Gaveled in 11:12 AM · Albany, New York · 2009–10 session
1 2 NEW YORK STATE SENATE 3 4 5 THE STENOGRAPHIC RECORD 6 7 8 9 10 ALBANY, NEW YORK 11 January 13, 2009 12 11:12 a.m. 13 14 15 REGULAR SESSION 16 17 18 19 SENATOR NEIL D. BRESLIN, Acting President 20 ANGELO J. APONTE, Secretary 21 22 23 24
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(518) 371-8910 1 P R O C E E D I N G S 2 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: The 3 Senate will please come to order. 4 I ask everybody to face the Flag 5 and pledge allegiance. 6 (Whereupon, the assemblage recited 7 the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.) 8 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: In the 9 absence of clergy, may we bow our heads for a 10 moment of silence. 11 (Whereupon, the assemblage 12 respected a moment of silence.) 13 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: The 14 reading of the Journal. 15 THE SECRETARY: In Senate, 16 Monday, January 12, the Senate met pursuant to 17 adjournment. The Journal of Friday, 18 January 9, was read and approved. On motion, 19 Senate adjourned. 20 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: 21 Without objection, the Journal stands approved 22 as read. 23 Presentation of petitions. 24 Messages from the Assembly.
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(518) 371-8910 1 Messages from the Governor. 2 Reports of standing committees. 3 Reports of select committees. 4 Communications and reports from 5 state officers. 6 Motions and resolutions. 7 The chair recognizes Senator Smith. 8 SENATOR SMITH: Yes, Mr. 9 President. I have a resolution at the desk. 10 I ask that the resolution be read 11 in its entirety and move for its immediate 12 adoption. 13 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: The 14 Secretary will read. 15 THE SECRETARY: By Senator Smith, 16 Legislative Resolution Number 10, 17 commemorating the 80th birthday of the 18 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 19 paying tribute to his life and 20 accomplishments. 21 "WHEREAS, From time to time we take 22 note of certain individuals whom we wish to 23 recognize for their valued contributions and 24 to publicly acknowledge their endeavors which
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(518) 371-8910 1 have enhanced the basic humanity among us all; 2 and 3 "WHEREAS, Attendant to such 4 concern, and in full accord with its 5 long-standing traditions, it is the intent of 6 this Legislative Body to commemorate the 7 80th birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin 8 Luther King, Jr., to pay tribute to his life 9 and accomplishments, and to celebrate the 10 23rd anniversary of the observance of his 11 birthday as a national holiday; and 12 "WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr., 13 was born January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, 14 Georgia, to Alberta and Martin Luther King, 15 Sr., whose maternal grandfather founded the 16 Ebenezer Baptist Church, which the young 17 Dr. King would be associated with for most of 18 his life; and 19 "WHEREAS, Following his graduation 20 from high school at the age of 15, Martin 21 Luther King, Jr., earned a Bachelor of Arts 22 degree from Morehouse College in 1948, a 23 Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer 24 Theological Seminary in 1951, and a doctorate
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(518) 371-8910 1 from Boston University in 1955; and 2 "WHEREAS, in 1953, Martin Luther 3 King, Jr., married Coretta Scott, who was an 4 accomplished individual in her own right as a 5 talented singer and a graduate of the 6 prestigious New England Conservatory of Music. 7 From this union came four children: Yolanda, 8 Martin III, Dexter, and Bernice; and 9 "WHEREAS, One year later, Martin 10 and Coretta King arrived in Montgomery, 11 Alabama, where he assumed leadership of the 12 Dexter Avenue Baptist Church; and 13 "WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 14 leadership skills would be put to the test in 15 early December of 1955, when Rosa Parks's 16 refusal to remove herself from her seat in the 17 whites-only section of the city bus triggered 18 the 382-day Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first 19 great Negro nonviolent demonstration of 20 contemporary times in the United States; and 21 "WHEREAS, The bus boycott, which 22 ended December 21, 1956, when the Supreme 23 Court declared unconstitutional the laws 24 requiring segregation on buses in the South,
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(518) 371-8910 1 propelled Martin Luther King, Jr. into the 2 national spotlight; and 3 "WHEREAS, In 1957, Martin Luther 4 King, Jr., was elected president of the 5 Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an 6 organization which formed to provide new 7 leadership for the burgeoning civil rights 8 movement, drawing their ideals from 9 Christianity and strategy of nonviolent 10 protest from Gandhi; and 11 "WHEREAS, At great danger to 12 themselves, Martin Luther King, Jr., and his 13 allies in the civil rights movement used 14 nonviolence to call attention to the racial 15 inequities that were pervasive throughout the 16 South, as well as to call for full voting 17 rights for African-Americans; and 18 "WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 19 commitment to racial equality was laid out in 20 dramatic fashion on August 28, 1963, before 21 200,000 Americans of all races, from all 22 corners of the country; 23 "His well-known 'I Have A Dream' 24 speech, where he spoke of a nation that would
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(518) 371-8910 1 'rise up and live out the true meaning of its 2 creed: We hold these truths to be 3 self-evident, that all men are created equal,' 4 and where his four little children would 'one 5 day live in a nation where they would be not 6 judged by the color of their skin but by the 7 content of their character'; and 8 "WHEREAS, Because of Martin Luther 9 King, Jr.'s dedication and commitment to 10 racial equality, today, in the 21st century, 11 his dream has become a reality with the 12 monumental election of Barack Obama as 13 America's first African-American president; 14 and 15 "WHEREAS, The Nobel Committee 16 recognized both Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work 17 as a civil rights leader and his moral stance 18 against racism with the 1964 Nobel Prize for 19 Peace at the age of 35, making him the 20 youngest recipient of this prestigious honor; 21 and 22 "WHEREAS, Martin Luther King, Jr., 23 saw beyond race to address important issues 24 that affected all Americans, regardless of the
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(518) 371-8910 1 color of their skin, including the Vietnam 2 War, economic injustice, and labor issues; and 3 "WHEREAS, By 1967, he had plans to 4 initiate a Poor People's Campaign to bring 5 much-needed attention to the issue of poverty. 6 It was on this unforgettable date, April 4, 7 1968, that Martin Luther King, Jr., was in 8 Tennessee to support the black sanitation 9 workers who were on strike when he was 10 assassinated; and 11 "WHEREAS, Just as Gandhi had 12 inspired Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., so did 13 his words inspire Nelson Mandela, as well as 14 hundreds of thousands of black South Africans, 15 to fight against the system of apartheid until 16 it was also destroyed; and 17 "WHEREAS, Today, four decades after 18 his death, Dr. King's commitment to racial 19 equality and his tireless equality and his 20 tireless efforts to make this country 'one 21 nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice 22 for all,' is still remembered not just by 23 young and old Americans alike, but by men, 24 women and children around the world who study
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(518) 371-8910 1 his work, and his words, and are moved to 2 action by his declaration that 'injustice 3 anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'; 4 and 5 "WHEREAS, A moving example of the 6 high regard with which Dr. King is held 7 globally is at London's Westminster Abbey, 8 where his statue, along with those of nine 9 other twentieth-century martyrs, adorn the 10 west front end of this venerable cathedral; 11 and 12 "WHEREAS, Upon the occasion of the 13 observance of the 80th birthday of the 14 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this 15 Legislative Body wishes to commemorate the 16 lifelong struggle of the man who wanted to be 17 known as a 'Drum Major for Peace'; now, 18 therefore, be it 19 "RESOLVED, That this Legislative 20 Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate 21 the 80th birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin 22 Luther King, Jr., and to pay tribute to his 23 life and accomplishments, and be it further 24 "RESOLVED, That copies of this
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(518) 371-8910 1 resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted 2 to the New York State Black, Puerto Rican and 3 Hispanic Legislative Caucus, and to the family 4 of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." 5 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: 6 Senator Smith. 7 SENATOR SMITH: Yes, thank you 8 very much, Mr. President. 9 Colleagues, today Martin Luther 10 King would be 80 years old. I think it is 11 very fitting that on this particular day we 12 recognize someone who clearly has been the one 13 to bring change to this entire country. 14 And we ourselves still are 15 experiencing and reaping the benefits of all 16 that Martin Luther King stood for. As you 17 know, next week, one of those who stood on his 18 shoulders will become the 44th President of 19 the United States, Barack Obama. 20 I myself stand here on his 21 shoulders as well, being the first 22 African-American Majority Leader in the 23 history of this state. 24 Many of my colleagues also are the
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(518) 371-8910 1 "first to be" in terms of moving to a place 2 that Martin Luther King has always stood for, 3 justice for everyone. 4 And I find it very interesting that 5 yesterday we had a discussion about reform and 6 bringing change to this chamber, allowing 7 rank-and-file members to be equal partners. 8 And I remember and recall a quote of Martin 9 Luther King that "Injustice anywhere is a 10 threat to justice everywhere." 11 I think yesterday we recognize that 12 that injustice was that members of this house 13 were not treated fairly and that we will no 14 longer go down that path. 15 I think if Martin was still living 16 here today, he would have came here this 17 afternoon and would have been very proud of 18 each and every one of our members, because he 19 would have said this is the 62 that recognized 20 that their actions are speaking louder than 21 their words. 22 At 80 years old, I am sure he would 23 have been very proud of each one of us. And I 24 think we owe it to our families, our
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(518) 371-8910 1 constituents to continue on with his legacy. 2 And I am very proud to be able to 3 stand here and say that had it not been for 4 him, perhaps there would not be a Barack 5 Obama. Had it not been for him, perhaps there 6 would not be a David Paterson. Perhaps, if it 7 was not for him, there would not be a Malcolm 8 Smith or a Ruth Hassell-Thompson, who is now 9 the first African-American woman in the 10 history of this state to chair the Majority 11 Conference. 12 So there's a lot of firsts, 13 Mr. President. 14 And I would just hope that our 15 colleagues recognize that it doesn't always 16 matter what one says, what really matters is 17 what one does. 18 And I think Martin Luther King has 19 been tremendous for all of us, and we now have 20 to take up that mantle and, from this day 21 forward, remember everything that we do, 22 someone will either change their lives as a 23 result of what we do or perhaps they will be 24 teaching some young person about you and what
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(518) 371-8910 1 you stood for to try to move that young person 2 to another place in their cycle of life that 3 they will take up the responsibility to be a 4 responsible person in society today. 5 So we salute Martin Luther King 6 today, Mr. President. I salute all of my 7 colleagues. Each and every one of you, in 8 your own way, has a Martin in you, because you 9 are now going to do something in the future 10 that we all will be talking about at some 11 point as we move on with our lives. 12 Thank you very much, Mr. President. 13 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 14 you, Senator Smith. 15 Senator Larkin. 16 SENATOR LARKIN: Thank you, 17 Mr. President. 18 Thank you very much, Senator Smith, 19 for introducing this resolution. 20 I probably am the only one in this 21 room that has ever met Dr. King face to face 22 in life. 23 But before Dr. King, I had the 24 distinct pleasure of commanding troops, in
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(518) 371-8910 1 peace and war, who in those years were 2 designated not African-American, but black. 3 We went from the number 100th unit in Eighth 4 Army, a year later we went to number one. We 5 went to number one because we believed in 6 principles. 7 And those principles, as I look 8 back now from '49 until the time I met 9 Dr. King -- and I met him at Selma. I was the 10 Army's project officer on the visit to Alabama 11 on the 14th of March, to address the late 12 Governor Wallace and to ask him to activate 13 his troops, for this. 14 "For what?" he said. I said, "Very 15 simple. There is a peaceful march to show 16 respect and dignity for everybody, for all 17 Americans." Not African-Americans, not black 18 Americans, not Negro Americans, but Americans. 19 Because if you look at the march 20 that took place, our governor's father, Basil, 21 was in the front row. There was a picture in 22 the New York Times -- and I think we talked 23 about this before, Senator Smith, with the 24 Governor. I didn't know that. I was wearing
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(518) 371-8910 1 suits like this in those days. 2 But it was a very interesting time. 3 You know, Governor Wallace told me where I 4 could go, and he told me where the President 5 could go, and neither one of us were going to 6 go there. 7 But at midnight that night on the 8 14th, I went back to the government building 9 in Montgomery and handed him his instructions 10 to activate the National Guard on the orders 11 of the President of the United States. 12 Now, Governor Wallace's comments 13 were, "Dr. King doesn't understand," quote. 14 The problem was that Wallace did not want to 15 understand. 16 This was not about Dr. Martin 17 Luther King. And too many people today think 18 it was about him. It was about where we were 19 going to go in this country. 20 We've made progress. But in my 21 meeting -- which took five minutes at the 22 most, and then I dealt with Dr. Abernathy, who 23 many of you know. And the question was not 24 what should we do but how should we do it.
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(518) 371-8910 1 Dr. King said, "Just do me a favor. 2 Make sure that we have organized and 3 structured everybody so that there is no, no 4 violence on this march." 5 Now, some of you are too young to 6 remember -- Diane, you're too young to 7 remember. Even the Majority Leader is young 8 to remember. But what we did -- some of you 9 might have done a little history study on it. 10 But it was a major, major enterprise. 11 We brought troops from the signal 12 group all the way from Ft. Lewis, Washington. 13 We brought the 720 MP Battalion, from Ft. 14 Hood, Texas. We brought troops from Kentucky; 15 from Ft. Gordon, Georgia; from Stewart. 16 And we did it. The only rascal 17 that tried to get out of line was Bull 18 Connor -- some of you might remember that 19 name -- with the bullwhip and his hose. I had 20 the distinct pleasure of meeting him with an 21 FBI agent who was about six-foot-nine behind 22 me, and told him: "If you get out of line, 23 I'll throw your ass" -- excuse my language -- 24 "in jail."
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(518) 371-8910 1 I've never seen him since. I don't 2 know where he's at today; he may be six feet 3 under. 4 But the important part about it was 5 the structure. You know, we were in the 6 basement of this church, small church. And 7 there was a young woman who's written a book, 8 it's called "Selma, Selma, Selma." And in it 9 she says, "I never saw so many white people in 10 one location before in my life." 11 Now, that march was scheduled from 12 the 21st to the 25th of March. We had all of 13 the troops -- we had some of them lined up, we 14 had marshals, Dr. King's people had marshals. 15 And the goal was to get into Montgomery on the 16 25th without any violence. 17 Some of you who ever read anything 18 about the railroad -- probably Dale, from up 19 in Buffalo area -- knows the railroads have 20 these little jimmies that they go. And we 21 used to travel every day from today's position 22 to tonight's position to ensure that there was 23 no damage to the railcars. We had ordnance 24 explosive people look at the campsites where
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(518) 371-8910 1 they would be that night. 2 Did it take a lot of time? Yes. 3 Did it take a lot of effort? Yes. Was it 4 worth it? One hundred times more. 5 What it showed us was that we had a 6 mission as Americans. And I go back to my 7 days as a young company commander. What you 8 give to somebody and show them how to do it 9 presents them with the goal of how to do it 10 for themself and others in the future. 11 I'm very proud of my 12 accomplishments on that mission. And I hear 13 people talk about Dr. King today. My 14 experience, there were a lot of Americans -- 15 not African-Americans, Americans. 16 Dr. King said, "I have a vision" 17 when he met in August '63 in Washington, at 18 the Mall. What did he talk about? He talked 19 about his children, he talked about the 20 future. 21 And then here in 1968, after going 22 through that in '65, some idiot shoots him 23 because of his participation with the 24 sanitation workers in that hotel in Memphis.
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(518) 371-8910 1 And, you know, what did it do to 2 our nation? It turned us into turmoil, riots, 3 everything else. Just because somebody didn't 4 like the way somebody was doing something. 5 Dr. King and I disagreed on the war 6 in Vietnam, but that's nothing. Other people 7 disagree on it. But one thing I thought that 8 he did is he tried to tell somebody to do 9 something. 10 And I think, you know, to sit here 11 today and sign onto a resolution and get home 12 and send it to the NAACP or some church, 13 that's -- big deal. 14 How about going back home and 15 saying, to your church group or your small 16 group -- as you mentioned to me, Senator 17 Smith -- that we have to not read but 18 introduce young people into what Dr. King 19 meant? 20 Just to say "I like Dr. King and 21 I'm so glad what he did," does that make us 22 people of Dr. King? No. What makes us people 23 is when we start to say stop the crime, stop 24 this, get an education, move out and move
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(518) 371-8910 1 forward. That's what he was talking about. 2 But too often we don't tell this to young 3 people. 4 I'm proud to have been selected by 5 the chief of staff of the Army to represent 6 the Army and the American government at Selma 7 in 1965. It was an education. It was an 8 education for me, one that I've never 9 forgotten. Didn't get to meet the gentleman 10 but five minutes, but in five minutes he told 11 us the thing: Let's do it, let's do it right. 12 No violence. And remember, everyone is born 13 equal. 14 I'm glad, I thank you for putting 15 in this resolution. But I would like to make 16 one other suggestion. It was said that we 17 will send it to this one, to that one, to this 18 one. I think we ought to send it to every -- 19 to the NAACP in New York, and the national, 20 and tell them what New York did, what New York 21 expresses, what New York would want. 22 Our young kids ought to be able to 23 go there and say, "That picture in there is of 24 Dr. King. What did I know about him?" And
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(518) 371-8910 1 people start to talk about this, that, and the 2 other. 3 But they forget. He had a message. 4 If you're just going to listen to that and not 5 carry out some of these proposals, you have 6 failed Dr. King. You have failed his family. 7 You have failed yourself. We have failed 8 ourself. 9 Because when we work together as a 10 team, whether it's in this chamber here or 11 outside of here for our fellow human beings, 12 when we stop considering the aspect of our 13 fellow human beings -- here's a gentleman who 14 put his life on the line 44 years ago. He 15 knew that every time he stepped up, he was a 16 target. 17 Let's make sure that we do today 18 step forward and say, He was a target. He was 19 the goalkeeper. Let us do something. Because 20 if we don't, we'll be here a year from today 21 saying the same message. 22 Let's be here today and say, I will 23 try to communicate with my communities to make 24 them better citizens and to say, clearly and
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(518) 371-8910 1 upright: Dr. King, thank you for your vision, 2 thank you for your leadership, and may God 3 bless you all. 4 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 5 you, Senator Larkin. 6 Senator Parker. 7 SENATOR PARKER: Thank you, 8 Mr. President. On the resolution. 9 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: You 10 may proceed. 11 SENATOR PARKER: Let me first 12 thank Senator Smith for introducing this 13 resolution and commemorating this important 14 day. 15 Thursday, January 15th, will be the 16 80th birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin 17 Luther King, Jr. And it's critically 18 important for everybody in this room, in this 19 nation, in this state. 20 What would have been his 21 80th birthday really gives us a time to 22 reflect, because there certainly would not 23 have been a President-elect Barack Obama, a 24 David Paterson, a Governor David Paterson, a
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(518) 371-8910 1 President Pro Tem and Majority Leader Malcolm 2 A. Smith. There would not have been a 3 Majority Conference Chair Ruth 4 Hassell-Thompson, or a Majority Whip of 5 myself, if it had not been for the things that 6 Dr. King believed and fought for for this 7 country. 8 His message of nonviolent action -- 9 and people remember the nonviolence, and 10 people very much try to forget the action. 11 And let me just note that the actions that he 12 took, sitting at lunch counters, protesting 13 both governments and private institutions that 14 in fact at that time were practicing Jim Crow 15 in the South in the 1950s and 1960s, these 16 were very, very, very dangerous things he was 17 doing. 18 It's not like now. You know, and 19 we look at modern-day civil rights leaders 20 who, you know, are disrupting sometimes in our 21 city and our state and they get arrested. But 22 getting arrested in 2006 or 2007 or 2008 in 23 New York City is different than the 1950s, 24 1960s, in Alabama, in Georgia, in Tennessee,
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(518) 371-8910 1 in South Carolina. 2 People were getting arrested and 3 not knowing whether they were even going to 4 ever emerge again from those prisons, from 5 those jails that they were being held in. 6 People were beaten. People had dogs sicced on 7 them. People were, you know, hosed down with 8 high-pressure water hoses. I mean, this was a 9 significant amount of violence. 10 And in the face of that, Dr. King 11 embodied the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi 12 and David Thoreau -- and Christ, quite 13 frankly -- and said, We should turn the other 14 cheek. That we should in fact confront 15 violence with an action that does not involve 16 violence. 17 And now this seems like a kind of 18 commonplace thing, but then it was really the 19 hot property. Because on the other hand you 20 had other leaders who were in fact not looking 21 at that -- you know, at that modality as the 22 way to go. And there was really a hot debate, 23 both within the larger civil society of 24 America but particularly within black and
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(518) 371-8910 1 Latino communities, about how you in fact 2 address the problem of de jure segregation and 3 racism, both institutional and individual. 4 At a time when people were being 5 lynched literally daily, Dr. King had really 6 the leadership and the vision and the 7 prophetic message to go out there and to 8 organize people. 9 See, people think that his greatest 10 gift are the words that he spoke. Quite 11 frankly, that was the least of it. 12 If you look at what the enduring 13 contribution of Dr. King was, it's really 14 about organizations. It's really about 15 looking at the Southern Christian Leadership 16 Conference and really looking at SNCC, the 17 Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and 18 looking at organizations like the NAACP and 19 the Urban League and CORE, the Congress of 20 Racial Equality. 21 It is really -- because movement 22 happens not by individuals but by 23 organizations. And the ability for -- and 24 again, these things seem like, you know, why
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(518) 371-8910 1 are you saying this, because it's kind of 2 commonplace now. But at that time, organizing 3 African-Americans against racism and Jim Crow 4 was not an easy thing. 5 NAACP, you know, they meet in 6 Brooklyn, and Bed-Stuy Restoration, you know, 7 monthly. Nobody says -- no press conferences. 8 Nobody pays attention. 9 But to organize an NAACP chapter, 10 you know, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 11 1950-something was tantamount to committing 12 mass suicide. 13 And so when we look at Dr. King's 14 contribution, we should contextualize it at 15 the time that it was and understand that we 16 are here and walk the streets in relative 17 safety to those times because of the 18 contributions and the organization of 19 Dr. King. 20 And I'll wrap up, Mr. President. 21 Everybody knows King from the March 22 on Washington and the great "I Have A Dream" 23 speech. But remember when Dr. King went to 24 Washington, he went to cash a check. And
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(518) 371-8910 1 unlike many of us who to go cash, you know, 2 our well-paid government checks, he went to 3 cash a check on the promise that America had 4 made to give people an opportunity, of this 5 being the land of the free and the home of the 6 brave. 7 And when he went there, he said 8 that the check of freedom had been marked 9 "insufficient funds." 10 Let me say to you today that with 11 the election of Barack Obama and having David 12 Paterson as our Governor and Malcolm Smith as 13 our Majority Leader, the debt has not been 14 paid yet, but we are beginning to put a down 15 payment on freedom for everybody in this 16 country. 17 It is frankly not until we start 18 dealing with things like unequal economic and 19 employment opportunities in this country are 20 we going to be able to say that that debt has 21 been fully paid. 22 It's not until we get rid of health 23 disparities in this country, particularly 24 amongst African-Americans -- who are the
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(518) 371-8910 1 leaders in every single major detrimental 2 health disparity in this country, whether 3 you're talking about AIDS or colon cancer or, 4 you know, just even the common cold -- until 5 we're able to deal with those health 6 disparities, we will not be able to say, 7 Mr. President, that this has been paid in 8 full. 9 Until we in fact make sure that the 10 housing opportunities for everyone in this 11 country are the same -- until we in fact see 12 marriage equality in this country -- we're not 13 going to be able to say that we have marked 14 Dr. King's check of freedom "paid in full." 15 Because, as Dr. King reminded us, 16 injustice anywhere is a threat to justice 17 everywhere. And that this message was not 18 simply about African-Americans, it was about 19 everyone. It was about everyone. 20 It was about making sure that there 21 was justice for women, making sure there was 22 justice for Latinos and Asians, for whites, 23 making sure that there was justice for any 24 group that might be discriminated against or
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(518) 371-8910 1 being threatened or hurt. 2 That that is in fact the shining 3 city on the hill that we're still trying to 4 climb to. And we're not there yet. But 5 hopefully, that in this body, we will in fact 6 make Dr. King's message valid and, as Senator 7 Larkin said, in fact make it embodied in our 8 actions every single day. 9 As we leave this chamber today, 10 that we will be refortified with the message, 11 the life and the legacy of Dr. King, and that 12 we will bring those messages to our districts. 13 And not just giving the speeches 14 over the next week, but indeed, as we in fact 15 craft that legislation, as we in fact deal 16 with community-based organizations, as we look 17 at how we in fact balance a budget with a 18 $15 billion deficit, in those things, that's 19 the time that we need to be embodying Dr. 20 King's message. 21 This Monday I actually am holding 22 an MLK event called "The Shared Dream." It's 23 a tribute to the life and legacy of the 24 Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King in words and
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(518) 371-8910 1 song. 2 I'm going to take this opportunity 3 to extend the invitation personally to all my 4 colleagues here, and to their constituents. 5 It's going to be in my district, but it's not 6 going to be limited to those folks. 7 It's a free gospel concert. We're 8 celebrating the day in a way that I think that 9 Dr. King would have celebrated it, by lifting 10 the name of his Savior, of his Christ, and 11 remembering where he got his inspiration from. 12 So it will be 5:30 the doors open 13 at Brooklyn College, at the Walt Whitman 14 Theater. Again, I welcome all of you. We're 15 going to have a great gospel concert. It's 16 going to feature a good friend and somebody 17 who is just a real genius as it relates to 18 gospel music, Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr 19 Singers. 20 And so that is a small way in which 21 I bring to my district and try to bring to the 22 state -- this actually turned out, with over 23 2,000 people, to be the second-largest MLK 24 event in the City of New York.
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(518) 371-8910 1 And so I look forward to our 2 continued work together and, day by day, 3 living the legacy of Dr. King. 4 Thank you very much, Mr. President. 5 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 6 you, Senator Parker. 7 Senator Hassell-Thompson. 8 SENATOR HASSELL-THOMPSON: Thank 9 you, Mr. President. 10 I too would rise to congratulate 11 our Leader on bringing this resolution to the 12 floor and giving us an opportunity to continue 13 to lift the name of Dr. Martin Luther King in 14 praise and certainly in gratitude for all of 15 the things that he did that allowed us to be 16 in this place. 17 Senator Larkin, you're not the only 18 person in this chamber who has ever met 19 Dr. King. I too had the great fortune. 20 In the City of Mount Vernon, one of 21 its oldest churches -- in fact, its oldest 22 Baptist church -- is Grace Baptist. And he 23 came to Grace Baptist Church to bring his 24 message of hope and bring his message of true
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(518) 371-8910 1 freedom. And I was one of those very 2 fortunate people who could get into the 3 church. 4 I mean, there were crowds waiting 5 almost a block away, attempting to be inside. 6 And I was one of those who was inside and had 7 the opportunity to actually shake his hand. 8 And at that moment, for me, I think 9 it helped to seal the commitment that I have 10 tried to make and the walk that I have tried 11 to walk to ensure that my life would reflect 12 gratitude for the dream that he believed and 13 certainly one that he lived. 14 And I think that when I speak each 15 year on this resolution I continue to convey 16 the message that while I was not the kind of 17 person that could have made those marches, 18 because I didn't have the temperament for 19 those marches, but I certainly had the heart 20 for what the work of Dr. King was about. 21 And so I admonish all of us to 22 continue to walk in that light, because he 23 brought a message, he brought a -- he was a 24 liver of the dream. He was a person who
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(518) 371-8910 1 believed in what he spoke about. 2 Some of us speak rhetorically. But 3 as I heard our Leader say, we pay attention 4 not so much to what people say, but to what 5 they do. And in that posture, if we watch 6 each other and if we help each other, we will 7 continue to live out the dream. 8 We have an obligation. We took a 9 sworn oath not only to support the 10 Constitution of the United States and the 11 Constitution of the State of New York but 12 also, in that process, we took an oath to 13 serve. And if we serve, if we do the best 14 that we can, then we will live out the dream. 15 We will create laws and we will break down 16 barriers that keep people from having the 17 opportunities that they can have in life. 18 And so thank you, Mr. President, 19 for the opportunity to stand with others as we 20 commemorate one of our greatest leaders in 21 this country today. 22 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 23 you, Senator Hassell-Thompson. 24 Senator Stewart-Cousins.
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(518) 371-8910 1 SENATOR STEWART-COUSINS: Thank 2 you, Mr. President. 3 I too rise to commend our Leader, 4 Malcolm Smith, for putting forth this 5 resolution and having us spend these moments 6 to commemorate the legacy and the life of 7 Dr. King. 8 On January 15, 2009, my grandson, 9 Kendall Xavier Cousins, will celebrate his 10 sixth birthday. It will be five days before 11 President Barack Obama takes the oath of 12 office. 13 He will continue his life in a 14 state that has Governor David Paterson and 15 Majority Leader Senator Malcolm Smith. He 16 will have a grandmother who's a Senator. And 17 he will know of the amazing times that he was 18 born into. 19 He won't know, unless we tell him, 20 of the stories that his great-grandparents 21 went through. And I'll have to remind him 22 that my mother and father didn't believe, as I 23 stand here and relate this on a yearly basis, 24 didn't believe that Dr. King could do what he
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(518) 371-8910 1 said he could do. 2 My parents didn't believe that the 3 heart of America could open. They didn't 4 believe that black people in America could 5 achieve the success that he inspired the world 6 to believe America could achieve. 7 My parents, as they went through 8 menial jobs, no jobs, as they were told again 9 and again because of the color of their skin 10 they could not go to school, they could not go 11 to college, they could not have a living wage, 12 they could not do. 13 My parents, despite whatever they 14 had personally achieved, believed that it was 15 better for us to just work hard in our own 16 little lives and not depend on the dreams of a 17 Dr. King, who might leave us after he'd gone 18 on to glory and even a worse place. They 19 were, on many levels, afraid. 20 And every time we saw the images of 21 the dogs and the jail and we understood that 22 people got lynched and chastised for daring to 23 stand up, on some level my parents said: You 24 see? We were right. Just take a moment.
