IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1010 

Celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 

30th anniversary of the Stevie Wonder song tribute to Dr. King, ‘‘Happy 

Birthday’’, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 13, 2010 

Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. 

SENSENBRENNER, Mr. NADLER of New York, Ms. JACKSON LEE of 

Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, 

and Mr. COHEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, 

Jr. during the 30th anniversary of the Stevie Wonder 

song tribute to Dr. King, ‘‘Happy Birthday’’, and for 

other purposes. 

Whereas the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

was properly captured in Dr. King’s most famed speech, 

‘‘I Have A Dream’’, on August 28, 1963, when he said, 

‘‘I have a dream that one day this nation will 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’ ’’; 


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Whereas beginning with the Montgomery Bus Boycott on December 1, 1955, Dr. King led protests, demonstrations, 

rallies, freedom rides, sit-ins, vigils, all in non-violent 

fashion, to combat hate, inequality, and racial injustice in 

the United States; 

Whereas following the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott 

in 1956, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, including Dr. Ralph Abernathy, formed the Southern Christian 

Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957 to promote civil 

rights and to bring an absolute and nonviolent end to 

segregation; 

Whereas the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and 

those that joined him in the civil rights movement resulted in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 

the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act 

of 1968; 

Whereas several U.S. Supreme Court cases decided during 

the era of the civil rights movement, like Browder v. 

Gayle (352 U.S. 903 (1956)), Boynton v. Virginia (364 

U.S. 454 (1960)), and Heart of Atlanta Motel Inc. v. 

United States (379 U.S. 241 (1964)) were consistent 

with the work of Dr. King and others to eradicate segregation and discrimination and deem such practices unconstitutional; 

Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Spingarn 

Medal in 1957 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, distinctions that were given to him at the young ages of 28 

and 35, respectively, for the selflessness and dedication 

he exhibited in advancing civil rights; 

Whereas the life and work of Dr. King, to advance justice, 

equality, and peace for the entire human race, ended preVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:58 Jan 13, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1010.IH HR1010

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maturely, when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in 

Memphis, Tennessee, while challenging the inequitable 

wages and treatment of Memphis sanitation workers; 

Whereas Martin Luther King, Jr., was survived by Coretta 

Scott King, an activist in her own right, and 4 children, 

2 sons and 2 daughters, who would also continue the 

fight for civil rights and equality; 

Whereas 4 days after the assassination of Dr. King, on April 

8, 1968, Representative John Conyers, Jr. introduced 

legislation to recognize Dr. King with a Federal holiday 

that coincided with the great civil rights leader’s birthday, January 15, 1929; 

Whereas the campaign to secure a Federal holiday in honor 

of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lasted 15 years, with the 

1980 Stevie Wonder song tribute to Dr. King, ‘‘Happy 

Birthday’’, solidifying the campaign’s success; 

Whereas Stevie Wonder dedicated his album sleeve for ‘‘Hotter Than July’’, an album released on September 29, 

1980, and upon which ‘‘Happy Birthday’’ is recorded, to 

Dr. King, with an inscription that read, ‘‘[Martin Luther 

King, Jr.] showed us, non-violently, a better way of life, 

a way of mutual respect, helping us to avoid much bitter 

confrontation and inevitable bloodshed’’; 

Whereas Mr. Wonder also wrote on his album sleeve for 

‘‘Hotter Than July’’ the following, ‘‘We still have a long 

road to travel until we reach the world that was [Dr. 

King’s] dream. We in the United States must not forget 

either his supreme sacrifice or that dream’’; 

Whereas Stevie Wonder encouraged the establishment of a 

Federal holiday in recognition of Dr. King on his album 

sleeve for ‘‘Hotter Than July’’ by expressing that, ‘‘I and 


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a growing number of people believe that it is time for our 

country to adopt legislation that will make January 15, 

Martin Luther King’s birthday, a national holiday, both 

in recognition of what he achieved and as a reminder of 

the distance which still has to be traveled’’; 

Whereas the song, ‘‘Happy Birthday’’, became a rallying cry, 

which led to the collection of 6,000,000 signatures in 

support of a Federal holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which Stevie Wonder and Coretta Scott 

King presented to Congressional Leadership in 1982; 

Whereas ultimate enactment of legislation designating the 

third Monday of January as a Federal holiday in observance of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. was realized on November 3, 1983, when such legislation was signed into 

law; 

Whereas the first Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal holiday was observed on January 20, 1986, and celebrated 

with a concert headlined by Stevie Wonder, who has, in 

the years since, continued his commitment to promoting 

peace and equality, for which he has been recognized with 

a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Civil 

Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee; 

Whereas the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is continued today, as evidenced by the work of organizations like 

the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 

People (NAACP) and the Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference, which is currently led by Dr. King’s daughter, Bernice King, and was at one time led by Dr. King’s 

son, Martin Luther King, III; 

Whereas today, the very mission of the Southern Christian 

Leadership Conference states, ‘‘In the spirit of Dr. MarVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:58 Jan 13, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1010.IH HR1010

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tin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership 

Conference (SCLC) is renewing its commitment to bring 

about the promise of ‘one nation, under God, indivisible’ 

together with the commitment to activate the ‘strength to 

love’ within the community of humankind’’; and 

Whereas in addition to organizations, the legacy of Dr. King 

continues on today with people in the United States and 

throughout the world, with individual acts of compassion, 

courage, and peace: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) celebrates the life and work of Dr. Martin 

3 Luther King, Jr. during the 30th anniversary of the 

4 Stevie Wonder song tribute to Dr. King, ‘‘Happy 

5 Birthday’’; 

6 (2) recognizes that the legacy of Dr. Martin 

7 Luther King, Jr. continues on with commitments to 

8 freedom, equality, and justice, as exhibited by Stevie 

9 Wonder and so many others; and 

10 (3) encourages the people of the United States 

11 to commemorate the legacy of Dr. King by renewing 

12 pledges to advance those principles and actions that 

13 are consistent with Dr. King’s belief that ‘‘all men 

14 are created equal’’. 

Æ 


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