Vice President Kamala Harris asks crowd to uphold the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Thousands came out on a warm sunny winter day to March from Zion Baptist Church to the South Carolina State House on January 15, 2024 at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. King Day at the Dome event.
The newly installed 19th District Senator, Tameika Isaac Devine, greeted the audience and introduced Vice President Kamala Harris by welcoming her back to South Carolina.
Vice President Harris addressed multiple topics in her speech, including school safety, gun violence, abortion and LGBT rights. She also challenged the crowd to live up to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.
“If he were here, I think Dr. King would be the first to say that, yes, we have come far,” Vice President Harris said. “And though we have come far, in this moment, it is up to us to continue that fight to cash that promissory note.
“And like Dr. King, even through the struggles and the setbacks, even during the pain and the heartbreak, even when our feet grow weary and our legs grow tired, we will march forward for freedom. Because I do believe — I do believe the true power behind the promise of America is in the faith of her people. The promise of America, I do believe, is in the faith of the people
— our faith in the founding principles of our nation and our profound commitment to make those principles real. “Generation after generation, on the fields of Gettysburg, in the schools of Little Rock, on the grounds of this state house, on the streets of Ferguson, and on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives, we the people have always fought to make the promise of freedom real. And so, today, we must do so once again.”
She ended her speech with a call to action.
“Now is not the time to throw your hands up but roll your sleeves up and go to
