In the First Floor Speech of His Career, Abbarno Speaks in Favor of Resolution Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. 

Posted

State Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, spoke in support of HR 4603, a resolution honoring Martin Luther King Jr., on the floor of the state House on Monday. 

Abbarno was one of several lawmakers from both parties to speak in favor of the resolution. The address was Abbarno’s first on the House floor, as meetings were held virtually during his first term in office.

Abbarno told the chamber there were many holidays people had disagreements on but said 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is “one holiday I think we can all agree that garners no debate.”

According to Abbarno, he seeks to instill the values King stood for in his own children.



“When I drop my children off at school I always say, ‘Be good to others.’ … It's an attempt to share Dr. King's philosophy — that people hurt one another because they don’t know one another,” Abbarno said. 

While telling the chamber the U.S. has made progress on civil rights, Abbarno also said there’s “much more to accomplish before we reach full equality.”

Abbarno closed his address by declaring he believes people have more in common than they do differences and called for working to help those who are disadvantaged in society.

“It’s our job to bring the voices of marginalized communities, whether they’re urban or rural, under this dome and find solutions,” Abbarno said.