SENATE RESOLUTION

                         1996-8673

By Senators Franklin, Sutherland, Prince, Rinehart, Snyder, West, Swecker, Heavey, Wojahn, Sellar, McCaslin, Wood, Spanel, Pelz and Kohl

     WHEREAS, We live in a time when racial, religious, and cultural intolerance is too often a source of mistrust and violence; and

          WHEREAS, Although some forms of racism may have changed in subtle ways, racism itself is as prevalent in America in 1996 as it was in 1968; and

     WHEREAS, The law in theory assures us all of equality, the reality remains that to be anything other than of European descent too often relegates one to a lower status in America; and

     WHEREAS, In America today we rarely discuss openly and honestly the reasons for our differences and our own biases and prejudices, thus perpetuating the problem; and

     WHEREAS, The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s example of dealing directly with the things that divide us along racial and cultural lines is one that we would do well to emulate today; and

     WHEREAS, The increasing separation of citizens into groups of like-color as a way of dealing with racism is racist in and of itself, and is directly at odds with Reverend King's message of unity and equality; and

     WHEREAS, We as a nation and a people can only rise united and most surely will fall if we are divided; and

     WHEREAS, Dr. King's message of peaceful perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles to equality is still a source of inspiration and hope for many Americans;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the members of the Washington State Senate do hereby honor the memory of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., a man of peace who saw injustice and tried to end it for the benefit of all Americans, regardless of race; and that we urge the citizens of Washington to put aside desires to separate along racial and cultural lines and instead heed Dr. King's message of unity and equality, remembering that as long as any one citizen is not truly free, then none of us can be free.

I, Marty Brown, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 1996-8673,

adopted by the Senate January 15, 1996.

MARTY BROWN

Secretary of the Senate