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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day remarks by Sen. Ed Jones

Published January 17, 2006 at midnight

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Not long ago I was invited to present a legislative update at a city council meeting in my district. One of the council members, a Democrat, decided to have a little fun with me because my party had lost control of the statehouse.

He asked me how it felt to be in the minority for a change!

I pointed out to him that being in the minority was nothing new for me.

In fact, as a Republican, I know what it’s like to be a minority within a minority – not only in the legislature but also within my own race.

I know my political views aren’t always popular with some of my fellow black Americans. However, I want to make clear that I feel every bit as inspired as anyone by the vision of the late Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King spoke to all Americans – Republican and Democrat, black and white. His message of equality is meant for anyone who is willing to listen. Every one of us, regardless of race or creed or politics, can find meaning in that message.

I am inspired by Dr. King partly because I grew up deep in the Old South – in the days when Hattiesburg, Mississippi was still segregated. I remember separate schools, separate neighborhoods, separate drinking fountains – separate everything. I remember how a whole race of people was doomed to a second-class education, second-class jobs – a second-class life.

Dr. King offered hope to those of us who lived through all of that.

Yet, he also inspired me in another way. The older I got, and the more I thought about his words, the more I realized how his vision wasn’t meant just for one political movement or party, or even any one race or nation.

Shouldn’t all of us – whichever side of the political aisle we stand on – be judged as King wanted: not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character?

Don’t all of us want our nation, as King urged, to rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"?

In other words, don’t we all share Dr. King’s dream, which, as he pointed out, is deeply rooted in the American dream?

My fellow members, it’s a good thing Martin Luther King Day occurs near the beginning of the legislative session. It gives us all a chance to look past our political differences and appreciate what we have in common. The same color blood flows through all of our veins. The same potential to love our fellow humans beats in all of our hearts.

I believe we all want what’s best for Colorado. We all want a colorblind and just society where there is equality of opportunity. Although our two political parties have different ways of pursuing that goal, we all share Dr. King’s vision of a free society. We all share his faith in equality. We all believe in his dream of a promised land.