It’s fitting that we celebrate the great American democracy defender the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as we kick off the year in which we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
King extolled what he called “the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence” in his famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech – specifically the promissory note that all Americans are guaranteed unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
He knew all too well the gap between the lofty ideals of our founding documents and the reality that many Americans experience. As long as injustice lingers for any part of American society, it’s a stain on our entire democracy. King committed his life – indeed, gave his life – in service of making our nation more democratic.
King set an example for all Americans to join the struggle to make our nation a more perfect and democratic union, President George W. Bush said at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the event at which King delivered his most famous speech. The Civil Rights leader sought to “hold our nation to the standards spelled out in the Declaration of Independence and … live up to that document’s fundamental promise and the underpinning of our founding,” the president said.
King lived a life in which democracy was a verb, a life of action in pursuit of democratic principles. He left a legacy for all Americans – to embrace the aspirations and principles of our founding documents and work to ensure that our nation lives up fully to these principles, every day for every American.
As we honor the life of this great American patriot, let us recommit to making American democracy strong and jointly challenge those places where our democracy is faltering. As President Bush said in the final year of his presidency, the celebration of King’s birthday is an “opportunity to renew our deep desire for America to be a land of promise for everybody, a land of justice, and a land of opportunity.”
