President Donald Trump issued a proclamation declaring Monday a federal holiday, urging Americans to recall the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
“Today, as we pause to mark the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we recommit ourselves to the advancement of equality and justice for all Americans and to the full realization of his worthy dream,” Trump wrote in his proclamation.
The president recalled King’s vision of lifting America from the “quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
“His extraordinary message that momentous day in August of 1963 stirred to action Americans of every race and creed, and it continues to reverberate in the hearts and minds of patriotic citizens across our great land,” Trump wrote in his proclamation.
The president noted that he was committed to expanding jobs and opportunities for Americans of every race, noting historic unemployment lows for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans. He also reminded Americans of his successful effort to reform the criminal justice system with the First Step Act.
“We have also made great strides as a Nation, but we acknowledge that more work must be done for, in the words of Dr. King, ‘justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream,'” he continued.
He urged all Americans to unite around King’s message.
“May the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the efforts we have made to fully effectuate his dream remind us that faith and love unite us together as one great American family,” he wrote.