Proclamation of the City of East Palo Alto
Commemorating the Contributions of the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the Fight for Equality WHEREAS Dr. Martin L. King, Jr was born into a Christian Family residing in the State of Georgia and his heritage was from a line of Gospel Preachers and Educators. Early in his life Dr. King was exposed to the inequalities of public domains that he did not understand. He knew that this was not what the Preamble to the Constitution meant when it states, “All men are created equal”; and WHEREAS amid his educational pursuits, Dr. King, studied at Cozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. he also studied at Morehouse College where he was inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s essays on Civil disobedience. In 1955, Dr. King received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Boston University. He was further inspired by the writings of Mahatma Ghandi on Civil disobedience; and WHEREAS at the age of seventeen, Dr. King made his first public speech on equality at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where his father, Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr., was pastor. Dr. King was catapulted to national prominence in December 1955, after becoming pastor of Dexter Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was pressed into service during the infamous “Bus Boycott” that began on December 1, 1955, when Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a White male on a City bus in Montgomery and was arrested. These events set the stage for the organizing of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Dr. King and his Lieutenants trained young men and women carry out civil resistance during marches, arrests and even after the murder of several civil rights activists; and WHEREAS on August 20, 1965, the world was mesmerized when Dr. King delivered his, “I Have A Dream” speech at the Washington Memorial Pavilion. Dr. King was awarded both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom; and WHEREAS Dr. King was dedicated to eradicating racial inequality in America. So, while in Memphis, Tennessee, in support of the Garbage Workers strike for higher wages and better working conditions, Dr. King was gunned down as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Hotel, his life was ended in a hail of bullets. The date, April 4, 1968; and WHEREAS on January 17, 2023, the City Council of East Palo Alto designates this day as “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Day.
Dated: January 17, 2023
Lisa Gauthier, Mayor