84R5721 EEY-D
 
  By: Giddings H.R. No. 133
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, January 15, 2015, marks the 86th anniversary of the
  birth of the great civil rights leader and humanitarian Dr. Martin
  Luther King Jr.; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. King joined the NAACP at an early age, and by
  1954 he held a seat on the organization's executive committee; he
  rose to national prominence in 1955-1956, when he served as a
  spiritual and moral leader of the historic bus boycott in
  Montgomery, Alabama; a watershed event, the boycott led to the
  banning of segregation in local and interstate travel in the United
  States and simultaneously helped to launch the civil rights
  movement; and
         WHEREAS, In 1957, Dr. King and a number of other ministers
  founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; a leading
  civil rights organization, the SCLC coordinated mass protest
  campaigns and voter registration drives across the South; and
         WHEREAS, Dr. King served as president of the SCLC from its
  inception until his death on April 4, 1968; during those tumultuous
  years, he wrote five books and numerous articles, traveled more
  than six million miles, and spoke at over 2,500 events; frequently
  jailed for peaceful protest, he endured numerous personal threats
  and attacks over the course of his career; and
         WHEREAS, In recognition of his immeasurable influence and
  moral stature, Time magazine named Dr. King its Man of the Year in
  1963, and in 1964, at the age of 35, he was awarded the Nobel Prize
  for Peace; he donated the money that accompanied the prize, more
  than $54,000, to further the civil rights movement; and
         WHEREAS, The birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., often
  called "Martin Luther King Day," became a federal holiday when
  President Ronald Reagan signed historic legislation in 1983, and
  the holiday was formally observed for the first time on January 20,
  1986; and
         WHEREAS, Through his courageous, unflinching pursuit of
  social and economic justice, Dr. King helped to shatter a deeply
  entrenched system of second-class citizenship and bring to further
  fruition, here in this country and across the globe, the liberating
  ideals of freedom, equality, and human dignity; now, therefore, be
  it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas
  Legislature hereby honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and
  call on all Texans to join in carrying forward his dream of a more
  just, tolerant, and inclusive society.