Good morning. Day, we year on mlk gather here to remember dr. Kings legacy and reflect and focus on the work we all are doing to keep his dream alive and make it live here in america. In 1991, the National Action network was founded in the spirit and tradition of dr. King, and ever since, 26 years plus, this civil rights organization, superbly led by its leader, reverend sharpton, has been a preeminent leader in the fight for civil rights. Again, i welcome all of you this morning as we prepare now to break the nights fast. The board member will come and bless the food, and then we will all watch the lift every voice video. Shall we pray . The creator,er and we sustainer of all things, come here this morning on this king day to tell you thank you, to tell you how much we love you, how much we appreciate you for all youve done for us. We ask, lord god, our jeffrey everyngs upon this day , person we have gathered, for every server that is about to prepare and serve us our breakfast, we pray that you continue to advance this dream in your son jesus christs name, thank god, amen. Breakfast is served. Lift up your voice and sing till earth and heaven ring with the harmonies of liberty let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies let it resound loud as the rolling sea sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us sing a song full of the hope that the president has brought us present has brought us facing the rising sun that has begun let us march on till victory is won stony the road we trod bitter the chesaning rod felt in the days, when hope unborn had died yet with a steady beat have not our weary feet come to the place for which our fathers sighed we have come treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered out of the gloomy past till now we stand at last where the white gleam of our bright star is cast [singing] lest our feet stray from the places our god, where we met thee lest our hearts the drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand true to our god true to our native land [applause] it gives me great pleasure to turn the program over to reverend sharpton an individual , who needs no introduction, in this room, in this town, in this nation, or beyond, for his tireless and unrelenting work on behalf of those who have been systemically disenfranchised and marginalized. And for our sake, knows no limitations. I consider myself to be truly fortunate, for i have known reverend sharpton for longer than i can remember. Before i was even born, he was a presence in my family and in my household. As he was mentored in civil by my father, who was president of the southern christian Leadership Conferences new york chapter and a comrade of dr. Kings in the movement. Today, nearly 50 years later, i am proud to be mentored by reverend sharpton. It is my joy to present to you our National ActionNetwork President , reverend al sharpton. [applause] reverend sharpton good morning. Good morning and welcome on another Martin Luther king day. And as we are taking our seats and eating, the reason that we are moving so uncustomarily on schedule [laughter] rev. Sharpton and we have a lot of people coming in, but i told him just let folk in, because we do three cities on king day and martin has to be obviously all over the place. But let me say this. On the good news side, is that i remember when martins mother, dr. Kings widow, and congressman john conyers and Walter Fauntleroy and others, were fighting to make this a federal holiday, and it was something that seemed to be unthinkable and implausible. I said this morning on a show, i remember maybe 36 years ago, james brown, the godfather of soul, brought me to washington. It was the first time i went to the white house. He had supported mrs. King and he met with Ronald Reagan. I told james brown, Ronald Reagan will never sign making this a holiday, because Ronald Reagan had called Martin Luther king a communist. A few yearseagan, later signed it. , and as i rode to the mayflower this morning from the hotel, every federal and state office is closed, honoring the birthday of Martin Luther king. [applause] and you should be honored to be here in the presence of his son, his daughterinlaw, and the only grandchild Martin Luther king has, yolanda is with us this morning. Give her a big hand. [applause] you can tell your grandchildren that you sat with dr. Kings granddaughter on king day, 2018. Certainly, we will hear from martin, but the bad news is when those offices open tomorrow, they are administering some of the worst the policy we have seen in the 50 years since dr. King was killed, which is april of this year. There have been reports about the present president and him calling haiti and african nations and el salvador s. O. Shole countries. And after three or four days, he is saying he did not say it. First of all, i have known donald trump for 35 years. And every time i have met with him, usually it was for protesting him, all of our meetings have been a lot more profane than profound. [laughter] rev. Sharpton i have no doubt that he said it. But the issue is not what he said, it is what he is doing. They are not debating the policy that they exclude people from africa and haiti, they are arguing about whether he cussed. If i was walking down the stairs in the ballroom and you pushed me down the stairs, the argument theot whether you called me nword, the argument is that you pushed me down the stairs. This is what we have to face and what we have to deal with. The good news is that we have learned from dr. King how to deal with people who are not in our interests. One, we do not become like them. And we do not lower our moral standards for theirs. That is why it is our honor today that we are blessed with the presence of the standardbearer of dr. King, the namesake of dr. King. A year ago, we marched here in washington. Martin said to me, in the spirit of our father, i must meet and appeal to president trump. I said, you know, a lot of folks will not understand. He said, they will understand my father. We must make the moral appeal even if it goes nowhere, and he did. And i told him, martin, i know donald trump and i dont think hes going to do anything. He said, we are not responsible for how they respond, we are responsible for making the appeal. A year later, martin was right to make the appeal. I was right that donald trump was not going to do nothing. [laughter] rev. Sharpton but he has always tried to bring out the better in society, and that is what Martin Luther king was about. And thats what we must be about. If we become as bitter and as hateful as those that we fight, they have already won. So on king day we are going to stand up to trump without becoming like trump. We will not call him names, but we are not going to allow the policies to go unaccounted for. At 1 00 p. M. We will be in harlem today, 4 00 p. M. In times square to march against hate. Every king day morning we pause to salute those that have operated in the spirit of dr. King, before we honor them , though, we are blessed ticket to be on schedule with our opening speaker, the keynote speaker for Martin Luther king day breakfast, 2018, the standardbearer, the oldest child and the namesake of Martin Luther king jr. On this, his federal holiday. Among the things he has done is spread peace and global understanding, kept his father and his mothers movement. His greatest honor is that he is a husband and yolandas daddy. Martin luther king iii. [applause] Martin Luther king iii good morning. Think god for the opportunity to be back in washington but especially on this king holiday. And this year that we observe 50 years since the passing, actually the assassination, i should say, of Martin Luther king junior. Im going to reflect in a moment, but first i must say that i am thankful to have a very dear friend who has been on the battlefield for a long time. And that we all owe a debt of gratitude to. And that is the reverend al sharpton, president of the National Action network. [applause] you know, it takes a lot of courage to stand up all the time for those who have no voice. And it is interesting, because leadership certainly keeps coming. And every now and then the lord sends a prophetic leader, who understands the future and really leads in a way so that that message lives forever. Because it is interesting to me to listen to some of the speeches of my father. But by the word negro, those speeches could have been delivered at any time, even right