Martin Luther King, Jr Day

2009 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2009
SENATOR LARRY TEAGUE (I gave the following speech for MLK, Jr Day)
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Thank you for inviting me to be with you today for this celebration. Each year we pause to pay tribute to a pivotal figure of the civil and human rights movement and one of our nation's and our world's greatest leaders. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was and still is the symbol for equality and justice. Despite the countless hardships he endured, his tireless labor of love and compassion on behalf of fairness and access for all people made him, not only a hero of African-Americans, but for the entire human race.

We salute his endeavors and his monumental life with reverent hearts and reflective minds. He will always be an inspiration. And today, we take time to remember:
We remember his accomplishments.
We remember his words.
We remember his sacrifice.
We remember the family he left behind.

But remembering is more than recalling and meditating on things long gone simply for the sake of an annual holiday. It is more than ceremony and song. Remembering is the process of reminding ourselves of what has occurred so we will not repeat what failed. Our nation has made tremendous social, political, racial and economic strides since his untimely death.
But Dr. King would tell us to keep working for a better city, community, state, nation and world. We have to keep working because we still face extraordinary divides and discrimination in healthcare, employment, education and economic advancement. But the blessing is that every day provides each of us the chance to continue the revolution Dr. King never had the chance to complete. We who are still here are blessed to still be here and more is required of us.
We have survived many trials…but we have a lot left to do.

I want to thank you for the opportunity you gave me last year to do my part as a representative of this community. As your State Senator, I will be on your side giving my energy and knowledge and doing my part to represent your concerns, many of which are the same ones Dr. King believed in. Together we can do better and be better. This is the United States - the best is always possible.

In closing, one of my favorite quotes by Dr. King is: "Everyone has the power for greatness - not for fame, but greatness because greatness is determined by service." Despite the cost, he dedicated his life to service for the betterment of us all without hesitation or regret.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made things happen. In 2009, we have no excuse. We can make things better. Our children and our grandchildren are depending on us.

Thank you for your contribution to our community because without you we would not be who we and where we are today. May we all be encouraged to keep going because truly the best is yet to come for Arkansas and for America.