Martin Luther King Jr Day

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929, was ordained minister at the age of 19, and rose to national prominence as a leader of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King, in true Jeffersonian fashion, embraced the vision of an America where, "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal…", and a nation whose citizens judge one another "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character"; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King’s leadership, will, and compassion at civil rights protests throughout our nation inspired millions to believe in his dream for an America in which all her countrymen are treated equally and justly; and

WHEREAS, Dr. King was a peaceful and loving man, preaching nonviolence to his followers, both black and white, as they rallied around him time after time, peacefully assembled in "a beautiful symphony of brotherhood" representative of his dream which we continue to strive for in our homes, our communities, and in our great Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, people everywhere continue to look to Dr. King’s example as a model in human relations, and his role in the struggle for civil human rights has persisted since his assassination in 1968 and will continue until his vision of universal freedom, equality, and justice is finally realized;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, James S. Gilmore, III, do hereby recognize January 15, 2001 as MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens