Rep. Johnson: Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

LITHONIA – Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) issued the following statement to honor the memory and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“As we begin to heal from the tragedy in Arizona last weekend, let us put the lessons Dr. King taught us – peace, love and non-violence – to work in our communities.”

“When Dr. King confronted those who dealt injustice, he and many others that fought for our civil rights were thwarted, jailed, beaten, ridiculed and threatened. They were called rabble-rousers, Communists, disturbers of the peace and worse. Many people stood by and did nothing.

“It is no wonder then that Dr. King said, ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’

“Whatever else we remember about Dr. King, we should recall that he chose not to remain silent in the face of injustice. Can we say the same about ourselves?

"When anyone is treated without respect, without fair play, without kindness, we must not remain mute. We should follow the suggestion of Dr. King: ‘With our faith, we will transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.’

Pictured above: Hank urges residenst to live out the creed of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the MLK day Rally at The Champion Middle School in Stone Mountain on Monday, Jan. 17.

###