“Mr. Speaker, today marks the 46th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King being gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee”, said Rep. Cohen. Pictured here: Picture seconds after the fatal shot.
On April 4, 2014 Rep. Cohen asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives regarding the Rev. Martin Luther King:
“Mr. Speaker, today marks the 46th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King being gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee.
Dr. King is well-known for his speech, “I Have a Dream,” about civil rights and social justice. When he died, he was fighting for economic justice. He was fighting for the right to organize and for better wages for human beings and to attack poverty.
Unfortunately, in this House, too often we hear about opposition to jobs bills, opposition to the minimum wage, opposition to health care for individuals who cannot afford it.
We even see the voting rights bill being struck down by the Supreme Court and the difficulty of getting a new one in this House, and we see people in the other Chamber who even question the need for the civil rights bill.
Dr. King’s dream is still just that, a dream. Many of us share that dream. One day, all of us will wake up and see reality, that the dream must be fulfilled. I hope that day comes soon.
In Memphis, it is a holiday for Dr. King. It should be a holiday for everyone, and we remember a great man and his great works”, said Rep. Cohen (source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov/).