PRINTER'S NO. 2958
No. 372 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY G. WRIGHT, THOMAS, ALLEN, BARD, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, MANDERINO, MANN, MARKOSEK, McCALL, McILHATTAN, McNAUGHTON, BELFANTI, BROWNE, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CLARK, CLYMER, L. I. COHEN, COLAFELLA, COLEMAN, CORRIGAN, COSTA, COY, CREIGHTON, CURRY, DeLUCA, DERMODY, DiGIROLAMO, DIVEN, DONATUCCI, D. EVANS, J. EVANS, FICHTER, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GABIG, GEIST, GEORGE, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HASAY, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HORSEY, JAMES, JOSEPHS, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, LESCOVITZ, LEVDANSKY, MAHER, MELIO, PALLONE, PISTELLA, ROBINSON, ROSS, SAMUELSON, SATHER, SCHRODER, SHANER, STABACK, STERN, SURRA, TIGUE, TRICH, WANSACZ, YOUNGBLOOD, MUNDY, PETRARCA, READSHAW, ROEBUCK, RUBLEY, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SCRIMENTI, B. SMITH, STEELMAN, STURLA, E. Z. TAYLOR, TRELLO, WALKO, WASHINGTON, WATSON, WILT, M. WRIGHT, WATERS, J. WILLIAMS AND WOJNAROSKI, DECEMBER 3, 2001
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, DECEMBER 3, 2001
A RESOLUTION 1 Designating the week of January 14 through 21, 2002, as "Martin 2 Luther King, Jr., Holiday Week" in Pennsylvania. 3 WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr., born on January 15, 1929, 4 in Atlanta, Georgia, followed in his father's and grandfather's 5 footsteps by becoming a Baptist minister after graduation from 6 Morehouse College in 1948 and Crozer Theological Seminary in 7 1951; and 8 WHEREAS, He received his doctorate from Boston University in 9 1955; and 10 WHEREAS, In 1954, as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist 11 Church in Montgomery, Alabama, Dr. King organized a citywide
1 boycott of the city's segregated busing system which led to a 2 United States Supreme Court decision forcing desegregation of 3 the buses; and 4 WHEREAS, Throughout this and later civil rights protests, Dr. 5 King espoused the philosophy of nonviolent passive resistance 6 and civil disobedience; and 7 WHEREAS, In 1957, Dr. King moved back to Atlanta to join his 8 father as associate pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church and 9 organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to fight 10 segregation and discrimination throughout the south; and 11 WHEREAS, During the following years, he was frequently 12 arrested, beaten, jailed and threatened with violence as a 13 result of his protest activities; and 14 WHEREAS, Dr. King led a massive voter registration drive in 15 Selma, Alabama, resulting in the famous freedom march to 16 Montgomery, the state capital; and 17 WHEREAS, His famous march on Washington, D.C., in 1963 18 culminated in a great rally at the Lincoln Memorial at which he 19 gave his immortal "I have a dream" speech; and 20 WHEREAS, Dr. King's efforts resulted in enactment of the 21 Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964; and 22 WHEREAS, His personal sacrifices and determined leadership of 23 the civil rights movement in the United States were formally 24 recognized in 1964 when he received the Nobel Peace Prize; and 25 WHEREAS, Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 while in Memphis, 26 Tennessee, to organize a "poor people's campaign"; and 27 WHEREAS, The third Monday of January has been designated as a 28 national holiday in order to give all Americans an opportunity 29 to reflect upon the profound impact Dr. King has had on life in 30 the United States; therefore be it 20010H0372R2958 - 2 -
1 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge all 2 Pennsylvanians to be mindful of the spirit and work of Dr. 3 Martin Luther King, Jr., and to remember his commitment to peace 4 and his dedication to equality for all human beings on the 5 designated week of his remembrance, January 14 through 21, 2002, 6 and throughout the year. J4L82MJP/20010H0372R2958 - 3 -