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Lcityf <br />Louisville <br />COLORADO • SINCE 1878 <br />Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Proclamation <br />January 2024 <br />WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. devoted his life to the advancement of civil rights <br />and public service, and believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and challenged <br />all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America; and, <br />WHEREAS, a guiding principle for Dr. King's work was nonviolence, once considered the <br />highest form of activism and radical change, which in its basic truth is the way to transform <br />unjust systems and broken relationships; and, <br />WHEREAS, Dr. King declared, "We shall not...relinquish our privilege and our obligation <br />to love. This is the only way to create the beloved community," outlining his vision for <br />beloved community as one in which our global community practices justice, peace, love, <br />and connection; and, <br />WHEREAS, Dr. King and the activists of the Civil Rights Movement risked and sacrificed <br />their lives to transform public policy from segregation to integration, resulting in the <br />repeal of state laws mandating racial segregation in the South known as the "Jim Crow <br />Laws," the passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, <br />and other anti -discrimination laws aimed at ending economic, legal, and social <br />segregation in America, and leading to Dr. King winning the Nobel Peace Prize on <br />December 10, 1964; and, <br />WHEREAS, the theme of the King Center this year is 'Shifting the Cultural Climate through <br />the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence' a strategic approach to challenging <br />injustice, navigating conflict, and creating more compassionate, constructive cultures; <br />and, <br />WHEREAS, the movement to recognize Dr. King's legacy as a federal holiday began four <br />days after his assassination, yet took 15 years of struggle before his birthday was finally <br />approved as a federal holiday, and an additional 17 years for it to be recognized in all 50 <br />states; and, <br />