John Sarbanes: “I want to amend one thing that the distinguished Senator from Virginia said. I think he referred to his role here as a…”

“I want to amend one thing that the distinguished Senator from Virginia said. I think he referred to his role here as a ``modest role.'' But he really was very pivotal in helping us to get this legislation enacted last night. The Secretary of the Interior determined that the Martin Luther King statue, which is going to be placed in the District of Columbia in memory of Martin Luther King, would be put in the prime area, which is the Mall and the surrounding areas. That determination needed the approval of the Congress. Senator Warner and I joined together in the Senate, along with Congresswoman Morella, who led the effort in the House, in order to bring this about. We will now have a statue in the District in a fairly short time. The money will be raised privately by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. But it will stand as a tribute to what Martin Luther King, Jr. represented, which, in my judgment, was a commitment to achieving change through nonviolence--a very important lesson. Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly worked within the framework of a democratic society. He sought very significant and substantial change. He sought to make the Nation live up to its ideals. But he was committed in doing it in a nonviolent way. I think that is a very important lesson for all Americans.”