News from the Senate Majority
Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

Senate Honors Martin Luther King Day

Senator Ward Praises Civil Rights Leader

For Immediate Release: January 16, 1998 Contact: Senator Jerry Ward at (907) 465-4940.

Juneau – During a speech on the Senate floor Friday, Senator Jerry Ward (R-Anchorage) praised Martin Luther King for dedicating his life to freedom, justice and persuading a nation to judge its citizens not by the color of their skin, but by their character. In honor of Martin Luther King Day, created by legislation signed by President Reagan in 1983, the Alaska State Senate will not hold session Monday, January 19, 1998.

In his speech, Ward reflected on an experience he had in Vietnam shortly after Martin Luther King’s death.

"In 1968, when I was in Vietnam, a friend of mine came to me and said that Martin Luther King had been killed. I asked my friend who Martin Luther King was and why he was crying. My friend, a black man named Ajax, explained that Martin Luther King stood for a nation that cared about character before color of skin. I believed that then – and I believe that now," Ward said.

"I am proud to support this concept behind Martin Luther King day," said Ward. "The Republican party was the party of Abraham Lincoln. It was formed under the simple proposition that all men are created equal."

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Broadcast Note: To hear a summary of Senator Ward’s floor comments, please call (800) 478-6540.