Lt. Governor Brown Delivers Keynote Address Prior to Annual Mass Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
LARGO, MD (January 16, 2009) – Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown delivered the keynote address this evening prior to the Archdiocese of Washington Mass celebrating the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Mass, an annual celebration sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington Office of Black Catholics, was held at St. Joseph’s Parish in Largo.
Brown’s brief remarks touched on the progress that has been made in America in the 41 years since Dr. King’s assassination.
“In the 46 years since he shared a Dream and the 41 years since his death, our country has come a great distance,” Lt. Governor Brown said. “Today, one out of 10 African Americans earns more than $100,000 – forty years ago, less than 2 percent earned the equivalent of that amount. African Americans, today, wield $800 million in purchasing power, making ‘Black America’ the 15th-richest nation on Earth.”
Most Reverend Barry Knestout, the newly-appointed auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C., celebrated the Mass. Most Reverend Martin D. Holley, the first African American auxiliary bishop in Washington, D.C., and Rev. Levester Jones, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, served as concelebrants for the Mass.
Brown’s appearance coincides with Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration, a moment, Brown said, Dr. King would be proud of. Brown urged the congregation to “cease this exact moment and move beyond the ‘list of firsts’… and remember historical moments [like Obama’s inauguration] because of the accomplishment, not the color of the accomplisher’s skin.”
Brown is a member of St. Joseph’s Parish where he regularly attends Mass with his children, Rebecca and Jonathan.
[ Read Lt. Governor's Remarks ]