"America
is a more democratic nation, a more just nation, a more peaceful nation
because Martin Luther King, Jr., became her preeminent nonviolent
commander." - President Ronald Reagan, 11/2/83
Remarks on Signing the Bill Making the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., a National Holiday
November 2, 1983
The
President. Mrs. King, members of the King family, distinguished Members
of the Congress, ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, I'm very pleased
to welcome you to the White House, the home that belongs to all of us,
the American people.
When I was thinking of the contributions to our country of the man that
we're honoring today, a passage attributed to the American poet John
Greenleaf Whittier comes to mind. "Each crisis brings its word and
deed." In America, in the fifties and sixties, one of the important
crises we faced was racial discrimination. The man whose words and deeds
in that crisis stirred our nation to the very depths of its soul was
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King was born in 1929 in an America where, because of the color of their skin, nearly 1 in 10 lived lives that were separate and unequal. Most black Americans were taught in segregated schools. Across the country, too many could find only poor jobs, toiling for low wages. They were refused entry into hotels and restaurants, made to use separate facilities. In a nation that proclaimed liberty and justice for all, too many black Americans were living with neither.
In one city, a rule required all blacks to sit in the rear of public
buses. But in 1955, when a brave woman named Rosa Parks was told to move
to the back of the bus, she said, "No." A young minister in a local
Baptist church, Martin Luther King, then organized a boycott of the bus
company—a boycott that stunned the country. Within 6 months the courts
had ruled the segregation of public transportation unconstitutional.
Dr. King had awakened something strong and true, a sense that true
justice must be colorblind, and that among white and black Americans, as
he put it, "Their destiny is tied up with our destiny, and their
freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom; we cannot walk alone."
In the years after the bus boycott, Dr. King made equality of rights his
life's work. Across the country, he organized boycotts, rallies, and
marches. Often he was beaten, imprisoned, but he never stopped teaching
nonviolence. "Work with the faith", he told his followers, "that
unearned suffering is redemptive." In 1964 Dr. King became the youngest
man in history to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. King's work brought him to this city often. And in one sweltering
August day in 1963, he addressed a quarter of a million people at the
Lincoln Memorial. If American history grows from two centuries to
twenty, his words that day will never be forgotten. "I have a dream that
one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the
sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the
table of brotherhood."
In 1968 Martin Luther King was gunned down by a brutal assassin, his
life cut short at the age of 39. But those 39 short years had changed
America forever. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 had guaranteed all
Americans equal use of public accommodations, equal access to programs
financed by Federal funds, and the right to compete for employment on
the sole basis of individual merit. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 had
made certain that from then on black Americans would get to vote. But
most important, there was not just a change of law; there was a change
of heart. The conscience of America had been touched. Across the land,
people had begun to treat each other not as blacks and whites, but as
fellow Americans.
And since Dr. King's death, his father, the Reverend Martin Luther King,
Sr., and his wife, Coretta King, have eloquently and forcefully carried
on his work. Also his family have joined in that cause.
Now our nation has decided to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by
setting aside a day each year to remember him and the just cause he
stood for. We've made historic strides since Rosa Parks refused to go to
the back of the bus. As a democratic people, we can take pride in the
knowledge that we Americans recognized a grave injustice and took action
to correct it. And we should remember that in far too many countries,
people like Dr. King never have the opportunity to speak out at all.
But traces of bigotry still mar America. So, each year on Martin Luther
King Day, let us not only recall Dr. King, but rededicate ourselves to
the Commandments he believed in and sought to live every day: Thou shall
love thy God with all thy heart, and thou shall love thy neighbor as
thyself. And I just have to believe that all of us—if all of us, young
and old, Republicans and Democrats, do all we can to live up to those
Commandments, then we will see the day when Dr. King's dream comes true,
and in his words, "All of God's children will be able to sing with new
meaning, '... land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride,
from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'"
Thank you, God bless you, and I will sign it.
Mrs. King. Thank you, Mr. President, Vice President Bush, Majority
Leader Baker and the distinguished congressional and senatorial
delegations, and other representatives who've gathered here, and
friends.
All right-thinking people, all right-thinking Americans are joined in
spirit with us this day as the highest recognition which this nation
gives is bestowed upon Martin Luther King, Jr., one who also was the
recipient of the highest recognition which the world bestows, the Nobel
Peace Prize.
In his own life's example, he symbolized what was right about America,
what was noblest and best, what human beings have pursued since the
beginning of history. He loved unconditionally. He was in constant
pursuit of truth, and when he discovered it, he embraced it. His
nonviolent campaigns brought about redemption, reconciliation, and
justice. He taught us that only peaceful means can bring about peaceful
ends, that our goal was to create the love community.
America is a more democratic nation, a more just nation, a more peaceful
nation because Martin Luther King, Jr., became her preeminent
nonviolent commander.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and his spirit live within all of us. Thank God
for the blessing of his life and his leadership and his commitment.
What manner of man was this? May we make ourselves worthy to carry on
his dream and create the love community. Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at 11:06 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White House.
Sources:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=40708
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/13/archives-president-reagan-designates-martin-luther-king-jr-day-federal-holiday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oEt0P-056s
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment