Martin Luther King Jr | Be a Seed for Change

In 1968, two extraordinary leaders were gunned down by assassins: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy.

Today, I was joined by Martin Luther King III and survivors, family members and friends of the victims of the shootings in Tucson, Virginia Tech, and Columbine, along with people affected by the nearly three dozen gun murders that happen every day but never make the headlines.

We came together to ask Washington to fulfill a promise made 43 years ago after the King and Kennedy assassinations. Back then, Congress passed legislation to prohibit felons, drug users, and the mentally ill from possessing guns.

Years later, Congress added a background check system to strengthen our existing gun laws. But the flaws in this system have been exposed again and again, first in the massacres at Columbine and Virginia Tech, and now in Arizona.

I’m writing to ask you to join me in calling on Congress and President Obama to fix our broken background check system before another tragic shooting claims more innocent lives.

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Please sign the petition and tell Congress it’s time to stop dangerous people from buying guns.

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yJ3mnrfZDvN2XDsv8Ok5kBx3t7JWQYiV

Every day in America, 34 people are murdered with firearms. They’re often humble and quiet people — the kind of Americans that King and Kennedy tirelessly championed.

In fact, since 1968 more than 400,000 Americans have been killed with guns. But Congress can fix gun background checks and stem the tide of violence by taking two critical steps:

Get all the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system.

Require a background check for every gun sale in America.

These common sense reforms will save the lives of thousands of Americans each year. That’s why 550 Mayors from across the country are calling on Congress to take action right now.

Tell Congress that we need a genuine, credible background check system for all gun sales:

www.FixGunChecks.org

We can’t afford more gun murders because of the flaws in our background check system.

Thanks for helping to stop these senseless shootings,

Mayor Michael Bloomberg

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Amid a sea of signs proclaiming, “I am a man,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. joined Memphis sanitation workers on strike. Just one week after this photo was taken, Dr. King was murdered.

Despite this tragic loss, men and women of all colors pushed forward and continued to fight for freedom and equality. More than 40 years after King’s assassination, Americans elected the first African American president, achieving a historic and cultural milestone that was centuries in the making.

You have an opportunity to make history, too, by joining me in building a lasting tribute to the story of African Americans past and present. The Smithsonian Institution is building a new National Museum of African American History and Culture to celebrate and honor those brave men and women who survived slavery, who endured extreme racism and violence and who pioneered the arts, sciences, music and sports.

We need Americans like you who have the courage and vision to help make this Museum something we can all be proud of. Congress is providing one-half of the funds to build this new Smithsonian Museum. We must raise another $250 million to meet our total goal of $500 million from individuals like you who understand that the story of African Americans is the story of America.

Your gift today of $25, $50 or whatever you can afford will help ensure that these stories from individuals to collective movements of the past and present are recorded and preserved for all time and for all the citizens of our great nation.

By studying and understanding the struggles and successes of African Americans through the decades, all Americans can explore the shifting definitions of American citizenship, liberty and equality.

Ultimately, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be a place that reminds us of what we were, what challenges we still face and that guides us towards what we can become. Let us build it together.

Thank you for being our partner in building this great Museum.

Sincerely,