Rep. Day Celebrates Work Of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The following is an abridged version of the remarks offered by Representative Michael S. Day at the Stoneham Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has evolved into the best of traditions in Dr. King’s name: one celebrating diversity, equality before the law and service to others.

Today’s celebration is focused on celebrating and welcoming the newcomer into our community, which is appropriate since we now have an Administration intent on building walls. We know of the literal wall it is trying to build in an attempt to excite an ever-smaller segment of
our population, already fomented by thousands of mistruths and falsehoods. We know also that this Administration is intent on building metaphorical walls by dividing us with rhetoric about “the other.”

Our current President claims historical justification when he calls for the screening of immigrant applicants by requiring them to submit to an ideological certification and by seeking to require them to be “financially self-sufficient” before granting them admission. So let us be clear today, and tomorrow, and the day after what our proud and shared history truly is with respect to immigrants.

George Washington addressed a gathering of immigrants in 1783 by saying, “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions.”

That great liberal lion, Ronald Reagan, in his last public address as President, said the following:

“We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our people – our strength – from every country and every corner of the world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation. While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us into tomorrow… If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.”

These are not Republican or Democratic values. These are the values we share as a people. These are the values we must fight to preserve, and this fight requires us to act. We must do more than just be present to effect change, although our presence is essential. We must do more than just speak up when we see an injustice, although our voices are indispensible. We must act.

We know Dr. King and those intimately involved in the civil rights movement acted. Dr. King himself was arrested 30 times between 1958 and 1967 for demonstrating and participating in non-violent protests against segregation. I am not asking you to get arrested 30 times to
stand up for our values.

I am challenging you, though. To act. To actually speak with the neighbor who makes a comment about “those people.” To forcefully answer the letter to the editor that falsely claims that immigrants commit more crimes than citizens, or that they are the source of our drug problem. To respond to those who would demonize our immigrant population with the words of President George W. Bush, who said, “We cannot build a unified country by inciting people to anger, or playing on anyone's fears, or exploiting the issue of immigration for political gain. We must always remember that real lives will be affected by our debates and decisions, and that every human being has dignity and value no matter what their citizenship papers say.”

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.