California Legislators Honor Martin Luther King

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

In this week’s Democratic weekly radio address, Assemblymembers Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) and Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles) celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

You may listen in English or Spanish. The transcript is below.

Hello, this is Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally, chair of the Assembly Health Committee.

This holiday weekend, our nation celebrates the life and legacy of our nation’s most dynamic champion of civil rights – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Raised in the segregated south, a victim of the Jim Crow laws he would help to overturn, Doctor King understood that with conviction and courage, we can achieve what once seemed impossible.

As an organizer of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts and the March on Washington, Doctor King helped raise awareness of the discrimination faced by blacks throughout the South and was instrumental in forming a broad based coalition that would help overturn discriminatory laws.

By having the courage to stand up for his convictions and the integrity to speak on behalf of the most vulnerable in our society, Doctor King is an inspiration to all of us.

This year, lawmakers in Sacramento will need this inspiration as we tackle the major issues facing our state.

While the California Assembly recently passed the largest state expansion of health coverage in our nation’s history, powerful interests that profit from the status quo want to derail the bill.

And with our state now facing a $14 billion budget deficit, the Governor is calling for drastic spending cuts that will directly harm our state’s children, the poor and the elderly.

California’s elected officials from both parties can learn from Doctor King during this tight budget year.