Cohen Statement in Recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:

“When Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. more than 5 decades ago, he preached to the nation of the ‘fierce urgency of now.’ He reminded America of the pressing need to address injustice, inequality, and unfairness without delay. While great strides have been made over the last 50 years, there is still much work to be done. There is a real bipartisan opportunity in Congress this year for progress on criminal justice reform, and we cannot afford to let it pass. Our prison population has grown exponentially over the past several decades, and many of those incarcerated are racial and ethnic minorities who have been unfairly imprisoned for long sentences for non-violent, low-level offenses. For African American males in their thirties, 1 in 10 is in prison or jail on any given day. This is unconscionable. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day reminds us that we cannot cease or slow our work towards a more fair and just criminal justice system. I hope my colleagues in Congress will work together in the coming months to put meaningful reform on President Obama’s desk.”