On 46th Anniversary of His Assassination, Cohen Commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On House Floor
[WASHINGTON, DC] – On the 46th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) commemorated the life and work of the late Reverend on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. Video of the Congressman’s remarks is available here.
“Today marks the 46th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King being gunned down in Memphis,” said Congressman Cohen. “This day when we remember the great man and his great works is a holiday in Memphis, but it should be a holiday for everyone. Dr. King is well known for his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech about civil rights and social justice but when he died, he was fighting for economic justice. He was fighting for the right to organize and for better wages to reduce poverty.”
The Congressman continued: “Unfortunately in the House of Representatives we too often hear opposition to jobs bills, to the minimum wage, and to health care for individuals who cannot afford it. We have seen difficulty in strengthening provisions of the Voting Rights Act which were struck down by the Supreme Court last year, and we have even seen some in the Senate question the need for the Civil Rights Act. Sadly, Dr. King's dream is still just that: a dream. But many of us share that dream, and one day all of America will wake up and see the reality that the dream must be fulfilled. I hope that day comes soon.”
Tomorrow morning, Congressman Cohen will also speak at “Breaking the Chains,” the official reopening ceremony of the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM) at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. King was shot in 1968. The Museum is reopening after a $28 million renovation that was described by the New York Times as “setting a standard for museums exploring civil rights.”