On August 28, 1963, at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, civil rights leader and labor organizer Philip Randolph introduced the next speaker. Randolph kept it short:
At this time, I have the honor to present to you the moral leader of our nation, a great dedicated man, a philosopher of a nonviolent system of behavior and seeking to bring about social change for the advancement of justice, freedom and human dignity. I have the pleasure to present to you, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Then followed Dr. King’s most famous and influential speech, “I Have a Dream.”
Today we celebrate this moral leader of our nation not only as a federal holiday, but also as a Texas state holiday. That wasn’t always the case. Enacted as a federal holiday in 1983, Texas was one of a handful of states that didn’t initially recognize the holiday. Eight years later, in 1991, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 134, recognizing the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial holiday.
State Senator Eddie Bernice Johnson, the first black woman ever elected to public office from Dallas, was one of the initial voices of strength behind SB 134:
Eddie Bernice Johnson passed away on December 31, 2023 after a lifetime of service to our state and nation. She was a friend and mentor to many, and an inspiration to all. We shall miss her leadership and guidance.
Today, as we honor Dr. King’s legacy, I ask that we honor her legacy as well—a legacy that includes leading Texas to set aside the third Monday of January each year to recommit to the dream Dr. King shared with us all.