Building A Beloved Community

Floor Speech

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Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Commonwealth of Virginia for yielding and to the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Clarke, and all of our colleagues for the work that we do every single day to live out the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the legacy of my dear fraternity brother and trailblazing leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, I speak with urgency about the American Dream; specifically, that dream being under attack.

More than 60 years ago, Dr. King warned this Nation that America had given Black Americans ``a bad check, a check which has come back marked `insufficient funds,' '' a promise made but not kept, opportunity delayed and justice deferred.

Mr. Speaker, that warning still rings true today. Dr. King reminded us that public policy is a moral act. What we choose to fund and what we choose to cut reveals who we value and who we leave behind. Right now, working families in my home State of Nevada and all across this country are feeling the consequences of those choices: Prices are rising. Wages are stretched thin. Too many people are working full-time but still falling behind.

While families are struggling to make ends meet, this administration is attempting to rewrite history. Just recently, the current occupant of the White House claimed that civil rights-era protections left White Americans ``very badly treated.''

These false and dangerous claims tarnish Dr. King's legacy and the history in which he lived, which is at risk of repeating itself today.

Dr. King called for a revolution of values, and I rise today with my colleagues to reinforce that cause. Today, that revolution means choosing people over profits, workers over Wall Street, and families over special interests.

The American Dream is not dead, but it is under attack. If we lead with courage, invest with purpose, and govern with our values, we can revive it for Nevada and for our entire Nation. That is how we honor Dr. King's legacy: by building an America of equal opportunity, shared prosperity, and dignity for all.

I encourage all of my colleagues, regardless of party lines, to do their part in honoring Dr. King through their actions. That is how we carry on his legacy, and that is how we revive the dream.

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