Posted on

Proclamation on Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2021

external content.duckduckgo 33

On August 28, 1963, just a century after the Emancipation Proclamation, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led more than 200,000 Americans in a March on Washington in pursuit of jobs and freedom for all people.  Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he called on Americans “to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” and meet our promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.  On that historic day, and throughout his life, Dr. King exemplified the quintessential American belief that we will leave a brighter, more prosperous future for our children.  Today, we honor and celebrate Dr. King, a giant of the civil rights movement whose nonviolent resistance to the injustices of his era — racial segregation, employment discrimination, and the denial of the right to vote — enlightened our Nation and the world.

Continue reading Proclamation on Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2021

Posted on

Presidential Proclamation on Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2019

One hundred years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., took to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision of an America lifted from the “quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”  His extraordinary message that momentous day in August of 1963 stirred to action Americans of every race and creed, and it continues to reverberate in the hearts and minds of patriotic citizens across our great land.  Today, as we pause to mark the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we recommit ourselves to the advancement of equality and justice for all Americans, and to the full realization of his worthy dream.

Continue reading Presidential Proclamation on Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, 2019
Posted on

President Donald J. Trump Proclaims January 15, 2018, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday

mlk

 

January 12, 2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

“The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., dedicated his life to a vision:  that all Americans would live free from injustice and enjoy equal opportunity as children of God.  His strong, peaceful, and lifelong crusade against segregation and discrimination brought our Nation closer to the founding ideals set forth in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.  Today, as we come together to honor Dr. King, we know that America is stronger, more just, and more free because of his life and work.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. King, who was tragically assassinated on April 4, 1968.  As we approach this solemn milestone, we acknowledge our Nation’s continuing debt to Dr. King’s legacy.  Dr. King advocated for the world we still demand — where the sacred rights of all Americans are protected, rural and urban communities are prosperous from coast to coast, and our limits and our opportunities are defined not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.  We remember the immense promise of liberty that lies at the foundation of our great Republic, the responsibility it demands from all of us who claim its benefits, and the many sacrifices of those who have come before us.

Too often, however, we have neglected these ideals, and injustice has seeped into our politics and our society.  Dr. King’s peaceful crusade for justice and equality opened our Nation’s eyes to the humbling truth that we were very far from fulfilling our obligation to the promises set forth by our forebearers.

The Reverend’s devotion to fighting the injustice of segregation and discrimination ignited the American spirit of fraternity and reminded us of our higher purpose.  Through his words and work, he compelled us to hold ourselves to standards of moral character and integrity that are worthy of our Nation and of our humanity.

Dr. King once said:  “We refuse to believe there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this Nation.”  We must work together to carry forward the American Dream, to ensure it is within reach not only for our children, but for future generations.  As your President, I am committed to building and preserving a Nation where every American has opportunities to achieve a bright future.  That is why we are expanding apprenticeship programs, preparing Americans for the jobs of our modernizing economy.  We are also working every day to enhance access to capital and networks for minority and women entrepreneurs.  With all we do, we aim to empower Americans to pursue their dreams.

Importantly, in paying tribute to Dr. King, we are reminded that the duty lies with each of us to fulfill the vision of his life’s work.  Let us use our time, talents, and resources to give back to our communities and help those less fortunate than us. Particularly today, let us not forget Dr. King’s own tireless spirit and efforts, as we work, celebrate, and pray alongside people of all backgrounds.  As one people, let us rediscover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as Americans, and as people who share a common humanity.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 15, 2018, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday.  I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service programs and activities in honor of Dr. King’s life and legacy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.”

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

January 12, 2018.

Posted on

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Jan. 18 Marks Federal Holiday Honoring Birthday of Late Civil Rights Leader

72981_807891422137_1864104955_n

Rep. Scott Garrett , “Today we honor the memory and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His inspiring courage and commitment to what is right stands as a testament to the human spirit and its endless desire for freedom, equality, and fairness”  and ” His tireless efforts to secure rights and freedom for all people in the United States are a testament to the power that a single individual can have in the course of history. May we all strive together to protect those same hard-won liberties today.”

The Baptist minister and activist was born in Atlanta on Jan. 15, 1929, and was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The third Monday in January was first celebrated as a national holiday in 1986.

10 Things You May Not Know About Martin Luther King Jr.

APRIL 4, 2013 By Christopher Klein

1. King’s birth name was Michael, not Martin.
The civil rights leader was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929. In 1934, however, his father, a pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, traveled to Germany and became inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his 5-year-old son.

2. King entered college at the age of 15.
King was such a gifted student that he skipped grades nine and 12 before enrolling in 1944 at Morehouse College, the alma mater of his father and maternal grandfather. Although he was the son, grandson and great-grandson of Baptist ministers, King did not intend to follow the family vocation until Morehouse president Benjamin E. Mays, a noted theologian, convinced him otherwise. King was ordained before graduating college with a degree in sociology.

3. King received his doctorate in systematic theology.
After earning a divinity degree from Pennsylvania’s Crozer Theological Seminary, King attended graduate school at Boston University, where he received his Ph.D. degree in 1955. The title of his dissertation was “A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman.”

4. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was not his first at the Lincoln Memorial.
Six years before his iconic oration at the March on Washington, King was among the civil rights leaders who spoke in the shadow of the Great Emancipator during the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom on May 17, 1957. Before a crowd estimated at between 15,000 and 30,000, King delivered his first national address on the topic of voting rights. His speech, in which he urged America to “give us the ballot,” drew strong reviews and positioned him at the forefront of the civil rights leadership.

5. King was jailed 29 times.
According to the King Center, the civil rights leader went to jail nearly 30 times. He was arrested for acts of civil disobedience and on trumped-up charges, such as when he was jailed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956 for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.

6. King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt a decade before his death.
On September 20, 1958, King was in Harlem signing copies of his new book, “Stride Toward Freedom,” in Blumstein’s department store when he was approached by Izola Ware Curry. The woman asked if he was Martin Luther King Jr. After he said yes, Curry said, “I’ve been looking for you for five years,” and she plunged a seven-inch letter opener into his chest. The tip of the blade came to rest alongside his aorta, and King underwent hours of delicate emergency surgery. Surgeons later told King that just one sneeze could have punctured the aorta and killed him. From his hospital bed where he convalesced for weeks, King issued a statement affirming his nonviolent principles and saying he felt no ill will toward his mentally ill attacker.

7. King’s last public speech foretold his death.
King had come to Memphis in April 1968 to support the strike of the city’s black garbage workers, and in a speech on the night before his assassination, he told an audience at Mason Temple Church: “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

8. Members of King’s family did not believe James Earl Ray acted alone.
Ray, a career criminal, pled guilty to King’s assassination but later recanted. King’s son Dexter met publicly with Ray in 1997 and argued for the case to be reopened. King’s widow, Coretta, believed the Mafia and local, state and federal government agencies were deeply involved in the murder. She praised the result of a 1999 civil trial in which a Memphis jury decided the assassination was the result of a conspiracy and that Ray was set up to take the blame. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation released in 2000 reported no evidence of a conspiracy.

https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-martin-luther-king-jr