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(518) 371-8910 1 But what all of us didn't recognize 2 as we were looking at what was happening out 3 there is that the seeds were being planted. 4 That the hope, the inspiration, the vision -- 5 regardless of what it looked like -- was 6 taking hold. And moment after moment, this 7 society, this America, black people in 8 America, were growing. 9 And as we grew, things moved. And 10 although Dr. King knew he would not see the 11 vision realized, we every day realize that his 12 vision is here. 13 So as Kendall celebrates his 14 birthday on the 15th, coming into a very 15 different world than his ancestors knew, I 16 want to remind Kendall and all the Kendalls -- 17 and all of us -- that our actions do speak 18 louder than words. 19 We do need a messenger who 20 rhetorically can lift us to those heights. 21 But every single action creates an 22 opportunity. Our actions here, our actions in 23 our lives make the vision that we aren't even 24 brave enough to see come true.
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(518) 371-8910 1 So as we celebrate this, I hope 2 that we understand that our moments of living 3 give life to the vision that is brighter and 4 stronger than even Kendall can realize. 5 Thank you. 6 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 7 you, Senator Stewart-Cousins. 8 Senator Perkins. 9 SENATOR PERKINS: Thank you, 10 Mr. President. 11 And I want to thank Senator Smith, 12 our Leader, for giving us the opportunity to 13 reflect and recommit on this very, very 14 important life, this very, very important 15 individual that so many of us have been 16 influenced by, that has made such an important 17 difference to our nation and to the world, for 18 that matter. 19 And, you know, you mentioned 20 injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere. 21 And for the most part, we tend of think of 22 Dr. King as a civil rights leader of great 23 influence and importance. But actually, his 24 leadership is perhaps more germane now beyond
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(518) 371-8910 1 civil rights than ever before. 2 Because quite frankly, we may 3 remember that when he died, when he was 4 assassinated, it was not a civil rights 5 journey, it was on an economic justice 6 journey. It was on an economic justice rights 7 journey. 8 And in fact, he was on his way to 9 Washington as we are, some of us, next week. 10 But not to celebrate, unfortunately, the 11 president, or the agenda of the president. In 12 fact, quite the opposite, to criticize that 13 agenda and to demand, in a Poor People's 14 Campaign, that this nation had a 15 responsibility to address the economic crisis 16 that the poor, especially, were experiencing. 17 And as we have the privilege here 18 in this really momentous time to address a 19 similar crisis in this state, I would hope 20 that in the spirit of Dr. King that we 21 remember, as we maneuver this budget, this 22 very challenging budget, that we do not 23 victimize the poor anymore than they already 24 are.
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(518) 371-8910 1 That we recognize, as Dr. King I 2 believe would recognize, that there are those 3 who have more who can give more. And that as 4 we begin to try to balance out the inequities, 5 that we look to those who have more to help 6 those who have less. 7 And that when we do get the 8 opportunity to celebrate Barack Obama and the 9 history-making that he is about to bring 10 forward, that we celebrate it with Dr. King's 11 agenda in mind -- not just a civil rights 12 agenda but, very more importantly, the 13 economic justice agenda. 14 And let me just say one other thing 15 in conclusion. Dr. King made an extraordinary 16 speech that some of us remember first at 17 Riverside Church in New York City, in my 18 district, and then again in a very remarkable 19 moment at the United Nations, embracing 20 Stokely Carmichael. 21 Stokely Carmichael and Dr. King, as 22 you know, were at odds from different points 23 of view, sort of in the spirit, I think, that 24 Senator Thompson was talking about, because
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(518) 371-8910 1 Stokely was radical, young, aggressive, 2 militant, Student Nonviolent Coordinating 3 Committee, and Dr. King was considered to be 4 different and civil rights and peace. 5 But they embraced because at that 6 point they both stood against a war, at the 7 United Nations, that was diverting resources 8 from the agenda of the people in the 9 country -- dollars, many, many dollars, sort 10 of like what's happening right now with the 11 Iraq War. 12 And so we have to keep that kind of 13 memory of Dr. King as legislators with the 14 privilege of making the difference, because he 15 really was talking to us when he decided to go 16 to Washington. He wasn't talking to Wall 17 Street, he was talking to those of us that 18 have the privilege of really making the 19 difference. 20 He recognized the awesome 21 opportunities that we have, more so perhaps 22 than we would recognize it, and was 23 sacrificing his life in order to convince us 24 that we can make a difference.
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(518) 371-8910 1 And I hope that we will try to do 2 that here in this historic moment in state 3 government, again in the historic moment 4 that's going to take place in Washington. 5 And I just want to say I didn't get 6 a chance to meet him, though I must say that 7 my first, most significant introduction to 8 this was at the Poor People's Campaign in 9 Washington, D.C., where I had the opportunity 10 to organize and to attend and spend some time 11 down there. 12 So when I go down next week, I will 13 be going down remembering the Poor People's 14 Campaign, remembering those tents that were 15 down there, those folks that came from all 16 over the country -- from Appalachia, from 17 Harlem, from all the communities that were 18 desperately in need of the influence of 19 government to make a difference in their life. 20 And that's the spirit in which I will be 21 attending it. 22 So I want to thank you again for 23 reminding me of how important is that aspect 24 of Dr. King's life.
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(518) 371-8910 1 Thank you. 2 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 3 you, Senator Perkins. 4 Senator Diaz. 5 SENATOR DIAZ: Thank you, 6 Mr. President. On the resolution. 7 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: You 8 may proceed, Senator Diaz. 9 SENATOR DIAZ: Mr. President, I 10 never met Martin Luther King, never worked 11 with him, never saw him in person. But today 12 I'm joining my colleagues and my Leader, 13 Malcolm Smith, in being part of this 14 resolution. 15 Yesterday, yesterday here on this 16 floor, something great happened, and I don't 17 want that to go unnoticed. My colleague, 18 Senator Parker, said that the debt on the 19 black community has not been paid, that just a 20 payment has been done. And yesterday 21 something happened here because, thanks to the 22 effort of Martin Luther King, his death, and 23 all his achievements, people have been 24 getting -- we all have been getting benefits.
