Political Quotes

“Madam President, you joined us last year to do the reading we are doing today, so I am glad the Presiding Officer is here presiding today. It is an honor to join my colleagues of both parties on the floor today to read Dr. King's letter from the Birmingham jail. I thank Senator Cassidy, who will go first, and Senators Casey, Lankford, King, Britt, and Butler, who will wrap it up, for joining me today for this annual bipartisan tradition. Every year, we bring together three Republicans and three Democrats to read one of the greatest pieces of writing of the 20th century and reflect on the mission and the powerful words of Dr. King. This year, our reading falls right after Workers' Memorial Day, which we marked on Sunday, a day when we honor all the workers killed on the job over the past year, workers who were injured, and workers who were injured and killed throughout our history. Every year on that date, I am reminded of Dr. King's final trip--his second trip of the year, his final trip--to Memphis. He went to stand with Black sanitation workers striking for better pay and safer working conditions. They were some of the most exploited workers in the country, with unfair wages and unsafe conditions. Months earlier, two Black workers had been killed in a tragic accident that surely could have been prevented. Mr. Echol Cole and Mr. Robert Walker had showed up to work in segregated Memphis, working in a segregated neighborhood. During their shift, a storm hit. Mr. Cole and Mr.…”