Want to thaideading t jones foreign rinsomething new the thesepen mind. And an ope heart. Ck t the time. Stthe rmjigioib0 should sta l zs 2v elow their environment. The other jesus christ was an extremist for love. Truth and goodness. And thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists. Senator from utah. I continue reading a letter from birmingham jail but doctor Martin Luther king junior. I had hoped the white moderates would see this need. Perhaps i was too optimistic. Perhaps i expected too much. I suppose i shouldve realized that with few members of the oppressor race can understand deep row race. And still fewer had been division to see the injustice must be rooted out by strong persistent and determined action. Im thankful however some are White Brothers in the south have grasped the meaning of the social revolution committed themselves to it. They are two in quantity, beginning quality some such as ralph Mcgill William smith a golden and others. Ive written about her struggle and eloquent and prophetic terms. Others have march of this down nameless streets of the south. In languish in filthy roach infested jails. Suffered the abuse and brutalityew of policeman who viewed them as dirty, expletive lovers. Among so many of their moderate brothers and sisters they recognize the urgency of the moment and it says the need for powerful action antidotes to combat the disease segregation. Thats we take note of my major distant appointments. Im in disappointed with the white church and its leadership. Of course are some notable exceptions. I am mindful of the fact that each of you has taken some significant stance on this issue. Ist commend you reverend. Christians stand on this past sunday and welcoming negroes to your worship service. A nonsegregated basis. I commended the catholic leaders ofof the state for integrating Spring College several years ago. But despite these notable exceptions i must honestly reiterate that i have been disappointed with the church. I did not say this is one of those negative critics that always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel who loves the church. Who has nurtured in his bosom. Who has been sustained by spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the court of life shall lengthen. When i was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the test in montgomery, alabama a few years ago i felt we would be supported by the white church redeveloped into ministers and priests and rabbis of the south would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents. Refusing to understand the freedom movement. Misrepresenting his leaders. All too many others have been more cautious than courageous. Have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stainedglass windows. Ca in spite of my shattered dreams, came to birmingham with the hope the white religious leadership seek justice for cause and with deep moral conviction, which are in the channel that are just grievances could reach the power structures. I hope that each of youct can understand but again i have been disappointed. I heard numerous southern religious leaders admonish therefore shivers to apply with the desegregation decision because is the law. By long her the white ministers to declare this degree because integration is morally right and because negro is yourid brother. In the midst of blatant injustices, infected upon the negro i have watched white churchmen stand the sidelineou and mouth highest irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. Notice of a mighty struggle there internation of racial and Economic Justice imany ministers say the social issues with which the gospel, no real concern. I watch many other churches commit themselves to other worldly elision which makes a strange and biblical distincti between body and soul. Between the sacred and the secular. At a traveler like the breath of alabama, mississippi and all of the other southern states. And sweltering summer days and crisp autumned mornings, i looked in the south beautiful churches with their lofty spires,. Pointing heavenward. I beheld the unprecedented outlines by massive religious education buildings. Over and over, i have found myself saying, what kind of people worship here. The support when bruised and weary negro men and woman came out of dark dungeons to the bright hills to protest. Yes, these questions are still on my mind. And deep disappointment i have wept over the laxity of the church. Butth be assured my tears have been tears of love. There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love. Yes, ier love the church how could i do otherwise . I am in the rather unique position of being the son the the great grandson of preachers. Guess i see the church as a body of christ, but all how we have blemished and scarred scthat body through social neglect and through fear of being nonconformists. There was a time when the church was very powerful. And a time when the early christians were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. And those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas of popular opinion it was a thermostat that transformed the morays of society whenever the early christians entered a town the people in power became disturbed and the immediately went to the christians for being disturbers of peace and outside agitators but the christians pressed on and they were a comedy of heaven called to obey god rather than man small in number they were big and commitment. They were to god intoxicated to be astronomically intimidated by their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as and fantasize inorial contests. Things a are different now so often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound so often it is an arched defender of the status quo far from being a disturbed by the presence of the church the power structure of the average community is consoled by the churches silent and often even vocal as they are. But the judgment of god is upon the church as never before. If Todays