Here’s a statement from Sen. Lamar Alexander in advance of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday:

“Dr. King’s birthday reminds me of a hot August day in 1963. I was a law student and summer intern at the Department of Justice, and I remember standing at the back of a huge crowd as Dr. King spoke of his dream that one day his children would not be judged ‘by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.’ This was a time of sit-ins and civil rights marches in the South. Even some major universities were just beginning to end segregation by race. So much has changed since that day, but his words are important words to remember as we strive to honor his legacy.”