Louie Gohmert: “I thank Mr. Jeffries, my colleague and friend. I knew that words that were going to be spoken were from the heart, and I…”

“I thank Mr. Jeffries, my colleague and friend. I knew that words that were going to be spoken were from the heart, and I am glad to be able to facilitate that. Thank you. And it does take me back again. I was just a little kid, a little bitty kid, when Martin Luther King, Jr., was standing up for civil rights for all people. We have heard over and over: Well, he did wonderful things for African Americans. But I happen to know as a little White Christian boy growing up in east Texas that the work he did and the life he gave actually enabled me as a little White boy to treat my brothers and sisters like brothers and sisters. That is the ultimate goal, as Dr. King said: we judge each other by the content of the character and not by the color of the skin. That is a goal to shoot for. It also meant that when I was quarterback and captain for the JV, junior varsity, team in our high school, it meant I got to have Coach Williams as my head coach. I just loved Coach Williams. But it was tough when he put both hands on your shoulder pads and got right in your face. You knew you were in for a lesson. But he was imminently fair. We had no race problems. He was just a fair man.…”