now. And obviously, as i said, he was killed 50 years ago. So i will reflect this morning, let me say first to all the ministers here today, the elected officials here today, honoree in advance, congratulations to you. Chairman of the Democratic Party, chairman perez, and most importantly, i must say that i am always, it is always special because she is not always not but i are am so fortunate and blessed today to have the best thing that ever happened to me, and that is my dear wife, andrea waters king. [applause] and the second best thing, our daughter, Yolanda Renee king. [applause] now you know you are going to leave something out, but attribute it to the head and not the heart, so i apologize if ive overlooked someone that i shouldve stated was here, because actually we are all important. I have just a few remarks, 10 or 12 minutes that i want to read. But as i said, i have to reflect a tiny bit. Because i remember 10 years ago on april 4, when i was watching television and watching the news and it flashed across the screen , and i was sitting in our family room with my brothers and sisters, and it flashed across the screen that Martin Luther has just been shot. Now, there is no way to be prepared for that, but i remember running back to our moms room, looking for some consolation as to what had happened, what is going on, what does that mean . I remember that trauma existing for a very long time. It took a long time to overcome the fact that dad had been killed. But then a year later, my uncle, my fathers brother, was mysteriously drowned. Then five years after that in 1974, my grandmother was gunned down in the Ebenezer Church while praying the lords prayer. Now interestingly enough, dad was killed by a white man in a white racist system, my grandmother was killed by a black man. So i couldve harbored hatred, and really disliked all of you all [laughter] but im thankful for the spirit of love, because it teaches you to dislike the evil act, but still love the individual. My grandfather and my mother and my goals all taught that. My uncles all taught that. And we as a nation have to learn how to forgive. We dont know how to forgive, thats why we are constantly engaging in wars. We have the capacity to destroy anything, maybe everything. But human beings are gods greatest creation, but in conflict, we resort to lower animal means. You never see a group of dogs talking about plato or shakespeare, or harriet tubman, w e b du bois, Martin Luther king jr. , malcolm x, they do not have that ability. You never see a group of cats talking about im republican, democrat or independent. They dont have that ability. You have never seen a group of zebras talking about, i am christian, muslim, i am hindu, i am buddhist, i am jewish, i am atheist they do not have that ability. But gods highest creation, mankind, actually humankind, has the ability to think and reason and when we get ready to resolve a conflict we resort to lower animal means. Im going to kill him. That must change. You know, it only takes a few good women and men to bring about change. I think my father showed us that with his team. And others have shown us that. Now there are few places, if any, that i would like to make some of this reflection today. Reflection on the dream means we have to understand what the dream is. One way to simply put it is that all gods children, protestants and catholics, hindus and muslims, women and men, lgbtq, and straight young and old, all of gods children should join as one humanity and to live in a world of freedom and equality for all. Let me say from the onset that those who would argue for a National Policy of isolation would do well to remember my fathers admonition 60 years ago that we must learn to live as brothers or we may perish we may perish together as fools. He argued the destiny of one nation is tied to all nations, we can never be totally secure as long as they are insecure. The final analysis, all life is interrelated, no nation or individual is independent. We are interdependent. As he looked across this land, we came to realize the individual of the nation that feels like it can live in isolation has allowed itself to sleep through a revolution. The idea of America First may well have its place, but america can only be first if she lives up to the true meaning of her creed we hold these truths to be self evident, that all women and men are created equal and they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The country that can live it in isolation has a flip there a sleep through a revolution. We are indeed living through a great revolution. As we listen to and we read current news, we find citizens are losing confidence, trust, and hope in our democracy, and our economy, more precisely in the institutions that negotiate and mediate our life chances. Now that we have turned the corner to a new decade since the Great Recession of 2008, the wealthy have done well, while millions wait for recovery that seems to never come. Yes, the stock market is at an alltime high, moving higher daily. Unemployment seems to rest at a respectable low, they say, but still too many struggle to put food on the table, to pay bills, and to provide adequate housing, clothing and education for their children. Unemployment may be low, but so are the wages. That barely put a salary for the meaningful living in the hands of women and men. It is one thing to give a token bonus to a handful of workers on the one hand, but altogether another to simultaneously take a whole livelihood away from hundreds on the other, through layoffs and business closings. Do not get me wrong, i get the logic of the free market, but i also get that the market must work freely for all and not benefit the privileged few. So i am here today because of a prophetic obligation captured in my fathers dream speech. It is an obligation that calls upon all of you, all of humanity, an obligation that of als upon every citizen conscience, of every race, color, religion, gender and creed it is an obligation , captured in the prophetic call for justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a stream. He challenges us today, he answers the call of the moral obligation, we are here today because the American Dream is decidedly a nightmare for too many citizens. And people have had enough. Let me say it again, the dream has become a nightmare for too Many American citizens. On the left and on the right. And they have had enough. They have had enough of the viciousness and the vitriol seen from the statehouse to the white house. They have seen enough of the dysfunction in the legislative capitals of our country. And they want action that responds to the struggles of their daily lives. Millions of marginalized citizens of all races and ethnic backgrounds are demanding that their voices be heard, their faces seen and their needs met. Like many of their fathers and mothers, they refuse to believe that the vault of liberty and prosperity are empty. They still believe in the constitutions promissory note, a contract between them as citizens and their country as as the guarantor of liberty, justice and equality, and they still believe the bank of justice is not bankrupt. The media asked me what i think my father would say about the current state of affairs in our nation and in our world today. I do not know exactly what he would say, but i can tell you what he said about the injustice and moral decay of his time. Let me first set the stage. 54 years ago, he and a legion of religious, civic, labor leaders marched for jobs and justice. The march was moral because it sought to bring the attention of the world to the injustice of an economy that favored one segment of society and denied dignity and work to its citizens of color. 