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[Page S241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE'S FIRST MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
CELEBRATION
Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise today in observance of the 20th
anniversary of New Hampshire's first Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After
legislation was enacted the previous summer, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
in the year 2000 was the culmination of a years-long struggle to add
Dr. King's name to the State's official Civil Rights Day holiday. I ask
my colleagues and all Americans to join me in celebrating this
recognition of such an influential figure and saluting the men and
women who prompted this important and permanent change.
This anniversary is personal for me. I fought alongside so many when
I served in the New Hampshire State Senate for an appropriate way to
honor Dr. King, the preeminent leader of the civil rights movement.
Years later, as Governor, I was proud to sign the bill into law that
ended New Hampshire's status as the only State not to recognize his
birthday as an official holiday. There were setbacks leading up to that
triumphant June day, including many failed votes in the State
legislature; yet with a sense of resilience typical of the movement
that Dr. King inspired, we persevered and kicked off the new millennium
in the Granite State by celebrating our first Martin Luther King Jr.
Day on January 17, 2000.
It was an exciting time that reflected the positive change that many
of us had seen in our lifetimes. As a child growing up in southern
Missouri and attending segregated schools, I saw the daily injustices
of life under Jim Crow segregation. We have made great strides since
then in the march toward full equality, and these advancements are the
product of Dr. King's leadership and the peaceful, nonviolent protest
movements that he championed.
Whether writing from inside a jail cell or speaking from the steps of
the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King delivered a stirring message with hope
that Americans could come together and fully realize one of our
country's founding principles, that all are created equal. He pledged
himself and inspired others to work toward a more perfect union and
embrace a belief in freedom and opportunity for all. He held a faith
that engaged citizens--from the thousands who stood with him on the
National Mall in 1963 to the many who worked tirelessly years later to
establish a holiday in his name--are the most powerful promoters of
positive social and economic change.
One of those engaged citizens was Rev. Dr. Arthur Hilson of New Hope
Baptist Church in Portsmouth, NH. A beacon of wisdom and grace,
Reverend Hilson was instrumental in garnering the public support to
establish Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He understood that the people we
choose to revere can send a powerful message to future generations and
that the lifework and message of Dr. King must be a part of the
heritage we leave to our children. We lost Reverend Hilson last year,
but we still hold on to cherished memories of a man who, when asked how
he was doing, would always answer, ``Too blessed to complain.'' We are
all blessed to have known such a loving neighbor, determined activist
and living embodiment of Dr. King's teachings.
On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I ask my colleagues and all
Americans to join in celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and in
recognizing Reverend Hilson who was so dedicated to building Dr. King's
``Beloved Community'' of justice, equality and love for all.
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