In Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 16, 2012

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his I Have a Dream Speech at the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. Aug. 28, 1963   Photo courtesy of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Domain Resource Site

Statement by Governor Jan Brewer

(Reprinted from Friday, Jan. 14, 2011)

In Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr./Civil Rights Day

            PHOENIX – “In 1986, President Ronald Reagan celebrated America’s first observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a federal holiday -- noting that ‘Dr. King forged a dream out of the values of his religion and the ideals of our nation's founders.’

“Dr. King’s dream still inspires us, and his spirit continues to champion freedom and fairness -- and justice for all. We all know that there is still work to be done. We all know that hatred, intolerance and ignorance still breathe in the dark corners of American society.

“But Dr. King’s vision of love and non-violence shines a light into those dark corners. Our mission is to join hands and work toward the day when Dr. King's dream comes true – a dream that echoes his words: ‘All of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning, '... land where my father’s died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

“His lessons to us were many, his legacy for the nation, preserved forever. So, with his spirit still guiding us, let us reach out to those who have fallen down, or fallen behind, those who have stumbled.  These are our neighbors, our friends and, in Dr. King’s name, what better day to reach out to those in need, and renew our devotion to the glorious work he left for us to finish.”