50 years ago, he lost his life to that struggle and he prepared for another march on washington. It would be a Public Statement that the nation was not living up to the true meaning of its creed. That was called the poor peoples campaign. In 1967, he was talking about a living wage. We are still trying to get the minimum wage raised, so that people can have a decent quality of life. They would march, because they understood that the preamble of the constitution states certain truths that are self evident. Our constitution declares, it is selfevident that all women and men are created equal. That all women and men are endowed with unalienable rights. Let me go back to the women being created equal, because let me tell you, brothers, all men, you have to get your house in order quick. Women are not playing. [applause] and it is tragic that we as a society have mistreated women for so long. It has always been unacceptable, but who wouldve ever thought that just six months ago that this would take a trajectory, this movement, a movement for righteousness, for justice, for fairness, for truth, this may be the year of the woman for real. In georgia, we have two women running for governor in a republican state. Guess what, women are mobilized and organized. One of those women will become the democratic nominee, one is an africanamerican, and one perhaps will become the first woman governor of the state of georgia. We are serious in this nation. [applause] these rights, if they are to become real, and justice must prevail. In equal sharing of society , benefits and burdens, advantages and disadvantages, but today the scales of justice lean in favor of the few who hold societies benefits and advantages, while many are weighted down with lifes burdens and disadvantages. My father and so many others marched to redeem the soul of the nation. The march was for values and enshrined in the constitution, but the nation seems to have abandoned these values when it comes to certain citizens. So if we truly honor his life and work, we must join in his cause for a revolution of values. His call for a revolution of values was also a call for a revolution of the scales of justice. Let me explain that. As he looked over the landscape of our collective lives and he saw the great divide between poverty and wealth, and declared, that is not just. He saw thousands of working people displaced from their jobs and reduced incomes as a result of automation, while the profit of the employers remained intact, and said that is not just. , he the held capitalists of the west investing huge sums of money in africa, asia and south america, only to take the profit out with no concern but the social betterment of these countries and is said, that is not just. He witnessed the western arrogance, feeling like it has everything to teach others and do nothing to learn from them, that is not just. He gazed in horror at the ways that we use war, putting our will against the will of others, and insisted, that is not just and emphatically insisted, that is not just. He declared in justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. I cannot be what i have to be until you are what you ought to be, because our destinies are tied together. All humanity is caught in a n Inescapable Network of mutuality, tied in a garment of destiny, certainly whatever affects one directly affects all. Thus, we are all responsible to ensure that we live in a fair and just and peaceful society. What does justice look like . Justice is having unfettered access to our franchise rights to participate in the democratic process of a voting, just legislative capitals and statehouses and executives should be looking for every opportunity to help people vote, rather than every excuse to prevent some citizens from exercising their rights. [applause] Voter Suppression must be eulogized. It has to be dead. We have got to make sure that there is no barrier to voting. We should have online registration, as there is in some states. We should have the ability to register and even have all the i. D. s that we need. I proposed a suggestion of couple of years ago. In fact, thats why i was time,g with at the president elect trump, about taking an i. D. And making sure that barrier no longer existed so that we could not keep people from voting because they do not have an appropriate i. D. The suggestion was to say to put a picture on a Social Security card. Everybody has one of those. Everybody does not have a drivers license, or the appropriate id, but everybody has a Social Security card, so why not put a picture on it . That issue is no longer in issue. We as a nation, out of 107 democracies, the United States posts a posts boasts, 107 countries voted higher percentages than the United States. There is something wrong with that. Women and men gave their lives so we would have the right to vote, all we have to do is find the way to use it. In 2018 in november, we could change the complexion of this nation. I am not talking about color, i am talking about the moral complexion by electing senators and congress people, the whole United States congress is up for election, and several senators. All we have to do is take that short step into the ballot box and cast our votes. [applause] justice is having representation with taxation. Therefore, washington, dc should have statehood. [applause] [cheers] justice is having equal pay for equal work. Justice lifts up women and people of color to enjoy the same wealth as their male and white counterparts. Justice is supposed to be blind, it weighs the merits of a criminal and civil case on the basis not of wealth or sexual orientation, gender, or any other characteristics, but on just laws. You know, we have a criminal system, but it is not just. Whether you go down to the. C. Or ine here in d maryland, or any county in our to that system and all you find are blacks, hispanics, latinos and poor whites. Richard pryor captured it effectively, you go down to the courthouse looking for justice and all you find is just us. And while it is humorous, it really is not. We are 80 of the jail population into something is wrong with that. Of the population. Something is wrong with that. It is a twofold scenario. One of those scenarios is, biblically it says if you bring up a child in the way that they should go when they are old, they will not depart from that training. Some of us, some of us are not raising our children properly. That is part of the problem, but that is not the bigger problem. The bigger problem is a lack of indigent defense counselors. If you do not have proper representation when you are in court, nine out of 10 times you are going to jail. Weve got to address that issue to make our system of justice truly a system of justice. When the courts have spoken, true justice ensures that the rule of law stands above all and n, fromeryone in and ma a toddler to the president , is subject to rule. That is the meaning of freedom, equality, and justice. Now is the time for every man and woman to stand up for righteousness, justice, and to stand up for fairness, and to stand up for truth. The urgency of now declares that now is the time to stand against injustice of every time kind. Injustice of every kind, the moral injustice of a criminal system. The Racial Injustice that privileges whites over people of color, the cultural injustice that favors one ethnic group over the others, the political injustice of Voter Suppression, the social injustice of an adequate education, the economic injustice of unemployment, underemployment and unequal pay, the gender injustice that denies the gender in justice that and girls of the world house equal rights and threatens them as objects of a maledominated play house. My father declared only a revolution of values can provide these principles and create the and justs for a fair society. That revolution of values can only come through peaceable power. Peaceable power is the power of the people. It can only come through the educated,sciously morally equipped, actively engaged in the work of social action. Thus, we must march. We march to mobilize. We must organize. And we must continue to march. Let me recall something briefly as i prepare to close. A story may father spoke of as pondered washington irvings tale of a young man sleeping revolution. Eat rip van of us, like winkle. We are asleep. Thatve an administration seems to have awakened us. But many of us were asleep. We slept for eight years when president obama was in. We slept. We didnt work. The conservatives and republicans worked for eight years. Gonna said, well, obama take care of it. You have to work and earn your every generation. That means the work is never complete. It will be. Have to keep working. You, and i hear it in the spirit of the voice of late dr. Ray, as he recalled admonition of a writer who said, wake up, old sleeper, and rise from the dead. See to it that you make the most these are evilor days. These are evil days when they immigrant of color the same rights of white immigrants. They are evil days when see the breakup of families, heartless rational ex speedt to political ex peed yen si. These are evil days when the the United States doesnt seem to