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Sean D. Reyes
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Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 20, 2020

Today we honor the undying legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most influential civil rights activists and leaders in our nation’s history. Dr. King’s life and work paved the way for social change as he championed equality and the end to racial segregation and discrimination.

Dr. King is known worldwide for his courage, conviction, and commitment to his dream: Equal treatment for all. 

His eloquence and charisma combined with his deep-rooted convictions enshrined Dr. King as one of the most impactful proponents for the rights set forth by the Constitution:  “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. 

His steadfast belief in peaceful protests set the tone for the Civil Rights Movement and has left an indelible impact on the world.

Dr. King said, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

Today and every day, the Utah Attorney General’s Office reaffirms its commitment to fight for justice on behalf of all people in the great State of Utah, as we strive to exemplify the principles set forth by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 21, 2019

By Sean Reyes
Utah Attorney General

Today we honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most impactful leaders in our nation’s history. Beyond his role as an advocate for civil rights and a champion for the persecuted, Dr. King’s influence holds a very personal place in my own family history. For it was his wife, Coretta Scott King, who assisted my immigrant father establish himself in this country and avoid political persecution in his native land. 

Dr. King stood for the truths that many Americans hold so dear – that every man, woman, and child are endowed with certain unalienable rights and freedoms regardless of skin color or place of birth.

He once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

In these days of turbulence in our nation and the world, it is our hope that we at the Utah Attorney General’s Office follow in the spirit of Dr. King, fighting on behalf of the people in the great state of Utah to ensure that those freedoms are not diminished.

Attorney General Sean Reyes’ Statement on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

SALT LAKE CITY January 16, 2017 – Attorney General Sean Reyes released the following Martin Luther King Jr. Day statement:  

“We in the Utah AGO are deeply appreciative to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as we join our nation in celebrating his life and work today. He was a great American, willing to turn us towards the better angels of our nature while he faced the demons of discrimination.

“Dr. King is probably best remembered by the casual observer for his soaring speeches that moved so many by the strength and majesty of his words. While that was an important element of his allure, it was what underlied those words that was truly remarkable: his courage, conviction, and commitment to lifting all people from oppression.

“He took his own pain and generations of suffering from his people and channeled it into an energy that transformed him into a supernova of change and progress. And our country is the better for it. It was true a half-century ago when he delivered his ‘I have a dream’ speech to the 250,000 people who had joined him for the March on Washington and it is equally true today as we strive to fulfill the hope and promise of his words.

“In many ways, the dream that Dr. King spoke of was the same one that brought the pilgrims to America, that drove the Founding Fathers to declare their independence, that prompted Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, and that continues to urge us forward today as we reach out the hand of fellowship to the afflicted and weary, the vulnerable and the weak. It was this dream–this hope–that brought my father to America to escape political persecution and that motivated my mother, a career educator, to fight for equal educational opportunity in at-risk and inner city environments.

“As a nation set on a hill, we have been blessed with great prosperity, and yet, there remains work to do. Whether it is providing shelter to the homeless, aid to refugees here and abroad, seeking to give relief to those in addiction’s grasp, finding long-term solutions to intergenerational poverty, or continuing the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking, with each stride forward we seek to fulfill the dream of Dr. King.

“Dr. King once said that ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’ It is my hope, and my own dream, that Americans will always be willing to stand for what is right at all times. As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and seek to bring about a nation where children are judged not ‘by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,’ only continued remembrance of where we have come from, and where we are going, will bring us to that day when Dr. King’s great dream is brought fully to life.”

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