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(518) 371-8910 1 Yesterday, on this floor, our 2 Hispanic community got something that we never 3 had. Something -- two things we got 4 yesterday. In the person of my colleague 5 Pedro Espada, we have a position in our 6 community that we never had before. So 7 yesterday our Leader, Malcolm Smith, appointed 8 Pedro Espada, and we all rejoiced in the 9 Hispanic community for what we have gotten. 10 But not only Pedro Espada. 11 Yesterday here also, for the first time in the 12 history of this chamber, a Hispanic Senate 13 Secretary was appointed in the person of 14 Angelo Aponte. 15 So we in the Hispanic community, 16 Senator Parker, our debt has not been paid, 17 just a little deposit has been made. 18 I rejoice in the achievement of my 19 brothers and sisters in the Afro-American 20 community -- Barack Obama, like Parker said, 21 David Paterson, Malcolm Smith. But we in the 22 Hispanic community also are fighting to get 23 our share of it. So we started. We started 24 yesterday, we started this year, in the person
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(518) 371-8910 1 of Pedro Espada and in the person of Angelo 2 Aponte. 3 So I never met Martin Luther King, 4 never worked with him, never saw him. But let 5 me tell you what I saw and what I know, 6 Mr. President. 7 In 1960 I was 18 years old in 8 Puerto Rico, running in the street in Puerto 9 Rico. But there was a conflict in Vietnam, 10 and when I got to be 18, I went, voluntary, 11 and joined the United States Army so I could 12 go and fight for my country. I didn't know 13 anything. I was -- I didn't even know that I 14 was black when I was in Puerto Rico. I didn't 15 know I was black, 18 years old, running, 16 playing, innocent. I didn't know. 17 Then I joined the Army in 18 Puerto Rico, and I was sent, in 1960, I was 19 sent to Columbia, South Carolina, to 20 Ft. Jackson, to get my basic training. Martin 21 Luther King was not yet working for -- it was 22 1960. 23 And when I got to Columbia, to 24 Ft. Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina, I was
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(518) 371-8910 1 traveling from Puerto Rico with all my white 2 brothers and sisters from Puerto Rico. I was 3 the only black. But I didn't even -- I didn't 4 know I was black until I got to Columbia, 5 South Carolina. 6 Then I found out what I was. Then 7 I found out something that until today I know, 8 and people don't know, that I'm black and 9 Hispanic, and that I'm in a limbo stage. 10 Because when I went to Columbia, 11 South Carolina, with my white and Hispanic 12 fellows and we went to a bar, all of us 13 Puerto Ricans, and we all sat down in a bar in 14 Columbia, and the waiter came and took their 15 orders, and they all ordered beers, and the 16 waiter turned his back on me and walked away. 17 And I called him and said, "I want 18 a beer too." He told me, "Whatever you're 19 looking for, we haven't got it." 20 So I turned to my colleagues from 21 Puerto Rico, my Puerto Rican friends, white, 22 and said, "What happened?" They told me, "He 23 doesn't want to serve you." "So what do I 24 do?" They told me: "You have to leave." And
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(518) 371-8910 1 I left, alone, while my fellow Puerto Ricans 2 stood there in the bar. 3 So we black Hispanics, we're in the 4 limbo stage. And when there is a fight 5 between black and Hispanic, I don't even know 6 who I am. For the black, I'm Hispanic; and 7 for the Hispanic, I'm black. 8 (Laughter.) 9 SENATOR DIAZ: So then when I'm 10 in Columbia, South Carolina, I start to notice 11 things that I have never noticed before. 12 When I went back to Puerto Rico, I 13 start seeing things. For example, I started 14 to notice that the governor of Puerto Rico, 15 his cabinet, they were white, and there is no 16 black, Hispanic. 17 So then you start to question 18 yourself: Are we brutes? Are we dumb? Is 19 there no black, Hispanic capable to occupy one 20 of those positions? 21 Martin Luther King started to work, 22 started to work. And we're all praising 23 Martin Luther King and we are joining together 24 praising the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King.
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(518) 371-8910 1 But ladies and gentlemen, yesterday 2 the Hispanic community got two major steps. 3 And Parker, when you talk about to pay the 4 debt on the black community, remember that 5 we're in line too there and we need to be also 6 equal or at least considered also in position. 7 We join the nation and the 8 Afro-American community in the pride of naming 9 Barack Obama the first black president. I 10 mean, first black president. 11 I need to feel proud to also name 12 the first Hispanic president, the first 13 Hispanic mayor of the City of New York, the 14 first Hispanic -- not only the position we've 15 got, this, but maybe the first Hispanic 16 majority leader here one day. 17 So we also are fighting to achieve 18 what you have achieved. And we are proud and 19 we also would like you all to join us in our 20 struggle to achieve what you have achieved, 21 because you have achieved big time. So even 22 though your debt has not been paid in full, 23 hey, I wish to be in your shoes. 24 (Laughter.)
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(518) 371-8910 1 SENATOR DIAZ: So, Mr. President, 2 I'm proud to be here. I'm proud to be part of 3 the first Puerto Rican to be appointed, in the 4 person of Pedro Espada, into that position, 5 and that the Hispanic community feels proud 6 and honored to have played a part in that 7 position. 8 I'm proud. I'm proud to be part of 9 naming the first Afro-American Majority 10 Leader. And I'm proud to be part of naming 11 the first Hispanic Secretary of the New York 12 State Senate. 13 We're still fighting, still more to 14 go. The three amigos are still together. The 15 three amigos will keep fighting for more. 16 (Laughter.) 17 SENATOR DIAZ: It is not done 18 yet. So don't blame us. We got to keep 19 fighting. We got to keep fighting. We got to 20 keep strong. 21 Thank you, the Majority Leader, 22 Malcolm Smith, for this resolution. 23 And thank you, Mr. President, for 24 this opportunity.
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(518) 371-8910 1 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 2 you, Senator Diaz. 3 Senator Savino. 4 SENATOR SAVINO: Thank you, 5 Mr. President. 6 I'm not quite sure how to follow 7 Reverend Diaz. 8 I'd like to thank Senator Smith for 9 having brought this resolution. And as we 10 reflect on the 80th birthday of Dr. Martin 11 Luther King, 44 years after his untimely 12 death -- 50 years, I think, since the March on 13 Washington, the "I Have A Dream" speech -- I 14 think it's interesting to look at where we are 15 in this place in history. 16 Certainly many would argue that 17 Dr. Martin Luther King was one of the greatest 18 community organizers this country has ever 19 seen. We are on the verge now of installing a 20 president who many have kind of mocked during 21 the campaign as nothing but a community 22 organizer, and yet we see what community 23 organizers can accomplish. 24 The history books tell us of
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(518) 371-8910 1 Dr. King's place in the civil rights movement, 2 and they teach us about the Poor People's 3 Movement that Senator Perkins spoke about so 4 eloquently, and his fight against economic 5 injustice and eradicating discrimination and 6 tearing down barriers and walls. And all of 7 those things are well-documented, and most of 8 us know about it. 9 But what the history books rarely 10 focus on and they mostly gloss over is what 11 Dr. King was doing in Memphis on that fateful 12 day in April of 1968. 13 Because he was as committed to 14 workers' rights as he was to civil rights, to 15 women's rights. And he was in Memphis 16 assisting a bunch of sanitation workers who 17 were represented by an AFSCME local but who 18 experienced great discrimination by the City 19 of Memphis and the Department of Sanitation. 20 Workers who were not issued 21 uniforms; black sanitation workers were not 22 entitled to uniforms. They couldn't ride in 23 the truck. They weren't allowed to pick up 24 garbage in white neighborhoods. They weren't
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(518) 371-8910 1 allowed to eat lunch, and they were not 2 allowed to come inside out of the rain. 3 And in fact, on one day two workers 4 seeking refuge from the rain sat in the back 5 of a truck, the truck malfunctioned, and they 6 were both crushed to death in the back of that 7 truck. 8 And as egregious as that was, what 9 followed next by the City of Memphis was 10 worse. They refused to compensate those two 11 workers or their families for the loss of 12 their lives, not providing them the money to 13 even give them a decent burial. And that 14 finally led those workers to rise up and go on 15 strike. 16 And that became a crisis in the 17 City of Memphis, that this group of workers, 18 this ragtag group of workers, would actually 19 go on strike and threaten sanitation services 20 in the City of Memphis. 21 And Dr. King left Washington, where 22 he was advocating on the Poor People's 23 Movement, fighting for civil rights for 24 everybody, and he went to Memphis to assist
