February 28, 2007 |
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Thank you, Lt. Governor Brown. Lt. Governor Brown, thank you and thank you to all of you for being here today.
So many beautiful words have been spoken about this inspiring man, this inspiring life, that I think makes us all not only proud to be Americans, but also a man who makes us proud to be human beings, who makes us realize that each of us is loved by God. And I think that was the resonance of this beautiful man, that he articulated, that he demonstrated, that he lived that belief in such a self-sacrificing and giving way.
Senator Jones, thank you for your leadership of the Black Caucus and thank you to the Black Caucus, who remind all of us that we need to make real the promise of this country and build upon and not rest upon the legacy of people like Dr. King.
To Dr. Papenfuse, for bringing us together, to Chris Haley, John Gartrell, Sharonne Fletcher and Sign Craft for giving us a fitting marker for this living tribute to Dr. King. Thank you to all of you as well.
Twenty years ago our State was the first to dedicate a living memorial like this, a tree on the grounds of our State Capitol. It continues to grow, you know, new leaves in every turning of spring and is a living sign of the struggle that continues in the lives grown out of the life of this beautiful man. He was a person who believed in the dignity of every individual, who felt that each of us had a responsibility to advance the common good.
He believed that Alove is understanding, created with difficult will.@ Love is understanding, created with difficult will. And part of that understanding, as he articulated so well in describing each of us, you know, bound together in a web of mutuality, was the understanding that comes from realizing that there’s a unity to spirit and to matter. In other words, we matter to each other. That we matter to God and that God wants every partial victory.
This was a terrific tribute to this man. And it is my great honor to be with all of you today as we honor the sacrifice and perseverance of those who came before us and we vow together in Black History Month, in our State where our diversity is truly our strength. I want to thank all of you for coming out today and invite all of you to step over here as we officially unveil this far more fitting and beautiful marker in tribute to Dr. King. (Applause.)