Statement of U.S. Rep. Kendrick B. Meek Honoring the Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Kendrick B. Meek issued the following statement honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:

“Today on the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, I join millions of Floridians in remembering the memory and honoring the legacy of an American hero who was a man of faith. 

“In Liberty City, we drive on and walk along Martin Luther King Boulevard, a thoroughfare that forces everyone to remember daily the work of a man who struggled for the common good.  Sixty Second Street is perhaps what Dr. King would have preferred calling it, but for the rest of us, this road will always be paved with greatness and known as Martin Luther King Boulevard.        

“Whereas Dr. King arrived at the mountaintop we as a society are still climbing to the summit.  The physical scars of 1968 still dot Liberty City's landscape and the cities of our urban communities nationwide and the emotional scars of 1968 remain too. 

“Today we will see once again the photos of Dr. King at Memphis' Loraine Motel surrounded by his lieutenants pointing in unison and stricken with grief.  And the question, 'what could have been had Dr. King lived' will be repeated over and over again. 

“To that unanswerable question, I can offer only one thought.  The struggle for equality and liberty was waged prior Dr. King's birth, it was waged during his lifetime and it is being waged after his tragic passing.  Yet because of Dr. King, we have a powerful compass to guide us in our struggle of good over evil. 

“Today we renew our pursuits of social justice through acts of community betterment and work to lift up our friends and neighbors; sons and daughters; and children and parents so that we all may take part in the charge for goodness Dr. King left for us to fulfill.”

U.S. Rep. Kendrick B. Meek represents the 17th Congressional District of Florida which includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. He serves as the lone Floridian sitting on the House Committee on Ways and Means and also serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

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