understand that africa is a continent, not a state. Countries sucho as nigeria and haiti and el salvador as yall know that word. I dont talk like that. He did. He always does that. And the president insists that our nation needs more citizens from white states like norway. Toont even think we need spend any time even talking about what it says and what it is. Now, the problem is that you president who says things but has the power to execute and racism. Thats a dangerous power and a position and we cannot tolerate that. May say we gotta find a way to work on this mans heart. It. See, think about George Wallace was a staunch racist. His heart ed on wallacemately, george transformed. So dont tell me we cant trance transform. Weve done it too many times. Were not working hard enough. His teamsand consistently precipitated crisis situations. Even in 1961 when he went to visit president kennedy and said, mr. President , do you have any civil rights legislation that youre going to present . Dont know, ive got some other domestic priorities. Tosaid, okay, were going precipitate a nonviolent crisis. Then youre gonna have to respond to us. Years later, we had a civil right act that gave us citizenship. Marched from selma, montgomery, and john lewis, then Voting Rights act. In 1968, we had fair housing legislation. A Strategic Plan put in place. We need to have a Strategic Plan, not just in the community butan for all progressives in america. But in the africanamerican need a think thank, a new think tank. Why did i say that . Year, we spent over 1 trillion and we dont have one black bank with a billion dollars in it not one 10 of that, 100 billion in africanamerican could salvagewe our communities. We could create entrepreneurship. We could create jobs. And we could create options. We got work to do. Roll up our sleeves and work like we never worked before. And so i say to you, now is the time. To protecto march our neighborhoods. Our childrens right to play trepidation. And we must march to build the civic institutions and the civil consciousness that checks the power of an authority that many ande few over the a complicit government that makes it possible. Symbolicarch to the citadel of justice. That kind of march is a moral march for righteousness. Is a march to transform the of culture,cords the culture of violence, to the culture of of a nonviolence. This is a new march for a new generation. Justice. Ral march for it is a march to realize the dream. As i close, i must share two things with you. My of my favorite quotes of father, that we should all think about employing, because he said the ultimate measure of a human being is not where they stand in of comfort and convenience but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy. He went on to say that on some questions, how it is asked, is a safe . On is acy asked position popular . But something deep inside called conscious asks, is a position right . Went on to say that sometimes we must take positions that are nor popular nor politic, but we must take those co tions because our consciences tell us theyre right. Schooler took us to often, which was antioch college. On that college there is a educato educator horace mann and theres an inscription on that statue that made that indelible impact. Ashamed to die until youve won a victory for humanity. Let me say that one more time. Be ashamed to die until you won a victory for humanity. [applause] say, brother king, thats too grandiose. No, it isnt. We can win victories in our neighborhood, in our schools. We can win victories in our worship. Some of us will win victories in our cities. Win victories in our state. Some may even win victories in our nation. May win victories in our world. What those words basically mean be ashamed to die until you have done a Little Something to we live world in which in a little better than it was when you arrived. You god bless you god bless the National Action sharpton d reverend [applause] iii rtin luther king [applause] given us the charge, mandate, and i would hope to work. O forth the mayor has arrived, and the chair of the d. N. C. We hear from them, i want to give our awards out so martin can take his leave and those of new york. Ve to get to first, though, let me acknowledge certain Freedom Fighters in the audience. To have with us melanie campbell. The black womens roundtable. [applause] onwine is inbara urbanuse, from the league, our partner and friend, dawn craven. [applause] put of course, the one who all this together, who is a real leader extraordinaire, the head of our Washington Bureau of network, where is ebonie riley . [cheering] [applause] there she is. Ebonie riley. Leader,d. C. Chapter leah twiks. First award goes to let forget dr. King was organizing a poor peoples campaign. And he was coming to washington city. Ablish resurrection he got a call from reverend james lawson that there were garbage workers on strike in memphis. Come and support them . Most of his staff was against going. But dr. King said, no, im going to memphis. Up for unless we stand garbage workers, we are not living up to our charge. To memphis and some was toolt dr. King moderate, disrupted the march. And they had a riot at the end of his march, calling themselves the young invaders. Dr. Kingsmes said, nonviolence he went back in to save nonviolence and thats upn he was killed, standing for garbage workers. Wouldnt have to make the trip some wasnt for superduper militants. Some of them were around today. Trump. S around for i aint seen them since trump won. [laughter] on obama anded took a vacation on trump. I dont understand that. But. That was one of those striking garbage workers, that keeps the banner going, stands with Martin Luther king iii and those of us today, as we continue to fight for as this administration is trying to break labors back, cannot, mr. Trump, sign a for Martin Luther king and try to dislodge labor, because he died fighting for labor. [applause] let us honor, from the time, toorkers of that this time, the social justice award, from memphis, tennessee. Hand, brother baxter lee. [applause] come on hand im a [cheering and applause] this call. I accepted. This a pleasure to have award. Was a hard day. We went through that struggle. This is one from the heart. Get thisled with us to war through, the sanitation worker. And i thank you all for inviting me to attend. [applause] give him an hand [cheering and applause] one of the pride and joys of our movement is that we make are that not only do we have multigeneration movement but we relate genderwise, lgbtqwise, a lot of folk many ago, when we said this is one movement, we may have areerent ways that we discriminated, but you cant fight for civil rights for forody unless you fight civil rights for everybody. We continue to stand with that. That has madengs us proud in the National Action comerk is to see leaders and blossom. And i am eternally proud and to have had a leader in a warrior that has stood this organization that has spread her wings. Saw the massive womens march in january, she laid out logistics. And i dont care i looked at the other night at the global awards. There wouldnt have been the me too without the january march. And they are not in it because whatever. They are in it because its right, because i know her, because she fought for whats right. And she stood with us when others did not understand. Her stand helped to make it a that we need to honor her. And martin and i wanted to present it. I want ebonie riley, who has but her. Was trained to be able to help present to her predecessor, have a womannt problem. In fact, the women have a problem. They tell me that im getting too grouchy. Say dont think i hear them it, but they say it. Thats right. Yolanda gonna stand up for me. Woman thannger yall. Wait for yolanda. Andonor shes gone expanded into other things, but where n. A. N. Is. And i want ebonie to help martin and i present this award to her. [applause] thank you. Im going to keep this really the sake of time. But in 2012 is when i first met honorees, when she gave me a chance as a Senior College student, to intern. I volunteered for a year. Work, you haveis to be passionate behind it. To dought me how logistics. Last year, i planned two marches myself, after her transition. So i respect her leadership. I thank her for giving me all the jewels. And i honor you. Thank you so much. Woman we have the second running. Its my third year as bureau chief for National Action network. In yourollowing