Church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity forfeit the loyalty of millions and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 20th century. Every day i meet young peoples his disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust. Perhaps i once again have been too optimistic as organized religiond . To inextricably bound to the status f quo toave our nation and theth world . Perhaps i must turn my face to the inner spiritual church, the Church Within the church as a true hope of the world. But again i am thankful to god that some noble souls with the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joinedav us as active partners in the struggle f they have left their secure congregations and walked the streets of albany georgia with us and gone down the highways of the south on the torturous rides for freedom. Madam president i yield. Madam president. Senator from illinois. Men present i continue with the readings of life in the birmingham jail by doctor Martin Luther king jr. Yes they have gone to jail at the some have been dismissed from their churches and lost the support of their bishop and fellow ministers. They have acted in the state that life defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. Their witness has been a spiritual assault that has a true meaning of the gospel in these troubled times. There is a tunnel of hope the darkll mountain of disappointments. I hope the church as a whole meet theo challenge of this decisive power. But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, i have no despair about the future. I have no fear about the outcome of our struggle in birmingham. Even if our motives are misunderstood we will which a goal of freedom and birmingham and all over the nation because the goal of americas freedom. Abused and scorned that we may be our destiny is tied up with americas destiny. Before the pilgrims landed at plymouth we were here. Before jefferson at the declaration of independence, those across the pages of history we were here. For more than two centuries our forebears labored in this countrye without wages they made cotton king. They suffered gross injustice and shameful humiliation. And yet out of the bottomless vitality they continue to thrive and develop. If the and expectable cruelties of slavery could not stop us the opposition we now face will surely fail. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of god are embodied in our echoing demands. Before closing i feel compelled to mention one other point in your statement that has troubled me profoundly. You were part of the Birmingham Police force for keeping order and presenting violence. I doubt that you would have so warmly commended the police force if you had seen its dogs sinking their teeth into unarmed non violent negros. I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policeman if you observe the ugly and inhumanen treatment of negroes here in the city jail. If you are to watch them push and curse old negro women and young negro girls. If you would seeif the slap and o kick on negro men and young boys if you were to observe them as they sit on two occasions refused to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together. I cannot join you in the praise of the Birmingham Police department. It is true the place of exercise a degree of discipline with the demonstrators. But they have can ducted themselves nonviolently in public but for what purpose . To preserve the evil system of segregation of the past few years i have consistently preached that nonviolent use must be as pure as the ends we seek. I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends but now i must affirm it is just as wrong or perhaps even more so to use immoral means to preserve immoral ends. So they be mr. Conrad and his policeman forge nonviolent and public such as chief pritchard and albini georgia. They use nonviolence to maintain the immoral and Racial Injustice as t. S. Eliot has said, the last can tatian is the greatest reason to do the right deed for the wrong reason. I wish you had commended the negro sitters and protesters for their willingness to suffer under amazing discipline in the midst of great provocation. One day the south will recognize its real heroes there will be theames meredith with a noble sense of purpose that m enables them to face jeering and hostile mobs and withse loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer. Therell be old oppressed battered women symbolized in Montgomery Alabama who rose up with a sense of dignity and with her people decided not ride segregated buses. And who responded with ungrammatical to those who responded on weariness. My feet is tired but my soul is at rest. There will be the Young High School and college students, the young ministers of the gospel and aost of their elbows courageously and nonviolently sitting in at lunch counters and willingly going to jail for conscience of sake. Dr one day the south will know that when these disinherited children of god sit down at lunch counters, they were in reality standing up for what is best in American Dream and for the most sacre values in the christian heritage. Thereby bringing our nation back to the great world of democracy which were beat by the Founding Fathers of the constitution and declaration of independence. Never before have i waited so long im afraid its much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you it would have been much shorter had i been writing from a comfortable desk what else can i do it loan and narrowed jail cell other than to write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers. If i have said and indicated unreasonable impatience i beg you to forgive me. If i said anything to understate the truth and having a patient set allows me to it settle for anything less than brotherhood i asked god to forgive me. I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith i also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to it meet each of you not as a civil rights leader