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January 19, 2004 Commemorating MLK ARLINGTON, VA -- Joe Lieberman issued the following statement commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:
"More than forty years ago, I joined hundreds of thousands of Americans of all races, religions, ages, and means to hear Dr. King speak at the March on Washington and to advance the idea that we are all created equal. In the 40 years since, powered by his vision and our common values, we have made great progress.
"But so much remains to be done. When African-American unemployment is double white unemployment, when nearly one in four African Americans lives in poverty, when huge gaps continue to separate our people in high school and college graduation rates, we still stand miles and miles from the promised land.
"Dr. King said that when our founders wrote the magnificent words of the Declaration and Constitution, they were 'signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.' The promise has not yet been redeemed. We must continue marching, powered by our faith and our founding principles, closer to the dream of equal opportunity that Dr. King and all decent Americans share."
"As President, I will continue Dr. King's fight by cutting the poverty rate to the lowest level in history, investing in poor neighborhoods and reducing the African-American unemployment rate, stopping the indefensible practices of redlining and predatory lending, and opening up the doors of higher education wider to all Americans."
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