footsteps and i appreciate everything you taught me. Im very grateful. Thank you, janaye. Ingram s honor janaye. [cheering and applause] oh, god, ill make this brief. Morenk this award means than any other award that ive ever received, because these are watched mewho have really make the sausage. And thats not necessarily pretty thing to see all of the hard work that goes into happen, intoing creating and i really want to sharpton. Rend i also want to thank my family, who are here. Up, please, stand all of my family who are here . [applause] before i came to n. A. N. , obviously family is what grounds you. Give a specialo acknowledgment to reverend sharpton. Sidney portier, in one of his about histalks parents threw him in the water when he was, like, three or four wantedld, because they to teach him how to swim. And his father kept throwing him he would startd drowning. His mother would come and pick him up. Then his father would throw him back in the water. And working at n. A. N. Was a lot like that. [laughter] in the best way possible. Reverend sharpton really taught how to do all of the things that im here getting this award for. Because of his belief that i could do it and his belief and faith in me that i could do things that i had no clue that i could do, that i am here, and that ive achieved some of the things that i have achieved. I i really appreciate him and really thank you for that. Problem. T have a women he has fabulous women like ebonie who are leading and tam tamika, who was here before me, and as a National Executive director. Before i leave i just want to say a special thank you to some in the room who have helped lead me and prop me murphy, whora helped me get a role at airbnb, who isanie campbell, always my sister, my friend and my mentor. Tanya. , there are so many women in this room. Pleaserget your name, charge it to my head and not my heart. Thank you to everyone this means a lot [applause] Janaye Ingram [cheering and applause] and shes not lying. We just throw you in the water. If you show up to work the next morning, we know you didnt so. And she learned to be a mighty proud ofmmer and were her. We could not do what we do without those that are forerunners, those that are Long Distance runners. Race isnt given to the swift nor the strong. That can endure to the end. Packageno retirement for Freedom Fighters. As long as ive been out here, a voice. Een one that would not compromise or back down. And on this, the 50th year that we will have to deal with the assassination of dr. Kings nobody has el embodied stronger and longer than the black eagle. The man who rose, never to be silent. May you help me honor joe madison. [cheering and applause] i have to share this, and knows thisarpton with the fact that today is also my 41st wedding anniversary. [applause] you can say, i aint got a woman problem. [laughter] somebody said, well, you only got married on your dads that you would never forget the anniversary. No married a woman who was great. Therefore, i dont have to forget. I dont need kings birthday to me of just how fortunate i was. This, martin. And this is something you can use later. [laughter] i shouldys say that if reverend, to heaven, and saint peter is at the gate and says, you know, joe, you worked with reverend sharpton and martin. You can come right on into heaven. Have to wait. Just come right on in. Ask, is Sherry Madison there . Not, it justes cant be heaven. Aw [applause] um. [applause] now, martin, youre gonna because ift a while, you use that line, shes here. Gonna remember it. My favoriteay that dr. Martin luther king jr. Is when he said that the two most Dangerous Things on the planet, sincere ignorance, and conscientious stupidity. Thats my favorite quote. Every single day. And i say to donald trump, and littlet to provide a politics, i will not use the word either out of respect to granddaughter. Ive got a grandson from kenya. Kenyan. Er is kenyan on the continent of africa. To explain, to tell him that you didnt come from an continent. Try or a matter of fact, youre the only one in our family who can thestly say hes akin to only president of the United States, because he and you are lua tribe. Me but i close by saying to donald listening, and lit the message go out loud and this, that god created earth, and he did not create any sholes, not on the continent of caribbean n the [applause] if any sholes were created, it was because man messed it up. And god is going to fix it. Thank you very much. [applause] joe madison. You. Im so happy that when he got to st. Peter, that martin and i was already in heaven. [laughter] thats a good forecast for us. [laughter] before presenting our last award, let me acknowledge the board. Of our national certainly one that has been a and has really been there from day one, in good and days. The outstanding entrepreneur, lemel morris, former executive director under martin. And, of course, the chairman of new jersey chapter, pastor inthe Baptist Church new jersey, and he is down with us today. Reverend steffie bartley. [applause] is theour presider, who daughter of my mentor, who movemente into the when i was 12 and who is grown herself. Been the head of the Transition Team with the present mayor of new york. Federation of protestant welfare organizations city of new york. Of what ading example woman of excellence is all about, our own Jennifer Jones austin. [applause] must haveg said we interconnections, intersectionallism we call it now. He said that we must fight shoulder to shoulder. And we must have allies. The fact of the matter is, everybody that was black did not in the 60s. And everybody that was white was not on the other side. We had allies that died to get vote. Right to and we had some blacks that never came out of their house. People everywhere now. Theyre over 75. They swear they marched. [laughter] we never had a million man march. It was 95. I cant get through the airport without people telling me they voted for me for president. If they had, if they had, i on my seconden term when obama won the white house. [laughter] but theres one sister that has always been in the trenches, a fight, for rights, for anyone. Never, ever missed standing up, even if the members of a union didnt understand it. She is still fired up, still on the front lines. Exemplifies the spirit of in king in her very body, every molecule of her body. And we salute her in this 50th year, because she best represents what labor is, with their belly, passion on their feet and with moving toward justice. The American Federation of teachers, randi weingarten. [applause] okay. You know, like the others, i cant do this without a couple notes. But i promise, im going to be one minute or less. Which is this. How is that . Thanks thanks, madam mayor. Standing inor to be your presence. It is an honor to be walking the walk of justice. Is an honor to be awoke in of time. Nt because it is this moment that urgency that frankly in my never experienced life. This is not simply as important as it is, a fight for everything had said before. That revot the fight and we have stood on lines over again and streets over again to do. For not simply a fight fairness or justice or policies champion, for working folks and their families. Now, must be a check democracy for our [applause] we, who have fought for a must be its check and balance we must fight for a society that safe and welcoming for all and we must fight the antidemocrat, the nativist, pcist, misogynist incompetent, authoritarian, ofel instincts and actions this president , i will not even say his name and associates intolerant want an divisive, gilded age society. A, which side are you on moment. Of we are on the side justice thank you so much for this honor [cheering and applause] randi weingarten. Reverend randi weingarten. [applause] before we bring on the chair of the Democratic Party, our mayor has arrived. An emergency, she had to be late. She is the mayor. And she runs this town. [applause] and she has to take care of parts of it. And i hope soon that she will new yorker that got lost on pennsylvania avenue back to us. [laughter] we can work on it hard. I can work on them better, if you all send him back to fifth avenue. [laughter] the mayor of washington, d. C. , mayor muriel bowser. Thank you [applause] well, good morning, everybody good morning and happy Martin Luther king day. Martin, thank you so much for of us today, to celebrate and remind us of the of Martin Luther king. It is