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We Must Finish Dr. King’s Work

by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - 01/15/07 10:15 AM ET

With his total intolerance of intolerance, Martin Luther King brought us closer to the ideal of equality that is America’s heritage and hope. Today our nation is facing different tests of our commitment to the values that make our nation great. But Dr. King’s powerful message of justice rings equally true today. Now we must recommit to finishing his work.

On the third Monday of January, we honor the work of Dr. King – not just in word, but in deed. Martin Luther King Day is not a holiday, but rather a day of service, in which we are called to carry the work of Dr. King forward with labor of our own.

More than 40 years ago, Martin Luther King came to Washington to say, ‘We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off….Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God’s children.’ It is not enough to keep Dr. King’s spirit alive in eulogy. It is not enough to reflect on his work and ideals. We must make them our own, with the fierce urgency of now.