Our nation recently came together to celebrate the inauguration of my great friend, the re-elected President of the United States Barack Obama. And this August, our nation will mark the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington, a true turning point in American history.
And right here in St. Louis, we will also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic Jefferson Bank protests. That struggle, which was led by my father, former Congressman Bill Clay, and his brave colleagues, broke the back of segregation in St. Louis and opened the doors of opportunity for so many of us.
When you think about it, these historical moments are all linked. Without Dr. King’s march on Washington, there would have been no Civil Rights Act in 1964 and no Voting Rights Act in 1965.
Without the Voting Rights Act, my father would have never been elected in 1968 as Missouri’s first African-American Member of Congress. Without that victory,
I would not have had the opportunity to build on the foundation of public service that he established.
And without the hard work of the Congressional Black Caucus, which was co-founded by my Dad, our former member, Barack Obama, would have never been elected President of the United States.
So everything in our history is connected to everything else.
As we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy, I hope you will join with me to confront the menace of gun violence and blind hatred that is still prevalent in this country. That violence is a symptom of a culture of intolerance and ignorance, which is really just an ugly echo from another time.
In 1962, Dr. King said:“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” That was true then, and it is still true today.
Edited from remarks delivered January 12 at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. State Holiday Commission Kickoff at Harris-Stowe State University.