true, reverend, that i was who with my firefighters helped evacuate 63 people from a tunnel safely. Well andeen is everybody is well. I want to thank those men and women for their bravery. Recognize the members of the council, our city ourcil, who are here, bill, chairman, who i saw. And also, brandon from ward four. Here. You for being [applause] let me, in addition to great city,u to our a city that is growing in so others,s, and in many these are the best of times in growngton d. C. , but as we and as we change, were also significantour very responsibility. As we sit, right in the belly of some would say. There have been d. C. Mayors who have worked with republican president s but none like this one. And we have been reminded and reminded of our role not only in the region, in the nation, but also in the world, to represent american democracy around the world. We are greeted in many nations as representatives of our great nation. It is my honor to do so. The role reminded of that mayors play at this very where the rubber meets the road in so many ways. Thedecisions that we make, procurements that we allow, the push, in sothat we many ways can push against the and divisive rhetoric actions of this president. We should also be very proud oft this year we welcome one the largest classes of africanamerican lady mayors across these United States of america. [applause] in some of our biggest cities. Atlanta, new orleans, charlotte, and right here in washington, d. C. [cheering] remindedshould all be and support our mayors. Make sure our mayors know that all of the ideals and things here atre fighting for the National Action network can our cityto play at halls across the United States of america. Will represent millions of people who can help economic inequality that reverend king fought passing minimum wage laws in their cities. These women can change the course for many africanamerican by making our criminal justice systems more fair and just. Women can change the own sisters inir making sure that women have pay in just,al just systems across all of our institutions. Finally, these women can change the courses for our ourdren by making sure Education Systems arent just bricks and mortar buildings but where we can find again, like our president , our real president barack obama told us, they find in those buildings hope and change. God bless you all [applause] we will now have an opportunity to hear remarks from the Democratic National committee, the honorable im going to call honorable tom perez. [applause] morning it has been such an honor to be here. Thank you, reverend sharpton. You, martin. Thank you, mayor, of what will of washington, d. C. , as we keep fighting for it. Thank you to all the honorees who have done so much work here. And thank you to all of you. Of serialgathering activists. Thats what its all about. Martin luther king day is about. Thats about making sure serial activism isnt just one day a year. Its every day of every year. Ive been reflecting a lot over the course of the last few days, of, what is issue moral leadership . You cant help but ask that question, because reverend sharpton challenged us. Dont fight invective with invective. Thats not what dr. King would have done. Moral leadership is what guiding, his principles. Frankly, they transcend party. His Guiding Principles had everything to do with formal loftiern, those principles driving us to make the world a better place. Think about moral leadership, i think about the work that he did. I think about the recognition of golden rule. I think about how we should be to buildogether community for everyone. How we should always remember that history, has its eyesday, on us. When i think of moral theership, i think about fact that america is at its best working together. When i think about moral frankly think about the principles on which i was raised. Because my family came here from the dominican republic. We proudly share an island with haiti. Proudly do that. Duboissere web grandfather emigrated from. Haiti, eight years ago last a horrificed earthquake. America is at its best when we when weple in need, help our sisters and brothers around the world in need. What barackxactly obama did. Boy, do i miss barack obama. [laughter] here misselse in barack obama . [cheering] man and my parents came here because they had to three a ruthless dictator. Theyd seen politics at its worst. Je jeopardy. Ere in they came to this country. They werent born to this dedicatedut my family itself to this country. Ninether was one of siblings that fought as americas greatest generation. With honor, int the United States armed forces. Me that being american is not about your birth or blood line. About the values you live every single day. Compassionrd work, for others. Moral leadership is the recognition, our moral test as a nation is how we treat those in the dawn of life, our children, we treat those in the twilight of life, the elderly, those in theeat shadows of life. These arent my values because im a democrat. Democrat because these are my values. Emigrant family were american to the core, from stepped onthey american soil. Is this is, frankly, what under attack today. This is bigger than party. Its not just about one issue or comment. Its an allout assault on the itdamental idea of what means to be american. And its causing immense suffering. President s,luding should be uniters, not dividers. Ouridents should elevate national discourse, not debase it. A president s words and actions send a message to the world about the values that we the values we will fight for. Joe, you mentioned one of the meaningful to so you. Well, you know what, folks . As i reflect on moral i find myself oflecting on another quote dr. King, who once said that to evil is to become an accomplice to evil. What i found most remarkable about last week was not what president said. Regrettably, thats become a dog bites man story. Thats unfortunate in itself. Andwhat was regrettable most notable was the appalling so many people in the Republican Leadership. [applause] thosel ryan called remarks unfortunate. The Washington Nationals have a rain delay and you must wait, that is unfortunate. When i trip and stub my toe, and slightly painful, that is unfortunate. Know whether that was sincere ignorance or stupidity, but you know what . I think its a little of both. Is the challenge of our generation. Appalling silence of so many people. Me, clear as to ever, is that the party of officially dead and has been replaced by the party royrump, the party of moore, the party of joe arpaio, seek toy of people who divide and conquer, because there is so much suffering going on right now. Fellow citizens in puerto thisare suffering, because president is attacking our values. Who areg dreamers, every bit as american as my three u. S. Born children, they have the sheet of paper, are suffering. Sistersian brothers and are suffering. So many others are suffering. And yet what do we see from this congress . See from this leadership . Reverend barber called this a deeper moral malady. And thats what we see across this country. Because we must always stand up injustice. The Democratic Party stood up to wallace. L. B. J. , when he signed the civil hehts act of 1964, understood that there would be electoral consequences for democrats but there were things that transcended the politics of the moment. Principles ofader inclusion and opportunity for everyone. And he understood that. Regrettably, the appalling todays Republican Leaders i dont even know what Mitch Mcconnell had said, because hes in the emergency room, getting the sock in his mouth removed. [laughter] appalling silence. Orin, joe, sincere ignorance conscientious stupidity . What i know is that that is not we are as americans. Though, i also know, folks, is that we have confronted these forces before. Defeated these forces before. And we will defeat them again, activists the serial in this room and across this country [applause] i had the privilege of to meet mr. Leach, in the back of the room. A moral leader. The sanitation workers in moral leaders. I was a work study student, a pell grant kid. Of my summer jobs was working on the back of a trash truck. Prepared for as i today, i found myself reading more and more about the memphis sanitation workers. Taylor rogers was one of those workers. His story, the working conditions that they were just nightmarish. You go to the Memphis Museum and trash truck and you see the injustice and the