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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1995)
J anuary 11, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver P a g e C 18 King Holiday Begins 6 6 There comes a time when a moral man can’t obey a law which his conscience tells him is unjust. And the important thing is that when he does that, he willingly accepts the penalty-because if he refuses to accept the penalty, then he becomes reckless, and he becomes an anarchist. There were those individuals in every age and generation who were willing to say, ‘I will be obedient to a higher law.’ It is important to see there are times when a man made law is out of harmony with the moral law of the universe. 99 President Reagan's 1986 Proclamation T h is y e a r m ark s th e first o b se rv a n e e o f the birthday o f Dr. M artin L u th e r K ing, Jr. as a n atio n al h o lid ay . It i s a tu n e for re jo ic in g and re fle e tin g . W e rejo iee becau se, in his sh o rt life. D r. K ing, by his p re a c h in g , his e x a m p le , an d his le ad ersh ip , help ed to m ove us c lo se r to the ideals o n w h ich A m e ric a w as fo u n d e d . W e re fle c t on h i s w o rd s and his w orks. D r. K in g ’s w as truly a p ro p h e tic voice that re a c h e d out o v e r th e c h a sm s o f h o stility , p re ju d ic e , ig n o ra n c e , and fe a r to to u ch the c o n sc ie n c e o f A m e ric a . H e c h a lle n g e d us to m ak e real the p ro m ise o f A m e ric a a s a land o f freed o m , e q u a lity , o p p o rtu n ity , an d b ro th e rh o o d . Although I Yi King was an uncompromising champion on nonviolence, he was often the victim o f violence. And, as we know, a shameful act o f violence cut short his life before he had reached his fortieth birthday. His story is well-known. A s a 26-year-old minister of the Gospel. Dr. King led a protest boycott o f a bus - Martin Luther King Jr. company that segregated blacks, treating them as second-class citizens. At the very outset he admonished all those w ho w ould join in the protest th at‘ our actions must be guided by the deepest principles of our Christian faith. Love must be our regulating ideal . " Otherwise, he warned, "our protest will end up as a meaningless drama on the stage o f history ...shrouded w ith ugly garments o f shame." Dr. K ing’s unshakable faith inspired others to resist the 6 6 We are prone to judge success by the index o f o u r salaries or the size of our au- to m o b ile s , rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to hum anity.9 9 temptation to hate and fear. His protest became a triumph o f courage and love. A lm o st 3 0 y e a rs ag o , on Jan . 30, 1956, Dr. K ing stood am id the bro k en g lass an d sp lin te rs o f his b o m b e d -o u t fro n t p o rc h an d c a lm e d an an g ry c ro w d c la m o rin g for ven g ean ce. “W e c a n n o t solve this p ro b le m th ro u g h reta lia to ry v io le n c e ," he told them . D r. K ing stead fastly o p p o sed both the tim id and th o se w h o c o u n se lle d v io len ce. T o the fo rm e r, he p re a c h e d that "tru e peace is not m erely the a b se n c e o f te n sio n ; it is the p re se n c e o f ju stic e : T o the latter, he sa itfth a t “ in the p ro cess o f g a in in g o u r rig h tfu l p la c e w e m u st not be g u ilty o f w ro n g fu l d eeds. D r. K in g ’s a c tiv ism w as ro o te d in the tru e p a trio tism that c h e rish e s A m e ric a ’s ideals an d strives to n a rro w th e g ap b e tw e e n th o se id eals and reality. H e to o k his stan d , he once e x p la in e d , “b e c a u se o f m y love fo r A m e ric a a n d the su b lim e p rin c ip le s o f liberty and eq u ality on w hich she is fo u n d e d .” H e w a n te d “to tra n sfo rm the ja n g lin g d isc o rd s o f o u r N ation in to a b e a u tifu l sy m p h o n y o f b ro th e rh o o d .” T h e m a je sty o f his m e ssa g e , the d ig n ity o f his b earin g and the rig h te o u sn e ss o f his c a u se are a la stin g leg acy . In a few sh o rt y e a rs he c h a n g e d A m e ric a fo r all tim e. H e m ade it p o ssib le fo r o u r N atio n to m o v e c lo se r to th e id e a ls set forth in o u r D e c la ra tio n o f In d e p e n d e n c e; th at all p e o p le are c re a te d eq u a l an d are e n d o w e d w ith in a lie n a b le rig h ts that g o v e rn m e n t has the duty to re sp e c t an d p ro tect. T w e n ty -th re e y ears ag o . D r. K ing spoke to a q u a rte r o f a m illio n A m e ric a n s g a th e re d n e a r the L in co ln M e m o ria l in W a sh in g to n -a n d to tens o f m illio n s m ore w a tc h in g on te le v isio n . T h ere he held u p his d re a m fo r A m e ric a lik e a b rig h t banner: “ I h av e a d re a m ,” he said , “th at m y fo u r little c h ild re n w ill one day live in a N a tio n w h e re they w ill n o t be ju d g e d by the c o lo r o f th e ir sk in , but by th e c o n te n t o f th e ir c h a ra c te r...T h is w ill be the day w h en all o f G o d ’s c h ild re n w ill be able to sing w ith new m ean in g , “ M y co u n try ’t i s o f th ee, sw eet land o f lib erty , o f th e e I sin g .” Let all Americans continue to cany forward the banner that 18 years ago fell from Dr. King’s hands. Today, all over America, libranes, hospitals, parks, and thoroughfares proudly bear his name. His likeness appears on ore than 100 postage stamps issued by dozens o f nations around the globe. Today we honor him with speeches and monuments. But let us do more. Let all Amencans of every race and creed and color w ork together to build in this blessed land a shining city of brotherhood, justice and harmony. This is the monument Dr. King would have wanted most of all. Bv Public Law 980144. the thud Monday in January of each year has been designated as a public holiday in honor o f the “Birthday o f M artin Luther King, Jr.” N o w , T h e re fo re , I, R o n a ld R eag an , P re sid e n t o f the U n ited S tates o f A m e ric a , d o h ereb y p ro c la im M o n d a y , Jan . 20, 1986, as M a rtin L u th e r K ing, Jr. D ay. In Witness W hereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day o f January, in the yearof our Lord nineteen - Martin Luther King Jr. The Montgomery bus boycott succeeded because black women who depended on the buses for transportation refused to ride until they were granted fair seating. For more than a year, they took taxis, carpooled, walked and hitchhiked. 6 ‘ We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Now is the time to life our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity.9 9 hundred and eighty-six. and of the Independence o f the United States of A merica the two hundred and tenth. R o n a ld R e a g a n , p re sid e n t o f the U n ite d S tates. - Martin Luther King Jr. o PLEASE UM IT YOUR SHOWERS TO 2 MINUTES. WE DO NOT HAVEAGAS WATER HEATER. C ut and place on show erhead. O r call 1-800 W A R M - 123 to find out how you can have the cost o f installing a high- efficiency. always- hot-when-you-need-it natural gas water heater added to your monthly gas bill. (M ost installations can happen the same day.) 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