Political Quotes

“it has been nearly 40 years since I first met Martin Luther King and went to work with him off and on in Alabama and in the South. Martin Luther King was then leading what he named the Montgomery Improvement Association, a citizens' effort to change that one community in Alabama after Rosa Parks had stood up for her rights by insisting on keeping her seat on the bus. She stood up for her rights by sitting down and refusing to move to the back of the bus. Then she and thousands of others stood together by staying off those buses and walking, week after week, month after month. And in the front lines was a young minister, thrust into leadership he did not seek. But Martin Luther King stepped up to the demands of history, rejecting violence even when a bomb exploded at his home. For decades, lawyers had fought in the courts to end segregation, but Martin Luther King took that peaceful battle into the streets. He challenged us to live up to the promise of America. He proved that citizens can make a difference in their communities and their country by saying ``no'' through nonviolent protests, and ``yes'' through constructive service. He gave life to the idea that rights and opportunities of citizenship bear with them civic responsibilities, and that it is no one-way street.”