but as a fellow clergyman that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away in the deep swath of misunderstanding will be lifted. And in some, not too distant tomorrow the radiancewill shine over the great nation with beauty, yours for the brotherhood Martin Luther king jr. I yield the floor. Mr. President. The senator from alabama. Thank you, mr. President. I want to first thank my colleagues who join today senatortt scott said we hope to do this in april the anniversary of the writing of this letter but unfortunately the pandemic overtook us but asan senator scott said the timing could not be any better than today and just as last year when we this, i am sure each of my colleagues today will leave the floor with an even greater kings legacy. And i hope, a better understanding of where america finds itself today. Only think of doctor king, we usually see him on the steps of the lincoln memorial. Eloquently and passionately describing his dream for america. Or behind a pulpit in memphis urging his audience to press forward, not to be discouraged in a quest for civil and equal rights. Because he had been to the mountaintop, and he had seen the promised land. Frankly to somewhat astounding to read his thoughts that were read on the floor today and picture him in a small dirty jail cell, riding in longhand on napkins and scraps of paper and newspaper to a group of ministers that were not hateful as much as they were questioning the need for action at that particular moment in 1963. Now would say to share the thoughts on the situation today we need to move beyond the letter beyond the call of action sond long ago. It is certainly true there are more contemporary voices and writings that explain how we should see our time and what actions are needed today now in the present. Now for all although it was uncertain in the spring of 1963 doctor king and the movement would go on to achieve historic changes with the signing of the Civil Rights Act the rights of 1965 in so many other legislative victories. But i believe we are at a similar momentay today. In this time, in this place and that doctor kings words are as contemporary as they are powerful. You see p in 1963 alabama had become a focal point of the Racism Division and hatred that existed throughout our wnation bombings and fires in black neighborhoods were commonplace. Suspects never apprehended. A governor promising segregation now segregation tomorrow segregation forever. Connor shocking the nation when he unleashed Vicious Police dogs and fire hoses on innocent children engaged in a peaceful protest. And later that year a Church Bombing that killed four young girls simply because of the color of their skin. The question on the day doctor king was arrested was why now . Why risk jail and perhaps death to protest conditions in a city that doctor king had described as the most segregated in america. As city that had just elected a new city government, that had promised change. Doctor king and all black americans had heard for too long and wanted an answer. I believe the wisdom of this letter is perhaps the best frame to view how we move forward duringe, this moment, the movement of this time, the movements of this generation. An passage after passage of doctor king warns us how easily people fall back to accepting status quo how easily people can hear the word weight when in fact the word means never. From an jail cell in birmingham in 1963 that action and that moment was critical so that issues of racism and inequality throughout the land would no longer be ignored. And here we are 57 years later 57 years later and his words are just as timely. That action in this moment, our moment is likewise critical so issues of systemic racism and inequality can finally be erased. While so many seem to be heating doctor kings call for action across the country we see it time and time again hundreds if not thousands of people heating doctor kings call for action today. The greatest fear at this moment quite frankly is that with so many people have either felt powerless are unaffected are willing to march and speak out ready to change the fairness of our laws and society my greatest concern is these good people will get distracted it is easy to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem. Understandable to know, not know where to begin. But it is not enough to simply agree any longer, to simply have a conversation. Remember doctor king confesses to the ministers to whom he is responding that he has been gravely disappointed with what he terms in 1963 as the white moderate. If a conversation is all that columns from the moment we are in and are subsided he will have lost the greatest chance of our lifetime to remedy wrongs that have compounded for centuries. It is time for both our institutions and our society to meaningfully reverse the degenerating sense of nobody in us. In this moment, we have a Critical Mass of society that can understand the legitimate and unavoidable inpatients of which doctor king spoke. Has had the truce of in black and americas being clear to all. We have lots at the pandemic of killing black people of almost two and a half times that not from the mutation of the virus too often deprives care for diabetes, heart disease, and other Health Issues that are now described as preexisting conditions. We watch an economic toll is black owned businesses failed at twice the rate of others and unemployment rose faster and will stay higher than those of the rest of america. Of course through the pandemic weve also seen the heroes. Caring packages stocking Grocery Store serving on the front lines in hospitals and first responders. The economic reality of being black in america remains a sin of our nation. There certainly been many black americans have pushed through a system awaited against them to find the American Dream. We celebrate those folks but must face the fact that discrimination and institutional racism pushed much too hard through the Health EducationJob Opportunities and Financial