Thursday, September 24, 2009

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Floor Statement on Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers
Remarks as Delivered on the Senate Floor

First, I thank the chairman for the courtesy of allowing me to call up the amendment at this time and appreciate the courtesy of the Senator from Maine. I have requested in appropriations the designation which is included in this amendment which says the Secretary may--underline the word ``may''--appropriate $5 million to Morehouse College for the purpose of the curation and the care of the Martin Luther King, Jr., papers in Atlanta, GA, for the civil rights museum of history.

Briefly, not to belabor the point, a number of years ago, as you may know, the family of Martin Luther King put up the King papers for auction to the highest bidder. A number of people in the State of Georgia and the city of Atlanta determined that those papers belonged to the world and raised $32 million amongst themselves to buy the papers to protect them forever for posterity. An issue came up in the U.S. House of Representatives to appropriate that money, and it didn't happen. Without those bidders, those papers would have gone to the highest bidder. Whether or not it would have remained in the public purview for posterity no one knows. But we do know because of the people and the mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin, the distinguished Representative of our State, had the courage and fortitude and foresight to raise the money, and those papers are now under protection for the people of the world.

The money is being raised to build the civil rights museum, and it will start in the not too distant future at Centennial Park in Atlanta. It will house the papers of Martin Luther King, but there are 10,000 exhibits within the papers of Dr. King. Therefore, Morehouse College has been designated to be the curator and protector of those papers, much as our archivists in the country do for the great historical documents of the United States. This money would go to assist Morehouse College as the curator to protect those papers, which will be in the public domain forever.

I appreciate very much the distinguished chairman allowing me to offer the amendment. I hope at the appropriate time it will be adopted. I think it is an important contribution to the history of our country and future of civil rights and the world.