PRINTER'S NO. 5
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
5
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY KITCHEN, JANUARY 6, 2015
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, JANUARY 6, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Designating the week of January 19 through 25, 2015, as "Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Week" 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 graduating 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 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
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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, DC, in 1963
culminated in a great rally at the Lincoln Memorial where 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 19
through 25, 2015, as "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Week"
in Pennsylvania; 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
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remembrance and throughout the year.
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