Pelosi Remarks at San Francisco Interfaith Council Virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Prayer Service

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Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the San Francisco Interfaith Council for a virtual interfaith prayer service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you very much, Michael, for your very generous introduction. As always, I accept any compliments on behalf of the House Democrats, who are so courageous, share our values and are determined that we will make a big difference.

Thank you, Michael. It's nice to be with you again. Each year, year in and year out, D.C. permitting, I've had the pleasure of being with you for this interfaith session, usually outdoors. Today, not so, but by Zoom.

I also thank you again for the opportunity to be with you for Rita Semel's 100th birthday. And, I know Rita is with us today, if not speaking – but hello, Rita. You're a constant inspiration.

I just want to have a conversation with all of you about what today is. This morning – earlier today, morning for you – I had the privilege of appearing with the King family, with Martin Jr. – the Third, with Arndrea, his wife, and with Yolanda, their daughter, the only grandchild of Martin Luther King. They spoke so beautifully about Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King and actually placed it in time as to the challenge that we face on voting rights right now.

But, what was interesting to me was to hear all of our guests speak this morning, all of the guests speak this morning – starting with you, Michael, talking about the dignity of people and how we respect everyone in the tradition of the Interfaith Council. At the – then, Leroy Adams, you really reflected what they said: we're all sharing that there's a spark of divinity in each of us, and, in fact, one of the speakers this morning said, ‘After all, Dr. King was a Baptist minister.' So, it wasn't just about civics, it was about – it was about faith and dignity. And then, to hear Noah sing the beautiful anthem, again and again, reinforcing ‘Lift Every Voice.' That's what we want to do.

Imam – they also did quote the letter from the Birmingham jail this morning. How powerful. How powerful. You cannot hear it enough, and so it's great to hear you echo those important words.

Christina, I can't say anything except to say how sorry I am for what happened in Texas to the community and the threat and the antisemitism that that may represent. Thank you for your beautiful words reading from Dr. King's Vietnam speech.

And, Miguel Bustos, you spoke, as did Camille, about the ‘I Have a Dream' speech, which of course permeated what we were all talking about earlier today in D.C. I told them that I was at that gathering, but it went on, and I could only listen to it on the radio because I had to leave to go get married. And so, that's how I can always remember how long ago the speech was. No one knows – my husband Paul and – we had to go get married. His family was coming into town of Baltimore, where I'm from.

And speaking of Baltimore, our brother, Tommy, who was at the time of Dr. King's – before the terrible assassination, Tommy worked with Dr. King for equal accommodations and the rest in Baltimore. And, people think of Dr. King as being very inspirational, a – very strategic and all the rest. He was politically astute as well, and they talked about how they could get that done.

What I remember most about it is Tommy talking about how received Dr. King was, when he came to Baltimore. It was a coming. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing.

So, what do I have to say to you? I told them this morning, something – Yolanda spoke, his granddaughter. She's thirteen years old; she's in eighth grade. And, she's, you know, she has the genes. I mean, she just spoke so beautifully about the future and how young people have to help shape it in the spirit of her grandfather.

I was telling them that one of the things that I tracked about Dr. King over time – and Coretta, give her all the credit she deserves. When they went to India and talked about non-violence and communicated with people there, the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, who is now of course gone, but nonetheless, that philosophy of non-violence.

Now, I mentioned that the word in Sanskrit for non-violence is ‘satyagraha,' and satyagraha means two things. It means ‘non-violence.' And, it means ‘insistence on the truth.' And, that's what we're insisting upon right now. The truth of what's happening to voting rights in our country. What's happening to our democracy, which is at risk unless the Senate passes this legislation.

We all commended the President, Chuck Schumer for the work they're doing. I'm very proud of the House. We pass this bill over and over again, the most recent version just on Thursday. One hundred percent of the Democrats voting for it. It has 100 percent support of the Democrats in the Senate. The problem is the filibuster. How can we allow a custom of the Senate stand in the way of the Constitution of the United States?

We have to – I say to our colleagues, whom I respect there: weigh the equities. Is it more important to honor the work of Dr. King, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, all the people that Dr. King shares residence with on the Mall? Or, is it more important to honor a custom? What a custom.

I said that the Constitution, rather than the custom, should reign. The Constitution says: simple majority, unless you are ratifying a treaty, you are convicting someone who was impeached or you are ratifying the Constitution. Otherwise, it's a simple majority. Why else would they have the Senate – the President of the Senate – the Vice President of the United States, breaking a 50-50 tie, if that were not fraught with meaning?

So, this is something that we just can't – that what they are doing in terms of suppressing the vote and what that means to people of color, whether black, brown, yellow or just people. What it means in terms of negating, nullifying elections, what it means to say: ‘Well, we'll interpret the results any way we want' – and the list goes on and on. What it means in terms of how it's hurting us with our redistricting standards, what is hurting – but the one thing that the far right and the moneyed people, the big, dark special interest money want to protect their right to never have to disclose how much money they spent. So, that's what this is, despite a number of things.

So, in any case, in any event, we – they're telling me my time is up. In any event, thank you. Thank you, for putting us in a prayerful way, respecting the dignity and worth of all people. And, that was what Dr. King was about.

But, we must do our #BeAHeroForVotingRights so it keeps spreading and spreading and spreading as we prepare for tomorrow.

And, I say – I mentioned all those who have already spoken. I just want to say what an honor is to be with Mayor Breed for so many reasons. We're so proud of her. And, of course right now in terms of COVID and respect for people and trying to lift everyone up, not just our voices, but our people. Thank you, Mayor Breed, for your great leadership of our great city of San Francisco.

Thank you very much, Michael, for the invitation to be with you. Thank you all for your values-based presentation about Dr. King. I don't think any of us has any right to pay our respects to Dr. King in the Congress unless we pay our respects to what he believed in, in our votes in the Congress.

With that, I yield back. Thank you.

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