AMBASSADOR

Ambassador's Speeches

Martin Luther King's Day 2007

Honorable Ministers and Ambassadors

Honored guests,

We are gathered here this evening to remember and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We celebrate him as an ordinary American who did extraordinary things.  We remember him as a powerful speaker, a civil rights activist, and a leader who changed -- for the better -- American society.  He was as well a husband, a father, and a man of God.  

Dr. King lived in a very different world from the America of today.  The law declared that Americans of different races should be “separate but equal” – so white Americans and black Americas attended different schools and churches, received treatment in different hospitals, and rode in different parts of the bus.  Dr. King recognized that this policy of segregation amounted to discrimination and made people’s lives inherently unequal.  He resolved to fight against this injustice in a non-violent way, and work for the freedom of all peoples.

I believe there are three aspects of Dr. King’s life that make him so worthy of remembrance.

Americans remember Dr. King because of his ideals.  He was a man who believed deeply in the principles that make America great: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens.  He believed deeply in justice, equality, and freedom.  In every speech he gave, in each peaceful protest he organized, in each letter he wrote, and in each march he led, he repeatedly stressed that these were the values by which America should live.  Most importantly, Dr. King eschewed revenge in the pursuit of a better, more just society.  He warned white Americans against hatred, and black Americans against vengeance.  He spoke about the importance of all peoples living together in harmony and made himself a living example.  His idealism, courage, and determination made him a role model for all citizens.

All Americans know Dr. King because of his contributions to the civil rights movement.  His career as a civil rights activist with the bus boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama, where he successfully led a year-long bus boycott to protest segregation in the city buses.  He organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which gave him a base to pursue further civil-rights activities, first in the South and later nationwide.  His philosophy of nonviolent resistance led to his arrest on numerous occasions in the 1950s and 1960s.  While imprisoned, he wrote the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”.  In this letter, he advocated civil disobedience as a way to protest unjust laws.  In 1963, he led the “March on Washington,” in which 200,000 people manifestaient in the capital city.  It was then that Dr. King delivered the speech that would be read, heard and seen by people around the world – his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. 

Dr. King was recognized for his work in 1964 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  He was the youngest man ever to win it.  He did not measure his work in prizes, however; what he sought was a freer, more just society.  His work helped bring about some important legislation.  One law was the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which banned literacy tests and poll taxes, and ensured that African-Americans could no longer legally be prohibited from exercising their right to vote.  Another significant piece of legislation was the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.  This meant that all citizens had the right to live wherever they chose.

Americans also recognize Dr. King’s enduring legacy.  Since the civil rights movement, other groups facing discrimination in America have taken inspiration from Dr. King’s ideals, life, and writings, and have successfully used them to improve the lives of other disadvantaged groups.  American women, ethnic minorities, people living with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS, and other groups have used King’s methods –powerful rhetoric and nonviolent protest – to enact legislation to protect their rights and make American society a more just and open one.. 

Thus we are here today to celebrate the life of a man who dedicated his short time on earth to fight the good fight and bring about a better life for all Americans.  He believed in the power of ideas and took risks to help turn those ideas into reality.  Other Americans continue to emulate him in their own work for social justice.  The dream of Dr. King lives on.