RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COLLINS-BELLAMY, MAJORITY LEADER RUBBO, MAJORITY WHIP ROBINSON, MINORITY LEADER BREEN, COUNCILMEMBERS, PINEDA -ISAAC, DIAZ AND MERANTE:
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A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YONKERS TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE LATE REVEREND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND RECOGNIZE JANUARY 20, 2025 AS A DAY OF SERVICE IN THE CITY OF YONKERS
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WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil-rights activist, born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia as Michael King Jr., and changed his name to Martin after his father changed his name to Martin in honor of the Protestant leader Martin Luther; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. earned a sociology degree from Morehouse College and attended the liberal Crozier Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, and then attended Boston University for his doctoral; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. married his college sweetheart Coretta Scott in June 1953. They had four children, Yolanda King, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, and Bernice King; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and helped lead and organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott, where he made his first speech which brought new energy and outlook to the fight for civil rights in Alabama; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with other Ministers and civil rights leaders founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 and was instrumental in assisting persons of color to exercise the right to register and vote in the Southern States, rights that had been historically denied to them; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in 1963, along with many other protesters in Birmingham, Alabama, in which he wrote his famous letter from jail that eloquently spelled out his theory of non-violence; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 at the historic “March on Washington”, in which over 200,000 people attended; and where he proclaimed and emphasized his belief that all men could live together as one regardless of their race, saying that “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but rather by the content of their character”; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual who dedicated his life’s work to creating peace, racial harmony, dignity for all men and women, regardless of race, color or creed; and
WHEREAS, in 1964, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership, and as a leader in the cause of freedom justice and equality for all; and
WHEREAS, On April 4, 1968, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. His life’s work and legacy lives on as we honor him with a national holiday each year, on the third Monday in January, which has been designated by federal, state and county governments as a day to honor the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; and
WHEREAS, the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has been recognized throughout the world for providing a platform and a voice for African Americans and continues to be a national hero and leader that is celebrated today; and
WHEREAS, January 20, 2025 is the anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Reverend’s life and legacy. This day is observed as “a day on, not a day off”, and is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities; and
WHEREAS, this national day of service on January 20, 2025 shall be the day of service, leadership, development and interfaith dialogue, as all Americans are encouraged to get out into their communities and volunteer in honor the late Reverend and civil rights leader; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that this Legislative Body hereby proclaim Monday, January 20, 2025 as Dr. Martin Luther King Day and as a “Day of Service” in the City of Yonkers.