Elijah Lewis: “Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, took a historic trip to…”

“Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, took a historic trip to India to travel and study the path of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King was deeply influenced by the teachings of Gandhi and what he attempted to do in South Africa and what he did to liberate and free the people of India from the colonial rule of the British. It was on Gandhi's preaching of the philosophy and the discipline of nonviolence that Dr. King patterned the nonviolent struggle in America to tear down the walls of segregation and racial discrimination. The great teacher gave us the philosophy of nonviolence, and Gandhi gave us the message and showed us the way. So it is fitting for the United States Congress to pause and recognize the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s trip to India and the impact that trip had on our Nation's struggle for civil rights and voting rights. In a few days, Mr. Speaker, a group of Members of Congress will travel to India to walk the path that Dr. King walked. I am hopeful that we will have the opportunity to be inspired by this one man to carry the message of peace, hope and love to the rest of the world.”