indignity. So, mr. Taylor rogers and mr. Leach and others did the could do. They they marched. They organized. Man. Eclared i am a and i will take license and say i am a woman as well. They marched past the National Guards people. And after dr. Kings did notation, they quit. They organized. The Community Rallied around them. Later, the City Council Finally agreed to give deal. Rkers a better and as he told his story, taylor i quote, allsnd we wanted was some decency and dignity. Decency and dignity. No demand more basic than that . The promise of decency and dignity is what inspired the workers in memphis and the in charleston. S empowered students to stand up, sit in and make their voices heard. Brought johnignity lewis to a bring in alabama, and Mildred Loving to a courthouse in virginia. Decency and dignity inspired baker, rusten,r, rosa parks, so many others in decency andd dignity, as we know, is the dr. Kings legacy. And it is this promise of hasncy and dignity that carried the downtrodden and the oppressed through our darkest beatingsether its the in selma, the bloodshed in mississippi, the massacre in the basement of a church in dignityown, decency and should not be simply values of the democrat party. They are values across america, my friends and we must fight for them, rights. They are human but the moral malady that reverend barber and reverend many others talk about today, thats what we need to confront. And as i said before, we have confronted these forces before. Have defeated these forces before. And we will defeat them again how will we do that . We will take a page out of what just happened last month in alabama. Organize. We vote. And we win [applause] you to thek africanamerican women across the state of alabama, the africanamerican men across the state of alabama, who brought dignityes, who brought and decency to alabama, who not, roy moore, you are what we stand for as a nation we will continue to fight when organize andhen we when we lead we succeed thats what we have to do, my friends and i was proud to be involved in that, but you know what . Real credit goes to the africanamerican women and the africanamerican men who are the of the Democratic Party. Voices were seeing in alabama and elsewhere. Its not simply coincidence. Down in charlotte, the new mayor of atlanta, we have the mayor here in washington, d. C. Making progress. The American People are sending message across this country. We want moral leadership. Want uniters. We want leaders who will fight decency in every single zip code. So my friends, i leave you with this. Ofare living in a time serious challenge. But dr. King once said that we while we must accept finite disappointment, we should never lose infinite hope. We are living in this time. That ouronfident infinite hope, we will march, we will fight for decency. Rise and we will win. So if you believe that workers jobs that pay a fair wage, you should organize and everywhere. If you believe that workers who work a fulltime job shouldnt to live in poverty, you should organize and vote everywhere. Believe that health care is a right for all and not a shouldge for a few, we organize and vote everywhere. If you believe that we should be working families a break, instead of wealthy corporations, and voted organize everywhere. If you believe that we should be more schools instead of more prisons, you should organize and vote everywhere. You believe that every eligible voter should have the to vote and that voter in thesion should be history books, you should organize and vote everywhere. If you believe that women are the backbone of the Democratic Party, you should organize and everywhere. If you believe in a womans workerschoose and a right to bargain collectively, you should organize and vote everywhere. That the labor thement is a backbone of progressive movement, we should organize and vote and protect brothers and sisters, weingarten, lee saunders and others. Should beieve that we welcoming our brothers and sisters from haiti, from elsewhere, you should organize and vote. That dreamers are not simply a group of 800,000 they are as but value statement, as president a damn good value statement, he said, about who we are as americans, you should organize and vote. If you believe, my friends, that are at the core of this party, and have been the mustof this party, and we never take them for granted again, we should organize and vote if you believe, my friends, that a secretary of education that actually believes education [cheering] you should organize and vote if you believe that we need to in thetice back department of justice, you should organize and vote [cheering] believe in d. C. Statehood, you should organize and vote [applause] if you believe that every child should have access to a that cleancation, Drinking Water is a basic human right, that Police Departments accountable to their communities, then you should organize and vote everywhere i am confident, my friends, that this, because weve done it before. And well do it again. The moralrc of universe is indeed long, but it justice. Toward but it never, ever, ever bends on its own. Together it thats the mission of moral leadership. Thank you very much [applause] amen. Ha ha amen. Dined divine and we should feel richly fed this morning. Amen . And i would say that our hearts and minds should feel nourished and energized. Weve heard from many in this room, many prominent figures. And their many words that should stay with all of us. Im going to walk out of here remembering several things. Among them mr. Leachs presence inspires us all. [applause] Martin Luther king iii, be ashamed to die until you have done something for all of mankind. Madison, god didnt create sholes. Are any, its because man messed up. And gods going to fix it. Randi weingarten. Are you onch side moment and we are on the side of justice. Chairman tom perez. We have confronted these forces have defeated them. And we will again. To paraphrase him, if you believe in humanity paraphrasing if you believe in humanity, you should and vote everywhere. Have we been fed . Have we been nourished . Have we been energized . Andwe here living listening . In the spirit of Martin Luther king jr. . Well, if were going to actualize that spirit, we need to move forward and we need to act. So were going to get on up out of here so we can get to the acting. Before we do, i want to bring presenter,r final Reginald Mcknight. As he makes his way to the stable, i want to acknowledge of our sponsors. 1199. 32bj. Airbnb. Afge. Aft. Alphabet soup, right . At t. Charter communications. Comcast. Lily and company. Macys. Mastercard. Pepsico. Perennial strategy group. Rai. Uber. Verizon. Walmart. Viacom. And, as Reginald Mcknight comes to us, a lead partner, facebook. Me say a few words about Reginald Mcknight before he comes. Of u. S. E head infrastructure Public Policy at facebook. Than a decade of experience as a lawyer and advisor. Hes counseled major corporations on a wide array of Public Policy,ng Government Affairs and complex investigations and litigation. And as the head of u. S. Infrastructure Public Policy at hes responsible for the Government Affairs strategy multibillionys dollar infrastructure program. And for its work on cutting edge the intersection of law, policy and technology. Our been a leader in community, in the community at large, and hes demonstrated time again a commitment to service, through his various civic activities. Among other things, he serves on the university of South Carolina business school, the international museum, theican Abramson Scholarship Foundation and hes a former board member of Duke University school of law alumni board. Native of greenville, South Carolina. His wife and he reside in alexandra, virginia, with their and they attend Alfred StreetBaptist Church. Mr. Reginaldyou mcknight. [applause] good morning. King family that has inspiredd so much, and so many, to the National Action network that has been on the fight for of the justice and equality since their founding. Gather herehat today, it is truly an honor to you, to celebrate the life of the reverend dr. Martin luther king jr. At a moment in our nations particularlyit is important that we reflect on this message, that we all have a to stand up for equal rights and justice. Give thanks for dr. Kings that ourat reminds us lives are the personification of prayers. Our lives are offerings in to god and our fellow human beings. Nearly half a century has passed since his