; Whereas Dr. King was the leading civil rights advocate of his time, spearheading the civil rights movement in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s and earning worldwide recognition as an eloquent and articulate spokesperson for equality; Whereas in the face of hatred and violence, Dr. King preached a doctrine of nonviolence and civil disobedience to combat segregation, discrimination, and racial injustice, and believed that people have the moral capacity to care for other people; Whereas Dr. King awakened the conscience and consciousness of the United States and used his message of hope to bring people together to build the Beloved Community , a community of justice, at peace with itself; Whereas, in 1968, Representative John Conyers introduced legislation to establish the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a Federal holiday; Whereas Coretta Scott King led the massive campaign to establish Dr. King’s birthday as a Federal holiday; Whereas, in 1983, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday, which is now observed in more than 100 countries; Whereas, January 16, 2023, will be the 40th anniversary of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday; Whereas Dr. King’s wife and indispensable partner, Coretta Scott King, was a woman of quiet courage and great dignity who marched alongside her husband and became an international advocate for peace and human rights; Whereas Coretta Scott King, who had been actively engaged in the civil rights movement as a politically and socially conscious young woman, continued after her husband’s death to lead the United States toward greater justice and equality, traveling the world on behalf of racial and economic justice, peace and nonviolence, women’s and children’s rights, gay rights, religious freedom, full employment, health care, and education until her death on January 30, 2006