Home > News > Pelosi: ‘As Our Nation Celebrates Martin Luther King Day, We Remember His Vision for an America of Opportunity and Equality’
Pelosi: ‘As Our Nation Celebrates Martin Luther King Day, We Remember His Vision for an America of Opportunity and Equality’
Friday, January 13, 2006
Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616
Washington, D.C – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in recognition of Martin Luther King Day, which is celebrated on Monday, January 16th:
“As our nation celebrates Martin Luther King Day, we remember his vision for an America of opportunity and equality. We also know that his work was left incomplete, as his life was tragically cut short. So on this day and every day, it is not enough simply to remember his ideals and his many accomplishments. We must adopt them and continue them. We must make them our own.
“Behind the strength of his resolve and the unwavering commitment to justice, Dr. King was a driving force behind the enactment of one of the most crucial civil rights laws ever enacted, the Voting Rights Act. As Congress prepares to reauthorize this landmark legislation this year, we are reminded of the challenges that remain to remove the barriers to participation. Because every vote counts, every vote must be counted.
“Dr. King believed that the government had a fundamental responsibility to meet the needs of its people. He had the vision of an America with true equal economic opportunity. In his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, Dr. King spoke of the ‘fierce urgency of now.’ He said, ‘This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.’ Those words were true in 1963, and they are true today.
“So at this moment, and in Reverend Martin Luther King’s name, let us recommit to casting wide the net of justice, and ensuring opportunity for all Americans. We all must help America fulfill Dr. King’s dream.”
