Political Quotes

“I also ask myself how would Martin Luther King like to have this day observed. I had the privilege of knowing him slightly. In fact, I met Martin Luther King the same day I met Harris Wofford, now the Senator from Pennsylvania. I was in my second term as a State legislator in Illinois taking stands that southern Illinois legislators were not accustomed to taking and Martin Luther King asked me to come down and speak at the anniversary of the bus boycott. When I got down to Montgomery, I met this young fellow, Harris Wofford, who was also interested in the civil rights struggle. I remember meeting Martin Luther King. We arranged to meet at the St. Louis airport. We flew down to Atlanta together and then over to Montgomery. And when we got to Atlanta, we walked off the plane. There were these signs: White, colored. And I felt dirty. It was so offensive. We have moved away from that. We have not moved as far as we need to move, but we have moved away. But I do not think Martin Luther King would want an occasion where we would just all stand up and praise Martin Luther King. What we have to do is reach out to one another. I would love to see maybe the Sunday before Martin Luther King's birthday that all Americans have churches, synagogues, mosques and temples and civic organizations and political leaders urging people to reach out to one another. How many white families in this Nation have never had an African-American family over for dinner?”