G. K. Butterfield: “Let me thank the gentlelady for yielding the time this evening and thank her for her leadership in the Congress. The…”

“Let me thank the gentlelady for yielding the time this evening and thank her for her leadership in the Congress. The Congressional Black Caucus goes out of its way each week to try to present to the Nation issues that are critically important to African Americans residing in this country, and Congresswoman Donna Edwards and Congresswoman Christensen have been in the forefront of making that happen. And so I want to thank them so very much for their leadership. I especially want to thank them for their willingness to come to the floor tonight to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. April 4 always brings back memories of a very tragic day in the life of our country. It is a day that I shall never, ever forget. The civil rights movement and the voting rights movement took place during my years in high school. Those were very precious moments in my history, and I remember so well the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The world must remember, our country must remember, we must understand that Martin Luther King's leadership was very profound, but it only lasted for about 13 years. So many people don't recognize that. Dr. King started his leadership at age 26, and it tragically ended at age 39. It was on December 1 of 1955 that Dr. King was drafted, at age 26, to lead the Montgomery bus boycott.…”