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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, January 15, 2017, marks the 88th anniversary of the |
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birth of the great civil rights leader and humanitarian Dr. Martin |
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Luther King Jr.; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. King joined the NAACP at an early age, and by |
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1954 he held a seat on the organization's executive committee; he |
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rose to national prominence in 1955-1956, when he served as a |
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spiritual and moral leader of the historic bus boycott in |
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Montgomery, Alabama; a watershed event, the boycott led to the |
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banning of segregation in local and interstate travel in the United |
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States and simultaneously helped to launch the civil rights |
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movement; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1957, Dr. King and a number of other ministers |
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founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; an |
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influential civil rights organization, the SCLC coordinated mass |
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protest campaigns and voter registration drives across the South; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. King served as president of the SCLC from its |
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inception until his death on April 4, 1968; during those tumultuous |
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years, he wrote five books and numerous articles, traveled more |
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than six million miles, and spoke at over 2,500 events; frequently |
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jailed for peaceful protest, he endured numerous personal threats |
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and attacks over the course of his career; and |
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WHEREAS, In recognition of his immeasurable influence and |
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moral stature, Time magazine named Dr. King its Man of the Year in |
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1963, and in 1964, at the age of 35, he was awarded the Nobel Prize |
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for Peace; he donated the money that accompanied the prize, more |
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than $54,000, to further the civil rights movement; and |
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WHEREAS, The birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became a |
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federal holiday when President Ronald Reagan signed historic |
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legislation in 1983, and the holiday was formally observed for the |
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first time on January 20, 1986; and |
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WHEREAS, Through his courageous, unflinching pursuit of |
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social and economic justice, Dr. King helped to shatter a deeply |
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entrenched system of second-class citizenship and highlight, here |
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in this country and across the globe, the liberating ideals of |
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freedom, equality, and human dignity; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and |
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call on all Texans to join in carrying forward his dream of a more |
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just, tolerant, and inclusive society. |