CHICAGO, IL – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky today released the following statement after participating in the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Breakfast:

"Not only did Dr. Martin Luther King lead the struggle for racial and economic justice, he advocated non-violence and spoke out against the war in Vietnam. Though surely Dr. King would recognize today the achievements that resulted from the movement he led, we must ask what he would have said about the response to Katrina and the war in Iraq. Clearly the struggle for justice must continue. The legacy of Dr. King should serve as our guide.”

“African Americans and Hispanics in America today remain three times more likely than whites to be impoverished. Income and unemployment disparities between blacks and whites have not significantly changed since Dr. King’s era. We must renew our commitment to building racial equality in this country -- in our schools, our board rooms, and our town halls. We must help foster a new generation of African American leaders.”

“Hurricane Katrina reminded us of the racial divide that still exists in America. A slow response to the plight of thousands of Americans, many of them poor, and many of them African American, raised serious questions about whether all Americans are equally protected by the government.”

“African Americans should never be treated as refugees in their own land. There are ninth wards across America today, communities that have been left behind by their government. In 2006, we must revisit these communities and build their residents new paths to opportunity. As we celebrate Dr. King’s life, we must also break down remaining barriers that prevent Americans of any background from achieving their dreams.”