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(518) 371-8910 1 those workers. And it was there where he was 2 killed. 3 Now, as Senator Larkin said, I was 4 too young to know Dr. Martin Luther King. And 5 I didn't have the privilege that Senator 6 Hassell-Thompson had to have ever met him. I 7 read about him in the history books. 8 But I was a young activist in an 9 AFSCME local myself, and in 1993 I got on a 10 bus with thousands of other people and we went 11 for the 30th anniversary of the March on 12 Washington. 13 And I remember that day. It was 14 brutally hot. It was about 105 degrees, and 15 you know what Washington is like in the 16 summertime. The humidity is brutal. 17 And I sat there on the lawn and I 18 looked out. Three million people had come for 19 that anniversary. People Senator Larkin's 20 age, who experienced it the first time, who 21 lived through Dr. King, met him, heard his 22 message live, didn't read about him in the 23 history books. People who were there who then 24 brought their grandchildren, they wanted them
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(518) 371-8910 1 to see a piece of history. 2 And the message of Dr. King was so 3 crystal-clear then as I sat there and I looked 4 out and I saw 3 million people from all walks 5 of life, every race, every creed, every color. 6 Rich people, poor people. Working people. 7 Unemployed people. People interested in 8 economic justice and social justice and 9 equality for all. 10 His message was alive that day on 11 the Mall, and his message was alive on 12 November 4th when Barack Obama was elected to 13 be President of the United States. His 14 message echoes through him. We saw that at 15 the polls when we saw people come from every 16 race, creed, color, walk of life and economic 17 status, to vote for hope and change and a 18 message of equality. 19 And a message that Dr. King started 20 put us on a path on a campaign that we have 21 not yet accomplished, as Senator Parker said 22 and Senator Diaz has said. But we are on our 23 way. His message is alive. It's alive here 24 in this chamber, and it will be alive next
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(518) 371-8910 1 week when Barack Obama takes the oath of 2 office. 3 And it will be alive in all of us 4 as long as we remember Dr. King's commitment 5 to civil rights, workers' rights, women's 6 rights, and the rights of all Americans. 7 Thank you. 8 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 9 you, Senator Savino. 10 Senator Robach. 11 SENATOR ROBACH: Yes, very 12 briefly, Mr. President. 13 I too rise to proudly support this 14 resolution. We've heard a lot of great things 15 about what Dr. King accomplished and did, and 16 there is no doubt about that. He made our 17 country better, not just for some but for all. 18 But I want to just take a minute. 19 I think what is so outstanding about Dr. King 20 is really, as much as his accomplishments, the 21 character of the individual. We constantly 22 look for heroes today and sometimes people say 23 there are none. He clearly overcame a lot to 24 accomplish what he wanted to and let nothing
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(518) 371-8910 1 stop him. 2 Sometimes we say actions speak 3 louder than words. Dr. King was truly someone 4 who was not only the great word, from the "I 5 Have A Dream" speech, to judging someone by 6 the content of their character, not the color 7 of their skin or what their ethnicity was -- 8 even some of the most simplistic quotes, but 9 the great ones: Never the wrong time to do 10 the right thing -- but he was even more so a 11 person of action. 12 When you think of what he had to 13 endure -- he wasn't violent, he didn't strike 14 back, he took the abuse, he took jailing, he 15 took being spit at, had rocks thrown at him, 16 even in some cases probably treated poorly 17 even by those in authority to get the result 18 he wanted. 19 He was about action, about truth, 20 and about getting a result and sometimes I 21 think that, besides human relations and race 22 relations, was a true example to everyone in 23 society to try and follow those ideals, 24 whether we're in this chamber, whether we're
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(518) 371-8910 1 outside in the outside world. 2 And I'll end with this. While 3 people have talked about a lot more work to 4 get done, I think this little equation in my 5 family, or little story, epitomizes where 6 we've gotten to. 7 I'm usually one of the last people 8 on the curve and fought even getting cable 9 television from my wife for years, and this is 10 probably even going back maybe a little bit 11 more than ten years ago, because I think at 12 the time my kids were about 8, 6 and 4. 13 And I had the new cable television, 14 and I had the History Channel on, and they 15 were showing this documentary about civil 16 rights, and they were cutting from Rosa Parks 17 to Martin Luther King and some of the things 18 that transpired in this movement, and they cut 19 to a scene from Democratic Convention in the 20 '60s where the police were spraying and 21 whacking people with these long -- not billy 22 clubs, these long sticks that we don't have 23 that in the police department where I live. 24 And I was sitting on my couch, and
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(518) 371-8910 1 my kids were kind of playing behind me, and I 2 was going through mail and kind of watching 3 this, and I looked up, and here's all three of 4 my children with their hands on the couch, 5 their eyes this big. 6 And they're used to playing sports, 7 going to school, going to church with people 8 of every group. And they said to me, "Dad, 9 what country is that in where this is 10 occurring?" 11 Because in their world, because of 12 progress of civil rights, Martin Luther King, 13 they couldn't believe at that young age that 14 that, in the '60s, before they were born, 15 could even happen in this country. 16 So while there's work to be done, 17 the character of Martin Luther King, his 18 message, still important today, has made a 19 great difference. 20 And it's very fitting that we not 21 only have this resolution but take the time 22 out as a state to honor this man of character 23 and continue to try and follow that path to 24 make our world fairer and our state fairer,
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(518) 371-8910 1 not just for one but for all. 2 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 3 you very much, Senator Robach. 4 Senator Adams. 5 SENATOR ADAMS: Thank you, 6 Mr. President. I want to briefly also rise. 7 And I thank Senator Robach for that 8 story, because that is a fascinating story. 9 There's a movie out now called 10 "Gran Torino," with Clint Eastwood. And if 11 history will reflect on the movie as years go 12 on, the only name you would think of is Clint 13 Eastwood, without realizing that no great 14 dramatic event can take place without a 15 supporting cast and without co-stars. 16 And Dr. King lived during a period 17 that he lived out a very serious drama that 18 took place on the stage of American history. 19 But we would do a great disservice and we 20 would turn that drama into a Shakespearean 21 tragedy if we reflect on Dr. King as an 22 individual without realizing that it was not 23 about King. 24 And nothing would hurt his name
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(518) 371-8910 1 more, if he was alive today, than to hear 2 people merely point to him as an individual. 3 King transformed a name, and it became a 4 movie. There were a countless number of 5 people who were around him of all ethnicities. 6 There was a countless number of men and women, 7 black, white, Asian, Jew, Gentile, that 8 participated in the movement. So it wasn't 9 only about King. 10 Yes, this was a man that lived 11 during a particular time and period of time. 12 But it was Americans all across this country 13 that decided they wanted to move the country 14 in the right direction. 15 They decided that we had within our 16 physical lungs the wind capacity to blow not 17 only the country but the globe in the 18 direction that it should go in, from the 19 Vietnam War to the fight that was taking place 20 in South Africa. 21 This was more than King. King may 22 be the name that's associated with the 23 individual, but the movement was an American 24 movement. And all of our children benefited.
