PRINTER'S NO. 185
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
19
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY GAINEY, HENNESSEY, HILL-EVANS, SCHLOSSBERG,
ISAACSON, HOHENSTEIN, GUENST, PICKETT, SANCHEZ, KINSEY,
SAMUELSON, PISCIOTTANO, McNEILL, FREEMAN, BURGOS, LONGIETTI,
CONKLIN, NEILSON, BURNS, A. DAVIS, MENTZER, KIRKLAND,
DRISCOLL, PASHINSKI, O'MARA, WEBSTER, JOZWIAK, CIRESI,
SCHWEYER, McCLINTON, WARREN AND SAINATO, JANUARY 22, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 22, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
recognizing the week of January 18 through 24, 2021, as
"Martin Luther King, Jr., Week of Remembrance" in
Pennsylvania.
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, Dr. King 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.
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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, Dr. King 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, DC, 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 House of Representatives honor the life
and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and recognize the
week of January 18 through 24, 2021, as "Martin Luther King,
Jr., Week of Remembrance" in Pennsylvania; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge all
Pennsylvanians to be mindful of the spirit and work of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and remember his commitment to peaceful
protest and his dedication to equality and equal protection for
all mankind on the designated week of his remembrance, January
18 through 24, 2021, and throughout the year.
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