Prepared remarks from Janet Murguia during King Day celebration at Capitol

I wish to thank Governor Graves for the opportunity to take part in this moving celebration of the life of a unique American hero. It is humbling to be asked to speak about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man whose impact on our country was so great. But it is not our country alone that pays tribute to his memory.

This day belongs to all people -- here and around the world -- whose lives have been touched and changed by what Dr. King dreamed, said and did.

It belongs to the children of Shawnee Heights High School, who are here today, and the students of Haskell Indian Nations University, whose president is also with us. But just as surely it belongs to the women and children of Kabul, the members of our armed forces and anyone who struggles in a just cause to cast off the yoke of human tyranny.

The historic nonviolent movement for civil rights in this country, which Dr. King led, was inspired by India's struggle for independence. In turn, it was the inspiration for the struggle for freedom in Eastern Europe and other regions touched by the darkness of political slavery.

So this should be a celebration - not solely in Topeka, or in Kansas, or in the United States, but throughout the world -- of a leader whose wisdom and courage helped free a nation from the chains of racial oppression. Grant us that same wisdom, that same courage, for the living of these days.

On the final Sunday morning of his life, Dr. King found himself in a familiar setting. As a pastor, and the son and grandson of pastors, it was not surprising that he was in church -- in the pulpit -- on March 31, 1968.

This church, however, was not Ebenezer Baptist in Atlanta or Dexter Avenue Baptist in Montgomery. No, his final Sunday sermon was delivered at the great National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

On that Sunday morning more than 33 years ago, Dr. King delivered a sermon entitled "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution." The revolution of which he spoke had three parts: dramatic technological changes, the looming prospect of nuclear Armageddon and the advancing "human rights revolution," what he described as "the freedom explosion that is taking place all over the world."

What Dr. King said that day still rings true, as we seek to know and be known by other cultures and be a positive force for good in the international community.

"Through our scientific and technological genius," said Dr. King, "we have made of this world a neighborhood and yet we have not had the ethical commitment to make of it a brotherhood.

"But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools."

Dr. King said, "We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly -- affects all indirectly."

Institutions such as the one I am proud to work for -- the University of Kansas -- are very successful at advancing our education and knowledge of science and technology and at giving students a stronger sense of the world as a neighborhood. We are a learning community, where what affects one student or one professor can profoundly affect us all.

Creating a sense of brotherhood is a greater challenge, and no institution can handle it alone. Achieving it requires collaboration among schools, state and federal government, private businesses, religious and social service agencies, families, and all of our citizens throughout the state, the region and the nation.

As we respond to today's immediate challenges -- unprovoked acts of terrorism, economic setbacks and budget difficulties -- we must ask: How best can we serve our state and nation? What does justice demand and require of us? How can we ensure not only our present survival but our future greatness, with no segment of our society left outside that "network of mutuality"?

The alternative to living together as brothers -- perishing together as fools -- is not an option in an ever more connected world. It is as important now as it was in 1968 that we remain awake through the three great revolutions of our own time.

The technological revolution has been relentless. Dr. King never had to check his e-mail or surf the Web, but today technology has made his message available throughout the world. What an opportunity for communication and education, provided we make access available to everyone, regardless of their income.

While the United States and the Soviet Union no longer face each other on the edge of an abyss, we watch bombs "surgically" destroying caves and we shudder as India and Pakistan precariously confront each other. The revolution in warfare that Dr. King spoke of is still very much with us.

The human rights revolution has continued -- in this country, in South Africa, in China and among women. Much of the progress that has been made in this arena can be traced to a determined pastor in a Birmingham jail cell. We honor that revolution in human rights when we honor Dr. King.

Langston Hughes, the "poet laureate of African America," lived for a dozen years in my community of Lawrence. Next month, the University of Kansas will host a conference to celebrate the centennial of his birth. I hope many of you can attend.

The title of that conference -- "Let America Be America Again" -- is also the title of one of Hughes' greatest poems. As we observe the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, it's a poem that speaks to what he preached about on that final Sunday morning in Washington.

As a person of Hispanic descent -- the daughter of a Kansas City steelworker -- it also speaks to me of the promise that we all still struggle to fulfill.

"O, let America be America again / The land that never has been yet / And yet must be -- the land where every man is free. / The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME / Who made America, / Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain, / Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain, / Must bring back our mighty dream again. "

It was Hughes who wrote about "a dream deferred," a theme that reverberated in Dr. King's immortal speech at the Lincoln Memorial and in the theme of today's celebration: "Dream It, Say It, Do It."

That speech was judged by many as the greatest of the 20th century. There, with the statue of Lincoln looming behind him, with the vast Mall, crowded with people, stretching out before him to the Capitol dome, he boldly spoke of a dream.

It was an audacious dream, given the bitter racial climate in our country during the summer of 1963.

He bravely envisioned a day when his own children would "live in a nation not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." For many in 1963, it was hard to imagine.

Today, in this ever increasingly interdependent world where America faces some of her most ominous challenges, I wonder if Dr. King wouldn't also envision a land, not judged by the sectors of our society -- but by the content of our community. And encourage us to ask ourselves how we, together, can work to keep the dream alive for everyone, opening wide the doors to opportunity and mutual understanding, and welcoming diversity.

At the dawn of this 21st century we should be a community that reflects the premise of a free society: that ordinary people can do extraordinary things; that every person has the spark of greatness in him or her; that every child can be given the chance to live up to his or her God-given ability; that we can all keep getting better and -- while never a perfect people -- we continue to stumble along in the right direction.

We should set our course on a true "freedom explosion" in America and all over the world. A course that respects diversity of community.

Within 10 years, there will be no majority race in our largest state of California. In a little more than 50 years, it is predicted that there will be no majority race in America. In a more interconnected world, this diversity can be our greatest strength.

Just look around this great rotunda. We have people here from various racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. And I hope you would agree that Kansas and America are stronger because of it.

Yesterday, I was in Manhattan on the campus of Kansas State University when the Legislature convened for a special session to talk about the importance of research. A distinguished KU professor spoke about the historic discoveries regarding the human genome. He said that we are all, regardless of race, genetically 99.9 percent the same.

Modern science has confirmed what ancient faiths have always taught: the most important fact of life is our common humanity. Therefore we should do more than just tolerate our diversity -- we should honor it and celebrate it. And we should remember, as long as our dreams outweigh our doubts, the premise of Dr. Martin Luther King's vision remains achievable and the promise of the American dream, a reality. Dream it, say it, do it.