THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY A. WILLIAMS, KITCHEN, WASHINGTON, BRUBAKER, TARTAGLIONE, DINNIMAN, ORIE, FONTANA, FERLO, STOUT, RAFFERTY, ALLOWAY, MUSTO, KASUNIC, HUGHES, FARNESE, TOMLINSON, BOSCOLA, COSTA, LEACH, LOGAN, MELLOW, O'PAKE, STACK, WOZNIAK AND VOGEL, JANUARY 6, 2009

INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, JANUARY 6, 2009  

A RESOLUTION

Designating the week of January 11 through 17, 2009, as "Martin

Luther King, Jr., Holiday Week."

WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929,

in Atlanta, Georgia, followed in his father's and grandfather's

footsteps by becoming a Baptist minister after graduation from

Morehouse College in 1948 and Crozer Theological Seminary in

1951; and

WHEREAS, He received his doctorate from Boston University in

1955; and

WHEREAS, In 1954, as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist

Church in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. King organized a citywide

boycott of the city's segregated busing system which led to a

United States Supreme Court decision forcing desegregation of

the buses; and

WHEREAS, Throughout this and later civil rights protests, Dr.

King espoused the philosophy of nonviolent passive resistance

and civil disobedience; and

WHEREAS, In 1957, Dr. King moved back to Atlanta to join his

father as associate pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and

organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight

segregation and discrimination throughout the South; and

WHEREAS, During the following years, he was frequently

arrested, beaten, jailed and threatened with violence as a

result of his protest activities; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King led a massive voter registration drive in

Selma, Alabama, resulting in the famous freedom march to

Montgomery, the state capital; and

WHEREAS, His famous march on Washington, D.C., in 1963

culminated in a great rally at the Lincoln Memorial at which he

gave his immortal "I have a dream" speech; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King's efforts resulted in enactment of the

Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964; and

WHEREAS, His personal sacrifices and determined leadership of

the civil rights movement in the United States were formally

recognized in 1964 when he received the Nobel Peace Prize; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 while in Memphis,

Tennessee, to organize a "poor people's campaign"; and

WHEREAS, The third Monday of January has been designated as a

national holiday in order to give all Americans an opportunity

to reflect upon the profound impact Dr. King has had on life in

the United States; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the week of January 11

through 17, 2009, as "Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Week";

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Senate urge all Pennsylvanians to be

mindful of the spirit and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

and to remember his commitment to peace and his dedication to

equality for all human beings on the designated week of his

remembrance, January 11 through 17, 2009, and throughout the

year.