82R5174 JNC-D
By: Giddings H.R. No. 117
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, January 15, 2011, marks the 82nd 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 82nd 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.