Ed Markey: “Madam Speaker I rise in strong support of House Resolution 61, a resolution which honors the great Dr. Martin Luther…”

“Madam Speaker I rise in strong support of House Resolution 61, a resolution which honors the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for his outstanding contributions to our country in the past and the continuing impact of his life and legacy. Born on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr., was destined to follow in his grandfather's and father's footsteps as a Baptist minister, but no one could have known he would play such an important role in this history of our Nation. After graduating from high school at the age of 15, Martin Luther King, Jr., attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA., just as his grandfather and father had done before. He became a pastor in Ebenezer Baptist Church, and quickly rose to become the leader of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, inspiring first the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, and subsequently a nationwide battle to bring an end to racial discrimination in our Nation's laws and public accommodations, and to ensure full voting rights for African Americans.”