Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy On Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on Dr. King's enduring legacy of justice, equality, and hope. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Today we remember that the march of justice may sometimes feel slow and halting, but if we persist and persist and persist, then one day we too shall reach the Promised Land.

I'd like to say that Dr. King hoisted a giant mirror on his shoulders. With his brilliance, his eloquence, and his faith, he forced America to look into the mirror. America didn't like what it saw, and that began us on a real road - a real path - to greater equality. And we still have a long way to go.

But, Dr. King was an amazing man. And it's fitting his holiday is the only holiday on the calendar named for just one person. We have Mother's Day for the mothers, Father's Day for the fathers, President's Day for the presidents, Veterans Day for the veterans, but only one holiday for one man, and that's because Dr. King was so unique and so amazing.

Now, the work of justice, we all know and Dr. King taught us, does not happen overnight. Sometimes progress rushes forth as a mighty stream. Other times it may feel as if progress flows in reverse, and moves backwards.

Either way, Dr. King's hopeful message is the same: no matter the odds, we shall overcome.

###