LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION remembering the 44th Anniversary of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.'s death, April 4, 2012

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to remember the 44th
Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, April 4, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was an African-American clergy-
man, humanitarian, activist, author, orator and prominent leader in the
African-American Civil Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil and
human rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent
methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi; and
WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in
Atlanta, Georgia, the middle child of the Reverend Martin Luther King,
Sr. and Alberta Williams King; and
WHEREAS, Dr. King attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he
skipped both the ninth and the twelfth grade and entered Morehouse
College at the age of 15; and
WHEREAS, In 1948, he graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor
of Arts degree in sociology, and graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity
degree in 1951 from Crozer Theological Seminary; he then began doctoral
studies in systematic theology at Boston University and received his
Doctor of Philosophy on June 5, 1955; and
WHEREAS, In 1955, Dr. King led the Montgomery Bus Boycott movement and
in 1963 led the March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a
Dream" speech; there, he charged America to expand its values to include
the vision of a color blind society; and
WHEREAS, In 1964, Dr. King became the youngest person to receive the
Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial
discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means; he
also began refocusing his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the
Vietnam War; and
WHEREAS, Dr. King was involved in planning the summer 1968 Poor People
Campaign to take place in Washington, D.C; he had vowed to remain in
Washington, D.C. until the government addressed the increasing needs of
the poor people of the United States; and
WHEREAS, On March 29, 1968, Dr. King went to Memphis, Tennessee, in
support of the black sanitation public works employees, who had been on
strike since March 12th for higher wages and better treatment; in one
incident, black street repairmen received pay for two hours when they
were sent home because of bad weather, but white employees were paid for
the full day; and
WHEREAS, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine
Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, Upon the occasion of the remembrance of the 44th Anniversary
of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it is the intent of this
Legislative Body to commemorate the heroic efforts of Dr. King, who
loved and served humanity, and who was an advocate for peace, justice
and righteousness; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
remember the 44th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death,
April 4, 2012; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.