Wasserman Schultz Statement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Washington, January 20, 2020
Dr. King was, like so many others, born into a system that undermined his very presence. Refusing to bow to such a fate, he raised up his own and millions of other voices to demand an America free from bigotry, hatred, and oppression.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) released the following statement in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:

“On this national holiday, all Americans can reflect on the man whose shoulders we all stand upon in our nation’s ongoing fight for equality, opportunity and civil rights. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was, like so many others, born into a system that undermined his very presence. Refusing to bow to such a fate, Dr. King raised up his own and millions of other voices to demand an America free from bigotry, hatred, and oppression. Dr. King knew that such freedom would never have been given voluntarily, so he took his message of equality and peace – to the people – in communities all across America.

"It was on that journey for justice that he gave his own life, leaving behind a vital, lasting movement. In the words of Coretta Scott King, Dr. King’s wife and a civil rights hero in her own right, ‘This is not a black holiday; it is a peoples’ holiday.’ Honoring Dr. King today means not only ripping out the deep roots of white supremacy and poverty, but opposing the new voter suppression tactics found in Florida’s modern-day poll tax. Like the Jim Crow laws Dr. King fought, defying Florida voters by denying the restoration of voting rights with fines and legal red tape in Florida is undemocratic and aimed squarely at people of color. By fighting this vile practice, and all other forms of oppression, we truly uphold Dr. King’s legacy. We owe him, and the future generations, nothing less."