death. And it is right to acknowledge all the wonderful progress weve made because of wonderful organizations like this. And so many Freedom Fighters in this room. But we must also remind work is notat his yet complete. So neither is ours. It is easy to recognize this as moment of great challenges. We face issues that threaten the very fabric of the community dr. King envisioned. But i think those who have been in this fight, for a long time, will tell you that challenges dont ebb and flow. They may arise in different forms, but challenges are constant. Today, we are seeing rapid change across the nation driven by many factors. At this moment we are facing the economic inequality depression. Eat there are largescale loses of jobs and Economic Security throughout our nation. It is always our concern is and must be with the people left behind. But as the challenges are constant, so are the opportunities. To seize upon these opportunities, we must act. Echoing the greatest tradition of the movement, we must lift our collective voices and speak with moral clarity about the face. That we presence here today reminds hero. s an american and the sanitation workers in memphis that dr. King was visiting were american heroes. It reminds us is that he was there on a campaign focused wasconomic equality when he assassinated. They were marching for justice and for jobs. Not just an end to legalized discrimination, but the presence of economic opportunity. While weve undoubtedly made area, lets bet clear. Do. Es still much work to today, africanamericans still have the highest unemployment in the nation. Hasthe gap between races not lessened, its widened. In the technology industry, Fastest Growing industry in our country. And yet, africanamericans make up less than 5 of Technology Workers and only 24 of those jobs are held by women. And that number is also declining. Im thankful to work for a company that recognizes us buildrsity helps better products, make better and serve our country people and billion recognizes that while weve made progress, it simply isnt good enough. Providing Economic Opportunities to all communities also involves to work,eople literally. Looking at the technology sector, jobs are growing. Today, there are over half a million jobs such jobs in the United States. 2024. Umber will rise in filling these jobs are critical for the economy, our country and our families. So excited toas go to detroit to announce that fill more jobs. Recently announced we will take this workforce the Relevant Program to 30 cities all across america, but we still have work to do. We cant stop there. In all sectors, we must be to payingmmitted people what they deserve. [applause] as simple as that sounds, we still live in a world, 50 years was assassinated, where women earn less than men. 2016, women on average were paid 80 cents for every dollar men earned and that gap widens even further with women of color. Black men were paid 63 cents for every dollar white men made. We should all take this personally. Think about myt grandmother who cleaned homes in carolina, justth to make it, or my parents, who grew up in poverty, picking carolina rural south but somehow, through prayer and hard work, have gone on to be top educators in this country. When i think of their stories of so many women who are now nearly half our work force, it is an embarrassment that they should still earn less same job. Or the [applause] women cant buy gas cheaper. Buy clothes cheaper. And they shouldnt have to look at their colleague sitting next wonder if theyre less valuable because theyre a woman. It is precisely because of the but thees we face, opportunities before us that i energized and so honored and humbled to stand before you today. The words of the incomparable barber, we arem being called, like generations moral us, to be the defibrillators of our time and shock heart of this nation with and justice and the love that dr. King taught us. Moment rise to this together. I am confident of that, as one one people. We may have come from Different Countries at different times on different ships but we are all in the same boat now. As we celebrate dr. Kings life today and following the eloquent example of the National Action network, let us ensure not in vain. H was let us be reminded that the each ofves on through marchingt us keep forward forever onward to that Promised Land of a nation more and more free for all gods children. God bless you and thank you very much. [applause] all right. We are nearing the end of our program this morning. If you have any doubts about how you can activate, how you can get organized and get out there, are going on bring up gentleman, a young gentleman who will give you a few words about Upcoming Event that will give you an opportunity to get engaged. He is the National Action networks youth huddle leader. Say a fewe up and words. Good morning. I havent seen you guys in a long time so im going to need a more energy than that. Good morning my name is ryan battle. Region northeast representative. D. N. C. Intern for the vice chair and assembly member, michael blake. I have a job today and thats to give you some information on the you dont want to miss. Historically, National Action largesthas convened the public Civil Rights Convention in the nation. Attend, our conventions draw a diverse and compassionate of activists and consistently feature some of the most important figures in the nation. Panels, workshops, and plenaries, we create a unique environment bridging grass roots and grass tops in a way that is unprecedented. Years featured president obama, president bill clinton, eric holder,ral former secretary of state hillary clinton, civil rights like reverend ceci vivian, king, as well as celebrities like gloria steinman, Robert Kennedy jr. , helen mirren, lee daniels, the empire, magic johnson, bishop t. D. Jakes, belefonte, samuel l. Jackson and john legend, just to name a few. Marking 50 years of the yearsnation, this dr. Martinfixes on in hope. Ng persistence even coming from the highest office of the land, you know, it cant stand up here and repeat what i said people thaties with look like me but i cant and wont ignore it, either. However, repeat the man we are here to honor and will honor during the convention, dr. Martin luther king jr. , in saying, every man must decide whether he will walk in the altruism or inve the darkness of destructive selfishness. Talked about this last year. Make a choice. Be the man afraid of the light. Not be ignorant to the fact that the world thinks its treat meto call and like monkeys in the jungle. Your voice. Show up. Up. Visit www. Www. Nationalactionnetwork. Net to join us in walking in the light of this historic moment. Reverend al sharpton, in their have theemember you power to give life or destroy it. I choose to give. You. [cheers and applause] give another round of applause to mr. Ryan battle. You. Hes going to close with me. I want to take a moment to thank our volunteers who worked so and got up so very early this morning. I thank our interpreter who has signing all morning and everyone else who woke up early this morning to attend. We thank you. Enjoy rest of your day. Im ebony riley, bureau chief of National Action network. Thank you for attending this event. [captions performed by national captioning institute] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] in 1979, cspan was created a Public Service by americas Cable Television companies and is brought to you today by your or satellite provider. Tuesday include Homeland Security secretary Senate Nielsen at a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee briefed on Energy Production outlooks and f. D. A. Commissioner gottlieb speaking at Johns Hopkins university. In the afternoon, the house consider a bill to create a special commemorative coin. The White House Holds a empoweringimed at women. On cspan3, foreign ambassadors discuss the global perception of the United States. Cspans q a, author and Harvard Law School hisessor noah feldman and book, the three lives of james madison, genius, partisan, president. The constitution is madisons monument and in that way the constitution is all around you you come to washington, d. C. , the whole threepart structure of government, the way interacts, the way people speak to each other, exercise free speech. Madisonst is monument. Sort of as was the case in sir christopher rands monument said if you seek his monument, look around you. Similarly, if you seek