ICYMI: Shaheen Delivers Remarks Honoring Dr. King’s Enduring Legacy

Shaheen delivers remarks at the Community Church of New Boston on Sunday, celebrating Dr. King’s legacy.

(New Boston, NH) – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) delivered remarks at the Community Church of New Boston in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and to pay tribute to Dr. King’s enduring legacy of justice and service. Shaheen joined Reverend Robert “Woody” Woodland, parishioners and community members for the event celebrating Dr. King’s memory and reaffirming the need to continue his work to ensure full equality under the law for all Americans.

As Governor of New Hampshire, Shaheen fought for passage of, and signed a resolution to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day in New Hampshire – the last state in the nation to do so. In 2020, to mark the 20th anniversary of New Hampshire’s first Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, Shaheen honored the occasion and celebrated the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a Congressional Record statement.

“Dr. King’s contributions cannot be overstated. His unwavering fight for civil rights, justice and full equality under the law for Black Americans stirred the consciousness of our nation to address systemic racism, forever changing the trajectory of our country. On what would have been his 94th birthday, and 55 years since he was taken from us, it is on all of us to finish what he started – to build a more inclusive society and fight for full equality under the law,” said Shaheen. “I remember when I first really felt that pull toward action. I was teaching at a recently integrated school in Mississippi and was listening to then-Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter’s inaugural address about the need to end segregation in the South. I was inspired by the change I could feel in our country, which was started by Dr. King, and I wanted to be a part of it.” 

She continued, “It’s been more than five decades since Dr. King delivered his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, and unfortunately too many Americans continue to face the barriers Dr. King built a movement to tear down.  All of us have a role to play in carrying the mantle of racial justice forward to fully realize Dr. King’s vision. Today is an important day for reflection, but more importantly, we have a moral imperative to take action to create the more just society that Dr. King dreamed for us.”

###