Hoyer Statement on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Press Types
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
January 20, 2020
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day:
“As we observe the first Martin Luther King Day of a new decade, let us look to Dr. King’s teachings and legacy of moral courage for inspiration as we seek to turn the page from a time of division into one of greater unity, respect, and love of neighbor. Dr. King asked his fellow Americans to harness what he called the ‘drum major instinct’ – that we should rein in that basic human urge for attention, which too often leads us to seek it in the wrong ways, and apply it instead toward gaining attention for our good works, public service, and acts of love and kindness. ‘If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice,’ Dr. King prophetically told his congregation in 1968, just weeks before his assassination. ‘Say that I was a drum major for peace. [That] I was a drum major for righteousness.’ That is how we remember him today, and it is how we must strive to be remembered ourselves by future generations.
“This weekend will be the first in a very long time that the Congress, my home state of Maryland, and our country, observe Martin Luther King Day without our dear friend Rep. Elijah Cummings. Elijah was, in every sense of the term, a ‘drum major’ for justice, peace, and righteousness. Along with his fellow Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Civil Rights hero Rep. John Lewis, Elijah worked to banish the evils of racism, inequality, and injustice from our country and the world by spreading love, respect, and opportunity through good works and good governance.
“I’m proud that the Democratic-led House has taken action to make progress on voting rights, reducing maternal and other health care disparities, supporting historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), raising wages, and standing up to racism and intolerance. We will continue to fight for these and other important causes in 2020, drawing on the memory of our friend Elijah, who is surely ‘dancing with the angels’ of which he spoke, standing beside Dr. King on the mountaintop among the righteous, and casting his blessings down upon all who endeavor to be drum majors for peace and justice here on Earth.”
“As we observe the first Martin Luther King Day of a new decade, let us look to Dr. King’s teachings and legacy of moral courage for inspiration as we seek to turn the page from a time of division into one of greater unity, respect, and love of neighbor. Dr. King asked his fellow Americans to harness what he called the ‘drum major instinct’ – that we should rein in that basic human urge for attention, which too often leads us to seek it in the wrong ways, and apply it instead toward gaining attention for our good works, public service, and acts of love and kindness. ‘If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice,’ Dr. King prophetically told his congregation in 1968, just weeks before his assassination. ‘Say that I was a drum major for peace. [That] I was a drum major for righteousness.’ That is how we remember him today, and it is how we must strive to be remembered ourselves by future generations.
“This weekend will be the first in a very long time that the Congress, my home state of Maryland, and our country, observe Martin Luther King Day without our dear friend Rep. Elijah Cummings. Elijah was, in every sense of the term, a ‘drum major’ for justice, peace, and righteousness. Along with his fellow Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Civil Rights hero Rep. John Lewis, Elijah worked to banish the evils of racism, inequality, and injustice from our country and the world by spreading love, respect, and opportunity through good works and good governance.
“I’m proud that the Democratic-led House has taken action to make progress on voting rights, reducing maternal and other health care disparities, supporting historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), raising wages, and standing up to racism and intolerance. We will continue to fight for these and other important causes in 2020, drawing on the memory of our friend Elijah, who is surely ‘dancing with the angels’ of which he spoke, standing beside Dr. King on the mountaintop among the righteous, and casting his blessings down upon all who endeavor to be drum majors for peace and justice here on Earth.”