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(518) 371-8910 1 It's more than just Barack Obama 2 becoming President, but it's Hillary Clinton 3 becoming the Secretary of State. It is the 4 countless number of doors that were opened 5 because America decided they wanted to move in 6 the right direction. 7 So King symbolizes that. And he 8 may receive the Oscar for his great 9 performance on the real live stage of American 10 history. But if we ignore those co-stars, if 11 we ignore those supporting casts, if we ignore 12 the rabbis that rode the buses to integrate 13 our highways, if we ignore the young Jewish 14 college students that sat at lunch counters, 15 if we ignore the young Asian students that 16 came and participated in the Freedom March, if 17 we ignore all the multiculture of individuals 18 that decided this is a great nation, then we 19 will do more harm than good to the legacy of 20 Dr. King. 21 Because the legacy of Dr. King is 22 the legacy of America waking up and stating 23 that we no longer want to live in the 24 nightmarish reality of living in a segregated
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(518) 371-8910 1 society, we want to live in a country that 2 symbolizes what's great about the greatest 3 race alive, and that's the human race. 4 That's what the King phenomenon 5 represents. Not just a man that was put in 6 the ground when he was assassinated, but a 7 person who gave life to a concept and a 8 principle that this is a country that could 9 prick the consciousness of the globe and send 10 a strong symbol of what we represent as a 11 country. 12 Anyone can make a buck, but it 13 takes special people to make a difference. 14 And Dr. King was part of those special people 15 in this country that decided to make a 16 difference in this country. 17 So we can have a love affair with 18 the individual, but let's not turn that love 19 affair into a Shakespearean tragedy that we 20 ignore what he represented. He represented 21 what was best about America. And now we have 22 the great possibility of creating people with 23 that concept with the children of today, so 24 that we can raise those who have the concept
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(518) 371-8910 1 of King. 2 King is not an ethnicity. It is 3 not creed, it is deed. Skin pigmentation 4 won't tell you the character of a person. The 5 possibility of being a Dr. King can come from 6 any corner of this country and has nothing to 7 do with being black, it has nothing to do with 8 being white. It has everything to do with the 9 color we don't see, and that's the color of 10 our soul. 11 The greatest mark we can make on 12 his 80th birthday is to send a clear message: 13 It wasn't about one man, it was about a great 14 country coming alive, and that's the country 15 called America. 16 Thank you. 17 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 18 you, Senator Adams. 19 Senator Espada. 20 SENATOR ESPADA: Thank you, 21 Mr. President. 22 I too rise because the moment 23 cannot escape me. As a child of the '60s, as 24 a person like Senator Diaz, I was born in
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(518) 371-8910 1 Puerto Rico as a citizen of this great 2 country, from a multiracial background. 3 I rise to share that as a young 4 monolingual child moving into the South Bronx, 5 and viewing a black-and-white TV and the 6 images and the horror that we saw on those TV 7 sets with the events that were unfolding in 8 the South, and indeed as silently as it's kept 9 in the history books, it registered vividly in 10 our memories in our own neighborhoods. Not 11 only within one ethnic group, but the 12 dominance and the denial of humanity of people 13 that grew up together but happened to have a 14 different pigmentation. 15 So I rise to highlight that denial 16 of humanity itself. It's what we all witness, 17 and it's what allows us today to transcend in 18 a very transformative way, detail all the 19 examples of accomplishments in this chamber, 20 in these United States and throughout. 21 But I do want to speak to the issue 22 of intolerance, whether we're 23 African-American, Latino, white. 24 President-elect Obama, our 44th
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(518) 371-8910 1 President, has become President because a 2 majority white nation has decided that that is 3 the proper course of events and that is the 4 leadership that could take us into a better 5 day. 6 Similarly, these chambers, majority 7 white, this New York State, majority white, 8 has also registered its valuable franchise in 9 the embodiment of an African-American Governor 10 and an African-American Majority Leader. 11 But where is the intolerance then 12 for us right now? Where is the denial of 13 humanity? 14 And I point to millions upon 15 millions of people that because of their 16 citizenship status in this country right now, 17 family members are being split apart. 18 Children that are citizens of this great 19 nation will lose their parents, are losing 20 their parents daily because their parents are 21 undocumented; they must leave their families 22 behind. 23 They come in in the middle of the 24 night, like cattle in trucks, crossing
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(518) 371-8910 1 artificial lines that divide nation against 2 nation. 3 And so yes, there will be a 4 drumbeat of many changes. But the drumbeat to 5 finally hone in on the incredible denial of 6 humanity for millions upon millions of people 7 who are from Mexico, Santo Domingo, Latin 8 America, and Europe -- that is our great 9 challenge this coming decade and for decades 10 to come, as we hone in on the real issue of 11 what is humane and are we a tolerant people. 12 And so that is the great challenge 13 as I see it and as I'm sure the great Martin 14 Luther King, the visionary that he was, would 15 see it, the denial of humanity to so many 16 people and so many families. 17 Together, we must view that, we 18 must challenge that, we must tolerate that, 19 and we'll move it ahead to full citizenship of 20 the human race. 21 Thank you so very much. 22 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 23 you, Senator Espada. 24 Are there any other Senators
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(518) 371-8910 1 wishing to be heard? 2 On the resolution, all those in 3 favor, aye. 4 (Response of "Aye.") 5 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: 6 Opposed, nay. 7 (No response.) 8 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: The 9 resolution is adopted. 10 At the request of the sponsor, the 11 resolution is open for multisponsorship. 12 Anyone not wishing to be on the resolution 13 please signify that at the bench. 14 Senator Klein. 15 SENATOR KLEIN: Mr. President, at 16 this time I move for adoption of the 17 Resolution Calendar. 18 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: All 19 those in favor of adopting the Resolution 20 Calendar in its entirety please signify by 21 saying aye. 22 (Response of "Aye.") 23 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: 24 Opposed, nay.
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(518) 371-8910 1 (No response.) 2 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: The 3 Resolution Calendar is adopted. 4 Senator Klein. 5 SENATOR KLEIN: Mr. President, in 6 consultation with Senator Skelos, I now hand 7 up the following Minority appointments to the 8 Senate Finance Committee. 9 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: To be 10 filed in the Journal. 11 Is there any further business, 12 Senator Klein? 13 Senator Klein. 14 SENATOR KLEIN: Mr. President, 15 would you please recognize Senator Maziarz. 16 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: 17 Senator Maziarz. 18 SENATOR MAZIARZ: Thank you very 19 much, Mr. President. 20 Just very briefly. Everybody 21 starts off by saying "very briefly," and then 22 they talk and talk and talk. 23 But, Mr. President, I think, very 24 importantly, by the next time we gather here
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(518) 371-8910 1 and meet, we will have a new President of the 2 United States. 3 And on behalf of the Republican 4 Conference in this house, we want to 5 congratulate and give our best wishes to the 6 new President, President Barack Obama. He is 7 taking over our country at a time of war, at a 8 time of economic collapse, and clearly will 9 need the support of all Americans. 10 And I think it is very important to 11 note and to congratulate one of our own 12 members, just one, who was there from day one 13 with President-elect Obama. 14 Now, Senator Adams thinks he was 15 there from day one, but he hesitated. He 16 hesitated. He waited for that call from Bill 17 Clinton that never came. 18 (Laughter.) 19 SENATOR MAZIARZ: Unfortunately, 20 he's not in the chamber now, but Senator Bill 21 Perkins, I'm sure this is a very special day 22 for him next Tuesday, because he was truly 23 there from day one. 24 And that call from Bill Clinton
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(518) 371-8910 1 never came for him either, but -- so don't 2 feel bad, Eric. 3 Thank you, Mr. President. 4 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: Thank 5 you, Senator Maziarz. 6 Senator Klein. 7 SENATOR KLEIN: Thank you, 8 Mr. President. 9 Mr. President, there being no 10 further business to come before the Senate, I 11 move we adjourn until Wednesday, January 21st, 12 at 3:00 p.m. 13 ACTING PRESIDENT BRESLIN: There 14 being no further business at the desk, on 15 motion, the Senate stands adjourned until 16 Wednesday, January 21st, at 3:00 p.m., 17 intervening days being legislative days. 18 (Whereupon, at 12:29 p.m., the 19 Senate adjourned.) 20 21 22 23 24
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