Congressman Cohen Honors the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Floor of the House
Congressman Cohen called Dr. King “a great American and an individual who changed this country for the better and whose life is a testament to fortitude, courage, faith and a desire to make America better.”
In his nearly 20-minute speech, Congressman Cohen invoked the words of Dr. King and talked about his lasting influence on Tennessee's 9th Congressional District. “No assassin’s bullet could stop what Martin Luther King had begun,” he said. “Today as we celebrate a birth which has changed us and which continues to challenge us, let us remember his dream.”
“In my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, his words will be played constantly over the weekend and through Monday as we remember how he challenged us, how he inspired us,” explained Congressman Cohen. “Radio station WLOK will be having a tribute . . . and there will be a basketball game that will celebrate the civil rights victories of this country . . . and I commend David Stern and the NBA for having that game in Memphis on Dr. King’s birthday.”
Congressman Cohen continued, "(Dr. King) also said, ‘Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies or else? The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.’ Mr. Speaker, I reflect on this when I think about what we’re doing in the Middle East. Hate begets hate; wars produce more wars, and we are in an abyss.”
Congressman Cohen also spoke about Dr. King's continuing influence on our national dialogue, reflecting on the current Presidential campaign. “I have no doubt that Dr. King would be proud of all the candidates in the Democratic column who are running for this office and know that they are children of Dr. King’s dream,” he said. “To see an African-American gentleman have a legitimate chance to be the President of the United States and to see a woman have that same opportunity is what Dr. King talked about. And they should be judged not by the color of their skin or their gender, but by the content of their character.”
In 1962, Dr. King was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying, “It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me and I think that’s pretty important.” Congressman Cohen quoted his words and added, “That is important. (We) passed a condemnation of the lynching that took place in this country in the 20th Century, and this House hopefully will pass another proposition that says that we apologize for having been part of a nation that allowed for slavery to occur, and had laws that permitted it, and for Jim Crow laws that saddled this country with injustice for 100 years thereafter.” Congressman Cohen was referring to H. Res. 194, the resolution he is sponsoring to apologize for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans through so-called Jim Crow laws. The bill has garnered 120 cosponsors and is awaiting action in the House Judiciary Committee.
Congressman Cohen’s speech is available to view in its entirety on his Congressional website: https://cohen.house.gov.
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