely to work together to make Virginia the "Beloved Community."

Mr. President, I move that when the House adjourns today, that we do so in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.